RECA Launches Updated Website

The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) is pleased to announce the launch of its updated website at www.reca.ca. The new website is a culmination of more than six-months of extensive work within the communications department, RECA’s management team, and external technical advisers.

The main goals of the restructuring and redesign of the RECA website were: to make it easier to navigate, more user-friendly, to update existing information; and make the site more visually appealing. RECA has also increased the amount of information available through the site and will, in the coming weeks, continue to add information, especially in the areas of consumer information, mortgage brokerage, and real estate appraisal services.

Click here for a post I wrote about RECA that details who they are and their role in the real estate industry in Alberta.

///…CP

Renovations at REALTOR.ca

By now everybody knows the old MLS.ca became REALTOR.ca back in July 2008 and in the roughly six months since the change, I have received a number ‘complaints’ and comments from people unhappy with the new and improved site. Many of the unsatisfied users indicated they did not like the new navigation and missed some of the navigation features of the old system.

Clearly The Canadian Real Estate Association (which operates and maintains the site on behalf of REALTORS® across Canada) got the message from consumers as well. Presumably in an effort to address some of the ‘issues’, the folks at CREA implemented a number of enhancements to REALTOR.ca recently:

• Introduction of Gallery View display This allows users to view up to 12 property photos at a time, covering up the interactive map. The button to use this option appears at the upper right of the map page, above the existing column showing thumbnail information.
• Introduction of Thumbnail View display This view provides 12 property photos at a time with property description and links to other features such as multimedia. It is accessed by a button at the upper right of the map page.
• Enhanced positioning for ‘Save Search’  The ‘Save Search’ was moved to the upper left, above the ‘Refine’ column on the map page. This makes it more evident consumers can save their search criteria, making it easier for returning visitors to search based on their initial criteria.
• Technical and Browser issues Issues where some MLS® number searches would not execute have been fixed. Also, the site is now more compatible for users of Firefox Version 3.

Feel free to let me know what you think or better yet, email CREA. Happy home surfing!

///…CP

I’m At The ‘FrontDoor’ — Now Let Me In

My wife and I were recently state-side for a couple of weeks and while there my better half spent some (okay, a lot) of her free time watching every one (I swear it felt like it was every one) of those annoying ‘reality’ shows about homes and/ or real estate. If the channel wasn’t set to TLC then it was set to HGTV. Now I have no idea if we even get HGTV at home (we’re on Shaw), but I have never even heard of the shows she was watching. There were programs on flipping houses, home make-overs, home building, home buying, home wrecking, interior design, exterior design — you name it, she found a show on it. Arrggghhh. And of course, every one of them was hosted by some more-annoying-than-nails-on-a-chalkboard ‘expert’ in real estate.

So where is this post going? No it is not a rant about inane television programming — I will save that for another day.

This post is to tell you about HGTV’s online real estate resource called FrontDoor. It appears to have been online since December of 2007 so maybe you already know about it — but for those of you who don’t, I’ll tell you about it…

I spent some time on their site and I have to say I found it to be a fantastic online resource — for everyone. Of course there are the usual suspects: mortgage calculators, staging ideas, home-selling tips, home-buying tips, etcetera. Some of the many other resources on this site include: moving planners, renting-versus-owning calculators, financial advice, and so on…it is a fairly exhaustive everything-related-to-homes resource — and I like it.

A big fat ***NOTE*** — this is a resource based in and for consumers in the United States and you should be aware there are distinct differences between real estate in the two countries. What do I mean? For example, the mortgage calculator will produce different results than a Canadian mortgage calculator because interest on Canadian mortgages is compounded semi-annually versus annually in the American system. In other words, use the site at your own risk!

Knock, knock…

///…CP

UPDATE: MLS.ca is Moving

There has been yet another change to the launch date of the new REALTOR.ca website. The new launch date is Wednesday, July 2, 2008.

This latest revision is due to the Canada Day holiday on Tuesday, July 1. The Canadian Real Estate Association has decided to wait until after the holiday to ensure ample technical support is available to us dummies if needed (REALTORS® and technology – yikes).

///…CP

Say “Cheese”…And Nothing Else.

Last week the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton reported to its members that some home sellers are employing nanny-cams, web cams, etcetera to record REALTOR®/ prospective buyer activity in their homes – including during open house visits and scheduled REALTOR® showings.

Why would sellers do this you ask? Giving human nature the benefit of the doubt, likely because they either have genuine security concerns about their home and/ or its contents or they are simply seeking some candid, unfiltered feedback on their home — kind of like you see on those ‘flip’ TV shows. Having given most people the benefit of the doubt, one still can’t help but wonder if a few are doing it simply with the intent of gaining some competitive edge on negotiations when an offer does come in on their home.

When I first heard about this I had to laugh (perhaps a little nervously) because I have often been in homes with Clients and said to myself “what if”. What if people were recording the showing activities and comments of my buyers and I while we were in their homes. Would we seem funny? Would we be considered rude? Would some people find us offensive if they heard what we said? Would we be embarassed if some TV show host popped out of a closet and played the recording back for us? The answer: ’yes’.

To be clear, neither I nor my Clients go out of our way to be rude or disrespectful when we are in other peoples’ homes — but when we are there we believe we can speak freely. In fact, I have always encouraged my Clients to speak freely and say whatever pops into their heads as we proceed through a home. This level of candor and trust allows me to gain insight into my Clients likes and dislikes and allows me to better serve them in all facets of their home purchase going forward. On a more comedic note, who hasn’t gone into a ‘below-average condition’ home and thought “Who lives like this?”, or gone into a ‘unique’ home and thought “What were they thinking?”. Everybody is different.

So what’s the problem? Well for starters you have to ask yourself “Could anything I say to my REALTOR® have the potential to come back and bite me in the butt during negotiations if I proceedwith an offer?”. If you find a home you absolutely love and its ‘the one’ then you will probably be excited — and because you believe you are alone in the home with your REALTOR® you will likely be doing a lot of oooing and awwwing. Your level of enthusiasm for the home will be fairly obvious to the proverbial fly on the wall. If there are certain unattached goods (i.e. chattels) you wish to have as part of the deal, if you begin to discuss your negotiating strategy with your REALTOR® in terms of an initital offer, if you tell your REALTOR® how much you would be willing to pay for the home…you get the picture. So much for your negotiating position. Talk about your unfair advantages.

If you are concerned about being recorded or if you suspect you are being recorded then try to remain tight-lipped during your visit. Make comments as you would normally but try to remain emotionally detached and act as though its ‘just a house’ — despite the fact you want it to be your new home. Leave any and all discussions about offers, strategy, negotiations, etcetera for when you have exited the home.  Remember, its up to you and your REALTOR® to make sure your position is protected at all times. Shop safely!

Back to the act of recording. Is it legal? Can they do that? I don’t know – I’m not a lawyer. I do know the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton is seeking a legal opinion on this practice as I sit here writing and I will share it once it becomes available. Is it fair? I don’t think so personally and I don’t think I would work with a home seller that employed those types of tactics.

///…CP

UPDATE: MLS.ca is Moving

The CREA Technology Council approved a revised launch plan for the new REALTOR.ca website and the interactive mapping feature in response to concerns raised by a number of real estate Boards and Associations.

The new launch date has been set for June 30, 2008. They have also decided that the existing sites – mls.ca and sia.ca – will continue to operate after that date. This means consumers can use either the new site with interactive mapping, or the old site(s) with existing mapping. A message will be added to the front page of the existing sites inviting consumers to try the search features and interactive mapping of the new site. There will be no automatic redirect  of visitors during this “parallel” period.

At some later date, the system will begin automatically redirecting users from the existing sites to the new REALTOR.ca site.

///…CP

MLS.ca is Moving

On May 28th (tomorrow) MLS.ca will be moving to its new home at REALTOR.ca. This move is the result of two years of study and re-design by a task force of The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). The new site will evolve into a portal providing consumer access to all of the public websites operated on behalf of REALTORS®. The re-branding of the website was recommended by a task force of CREA and approved by the membership at the CREA Fall Assembly in 2007.

While the site is re-branded, the old address – www.mls.ca – will not disappear. CREA will maintain ownership of the old URL, and consumers using it or referring to it via bookmarks will be automatically re-directed to the new site.

All of the existing features from MLS.ca are moving and there will be some new features added to REALTOR.ca when it launches on May 28th — including interactive mapping. The interactive mapping technology will be provided using Microsoft Virtual Earth technology and will include both mapping and “true view”. Visitors will be able to search for properties using the existing detailed Advance Search, a new “Quick Search”, or by using the interactive mapping to select the specific area or neighbourhood in which they’re interested. The parameters for the interactive mapping on the site were tested with both REALTORS® and consumers through the Fall of 2007.

Getting to residential properties on the new site will require one more click for consumers, compared to the old MLS.ca site because of the new portal design. Finding the MLS.ca features will require consumers to select the “residential properties” option on the front page.

More material promoting REALTOR® value will be introduced with the launch of the new site. Other options on the front page will include commercial and international properties, the REALTORS Care® website, and the Howrealtorshelp.ca website.

Happy house hunting!

///…CP

REALTORS® Using Technology…Yikes.

REALTORS® (at least in Edmonton) have been leveraging technology to assist in the buying and selling of clients’ homes for years. I wasn’t in the business when keysafes were first introduced in the industry and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if somebody who was in the business back then told me that the original intent of the keysafe was to make life easier for REALTORS® to show homes to prospective buyers. Back in those days, keys to clients’ homes were kept at the listing offices. When REALTORS® wanted to show homes that were for sale they would have to drive to each office, pick up the keys, show the home(s), and then return all the keys when they were finished.

Today, REALTORS® carry an electronic ‘key’ with them to access keys stored in keysafes located at just about every home that is listed for sale. The two devices are placed in proximity to one another and (after a few keystrokes on the keypad) ‘talk’ via their infrared ports (kind of like the end of your TV remote talks to your cable box).

The ‘Key’
Each day the REALTOR® must update/ synchronize their key with GE Security. During the update process, GE Security verifies the REALTOR® is a licensed member of the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton and once verified, downloads an update code to the key (valid for 24-hours). During the same process, the key uploads all showing information that has been stored on the key — including the name and ID of the REALTOR®, identifying information of the homes that were shown, and the date and time stamp for each showing.

The Keysafe
The home owner’s keys are placed in a tray that slides in and out of the bottom of the keysafe. These keysafes are literally indestructible and it is impossible for a would-be home invader to get the keys out of the keysafe. When a REALTOR® shows a home, the key talks to the keysafe and requests the keys be released. At the same time, the keysafe is downloading the identifying information for the keysafe location (i.e. the address of the home) and the date and time the keysafe is being accessed. Once the two devices have done their thing, the tray pops out of the bottom of the keysafe and provides the REALTOR® the keys. Once the REALTOR® has completed the showing the keys are placed back in the tray and locked back into the keysafe where they remain available for the next showing.

In closing, here’s a quick overview of the process – bear in mind this is a simplification:

///…CP