Monday 24 March 2014

Join us at the Inman Agent Reboot Event in April


April 9th, 2014: Inman Agent Reboot Toronto (Metro Toronto Convention Centre)
 
Agent Reboot 2014 is a 12-city conference for real estate sales professionals and brokers. The Inman Agent Reboot is a fast-paced, deep dive into real estate marketing and technology. Agent Reboot topics include social, mobile, technology and gadgets — and every agent walks away with dozens of tips and techniques to improve their business.

We will be there. Look for the GeoWarehouse team presenting our brand new mobile app, ViMO, your Virtual Mobile Office. Come by for a demo or find out more at www.myvimo.ca. You can also register to attend the event here: https://register.inman.com/shop/ or visit us online at www.geowarehouse.ca.

Monday 17 March 2014

Attn: Toronto Real Estate Sales Professionals – How You Can Subscribe for GeoWarehouse Directly!


As noted by Drew Doherty, Director, Real Estate at Teranet Inc. in the Ontario Real Estate Professionals Group on LinkedIn in December, 34 (out of 35) Ontario Real Estate Boards have agreed to extend their contract with GeoWarehouse for three more years.”  
 
The one board that did not renew was Toronto. Toronto real estate sales professionals ceased having access to GeoWarehouse this past month. This has left some real estate sales professionals wondering how they can get back into GeoWarehouse.

The good news is that you can register for GeoWarehouse directly on the GeoWarehouse website.

Once the GeoWarehouse team receives your website submission you will be contacted to complete your application and discuss pricing.

Both individuals and real estate brokerages of all sizes may apply for access to GeoWarehouse, though larger real estate groups qualify for reduced cost to access the application.

To register:

·        Visit www.geowarehouse.ca
·        Click ‘Buy Now’ which will bring up a contact form
·        Complete the contact form
·        A salesperson will follow-up to discuss pricing and complete your application

Monday 10 March 2014

Validating Property Ownership Remains a Key Consideration for Ontario Real Estate Sales Professionals


It is more important than ever for real estate sales professionals to perform due diligence when taking on a new client for a listing or to buy a property. Due diligence not only prevents fraud but also saves real estate sales professionals time and hassle.  

According to Paul Mangion, real estate sales professional at Axxess Realty, validating property ownership remains a key consideration in Ontario. According to Paul, “Ensuring that no other people are on title that you are unaware of is one of the main reasons we like to validate property ownership. If this comes up on closing, not only is my time wasted but also that of all parties involved.” Paul went on to highlight that independently validating property ownership information also prevents fraud. 

When we asked Paul what steps he takes when taking on a new listing, here are some of the things he does and the tools he said he relies on in a typical residential listing:

·        Assess/determine the value of the property – Review sales history on both the property and also comparable properties nearby. Tools used: MLS and GeoWarehouse 
·        Review historical listing data on the property – Tools: MLS and GeoWarehouse
·        Confirm property ownership information – Tool: GeoWarehouse
·        Validate last assessment value – Tools: MPAC or GeoWarehouse 
·        Google the address – See if anything is in the news about the property or past owner (death, fire, disaster)
Many real estate sales professionals rely on different tools to validate information about a property, owner or neighbourhood – GeoWarehouse is a central place where all of the above information can be obtained in a single location.  

Some real estate sales professionals are even taking the due diligence process one step further; by purchasing a Parcel Register through the GeoWarehouse Store. This is the provincial ownership record and contains a wealth of information about the subject property; such as: ownership and financial standing, property transfer history, any mortgages registered on title, property liens and more. 

When you take on a listing there is nothing worse than working on the premise of being paid once a deal is made only to find out later that someone else was on title or that there is not enough equity to cover your commission! Taking advantage of the different tools available can make you more agile and competitive – and save you time and money. There are also a number of different apps emerging that are making it easier for real estate sales professionals to do more on the go. 

For more information about validating property ownership information please visit www.geowarehouse.ca.

Monday 3 March 2014

ViMO Has Arrived!


Your Virtual Mobile Office is launching this month! ViMO is a new iPad app - it’s an amazing sales and marketing support tool that helps you:

·        Close more business
·        Do more on the go
·        Enhance your personal brand
·        Enrich face-to-face client experiences

Find out more by visiting www.myvimo.ca. Also, check out the video below for a quick overview of ViMO.