ONTARIO 2-7-22

ONTARIO EDITION

Embracing Smart Homes: Does New Technology Really Increase Home Value?

HOW TO BUILD A TEAM

THAT WILL WIN BIG NO MATTER ITS SIZE

6 Ways to GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU

MILLENNIAL BUYERS:

Where They Are & What to Know FEATURED AGENT

JULIEN LECLAIR DIONNE

COVER STORY

TRACY MULLIN

ONTARIO EDITION

JULIEN LECLAIR DIONNE 15 years ago, Julien Leclair-Dionne started his career in real estate9 as a part-time agent, but quickly realized his love for the industry. A few years ago, his business truly started to grow into something substantial, and he had to move into the field full-time to accommodate his ever-growing base of clients. He started his own Brokerage in Ottawa, Homefluent Realty, Inc., and set to work building a dedicated Team of vibrant, dynamic agents to offer top quality service to clients TRACY MULLIN across the province, and their growth over the past year has been impressive to say the least.

When the agents on Julien’s Tea meet with a client, they make a effort to deliver information with “I’m always reinventing parency and set clients’ expec realistically from the get-go. Th how I lective do things knowledge and of the industry and they are able to connect with tryingontoa deep find better level to understand the cific circumstances and come u plant to my meet clients their unique ways toaserve “Honesty and integrity are core business where you regularly wo and train new agents.” a lot of people,” Julien says. “W JULIEN LECLAIR DIONNE to maintain these values in ever versation we have with clients.”

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up to it inspires me to be aemphasis better on Julien puts a high HomeFluent is a small, boutiqueCONTENTS Brokerage that places technology benefit, especially in the w agent andtotohisoffer better services,” a high priority on intimate, personalized service to truly Brokerage markets listings.

Julien’s Team use Tracy says.

“I’m always reinventcater to the client’s needs. Julien’s agents are trained quality professional photography and videogra ing how I do things and trying to and mentored in 1-on-1 settings where they get a genmake each property shine, then markets them 4) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR 15) MILLENNIAL BUYERS: find better serve clients uine chance to learn how to reach their full potential online throughways social to media and my the MLS to ma CLIENT and TOgrow TRUST YOU Each client can rest assured WHEREeach THEY ARE & WHAT their business. home reaches a wide audience, thereby and train new agents.”

that they are getting the same quality of service thatKNOW competitive prices for all of their sellers. Home TO HomeFluent Realty consistently provides. “We pride Realty is growing quickly and Julien expects t Tracy’s dedication to her clients on making each client is well taken care over 200 next year based on the growth in the siz 6) HOWourselves TO BUILD A sure TEAM extends to how she keeps in touch, of, regardless of what phase they are in,” Julien21) says. EMBRACING Team over the next months.

SMART THAT WILL WIN BIG NO “The transaction process can be tricky, and we make using monthly newsletters and prize HOMES: DOES NEW All things considered, Julien got into real estate i MATTERit our ITSnumber SIZE one mission to guide clients through it. giveaways to for demonstrate her care because of his love people TECHNOLOGY REALLY and the satisfaction h We positively transform the lives of our clients through attention. her that twenty-year inand helping them, andFor he takes generosity int real estate. We care for and create a life of abundance INCREASE HOME VALUE? parts of his life as well.

His Brokerage anniversary, Tracy is planningfrequently a big through real estate for our clients. We also pride ourwith charitable organizations in Ottawa and he ge selves in being an expert in everything that we do.” giveaway that will directly support believes in the spirit of giving back to his commu Homefluent has experienced a large number of referlocal “I’ve always wantthe nextbusinesses. few years, Julien hopes to expand Hom rals and repeat clients and Julien is confident that his ed toboth bewithin like Ottawa Oprah,” Tracy ofsays.

Realty and outside it, movi Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax referral business will 310-734-1440 continue to climb quickly as his other cities in Ontario and providing excellent “I plan to give away twenty thou- rea reach expands. mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com service to as many clients as he possibly can.

sand dollars’ worth of prizes over

No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent twenty I want it to be big, Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensureweeks. the accuracy of published If you need some advice about buying or selling your home, or if you want to join an innov materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or memorable, facts supplied by its authors. and helpful for people. brokerage that takes mentorship and coaching seriously, contact Julien at (613) 698-838 To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Ascompany I mark this milestone, I want to Published in the U.S. or julien@homefluent.com, and you can visit his website at homefluent.com

step up, give more, and show my gratitude for how well I’ve done.” www.

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6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything 4

or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust.

But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?

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Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website

When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.

Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive.

Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.

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Be Responsive and Accessible

Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating.

Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.

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Be Honest and Transparent

Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it.

You should always act in their best interest.

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Go the Extra Mile

If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.

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Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes

Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.

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Be Consistent

Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent.

But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates

consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.

Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.

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How to Build a Team That Will Win Big No Matter its Size In the real estate world building a team is a goal almost every agent strives towards achieving. Doing business with a team as opposed to solo has numerous advantages. With more agents handling clients as well as other employees specialized in areas such as marketing and administrative support there to assist you; you can greatly increase your business and sales.

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So, when creating a team, logic would tell us that the bigger it is, the better, right? Wrong. When it comes to real estate teams, size doesn’t matter so much as the players you bring onto that team to work with you. A team doesn’t have to be big to win big, and here are the secrets to building a team that wins big no matter its size.

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Hire the Right Team Members

Put Your Team Members in the Right Positions to Win

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you’re only as strong as you’re weakest link.” That idea holds true for any kind of team, including those in real estate. If you have weak members on your team, then it’s not possible to have a strong team. Drawing strong team members to your business is essential.

Finding strong team members is just one part of the equation. As the leader of your team, you now have to assess each member’s strengths and weaknesses and position them appropriately. You want the best player for each role playing that part and catering to their strengths. Choose your team member’s roles wisely, and place each individual in the position where their strengths can shine and they can best contribute to a win for the entire team. Every role is important to the team working smoothly and winning as a whole, so it is important to place each team member in the role most suited to his or her skills.

To better understand what kind of person would make a strong addition to your team, you need to ask yourself what skills and characteristics you want your team members to possess. The strongest members are often ones that share their leader’s values. When you share values with your teammates, you are all running along the same course towards the same goal as one. Your definition of a victory in this case is also your teammates’ definition of it. This helps strengthen even the smallest of numbers because you are all working together toward a common goal.

Another characteristic too look out for in potential team members is a positive attitude. You can teach someone the skills needed in real estate, but you can’t teach someone how to have a positive attitude.

Positive members tend to achieve more due to their optimistic nature, but more importantly, they spread that positive attitude to the rest of the team, which improves every members’ performance.

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Communicating Your Vision to Your Team

Your team members are the key ingredients to ultimate victory, but what recipe do you follow now to lead them to victory? That is what communication is for a winning team; the recipe you will use to

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help best utilize each team member and instruct them on how they need to work together to fulfill the recipe that will lead them to be a winning team. Your team members need to know the plan and you must give them the tools to successfully execute it.

It is up to the leader of a team to help your players see your vision and help them understand what a victory looks like. The goal may seem simple and obvious to you, but you must communicate it over and over again to your team members, so they understand it as well as you do. With different personalities coming together to form a unit, you are going to be dealing with numerous challenges such as competing agendas. You will find this on any team. You must keep the goal and at the forefront of your player’s minds in order to encourage them to put aside their own personal desires in order to come together as one cohesive, single-minded unit and push towards the team’s goal.

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Give Your Team Members the Tools to Help Them Perform at Their Best The final thing all great leaders do is equip their team members with the proper tools and training needed for them to succeed. You have to show them how they can each come together with their different strengths to work as a team towards one unified goal. This involves more than simple skills training, but also endurance, so they can last as a team and win even those matches that seem unending and impossible.

Think of all the challenges that they could possibly face ahead, and clear their path to victory by giving them the necessary training and tools they will need to get past any obstacle. As the leader, you must be prepared to continually communicate the team’s goal and your vision. Use that vision to motivate your team members throughout the journey towards victory.

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TRACY MULLIN

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TRACY MULLIN “I attend lots of conferences and courses, and when I hear what people are up to it inspires me to be a better agent and to offer better services.”

Tracy Mullin has the breadth of experience, the drive to serve others, and the customer-centered approach to be one of the most accomplished Realtors® in her region. This January will mark Tracy’s twentieth year in real estate.

“I’m so grateful for my career and for 10

my clients,” Tracy says. “I’ve been very blessed in real estate. Twenty years in, and I’m still passionate.”

Now a Realtor® and Principal Designer with the Kayland Group through Keller Williams Energy Real Estate, Tracy serves Top Agent Magazine

Durham Region, Ontario, an area just outside of Toronto. For eighteen years, Tracy has been in a team leadership role, a position she deeply loves. Tracy runs a large team that includes her real estate partner, daughter, friends, as well as five newer agents who receive Tracy’s attentive, topnotch mentorship. “I’m a firm believer in coaching new agents,” Tracy says. “I want to provide more for new agents to help them be successful.” Tracy’s team has immense resources at its disposal, including design services and their own staging Top Agent Magazine

department. Their team also includes a marketing strategist who deploys comprehensive and innovative campaigns to provide every listing with broad visibility.

“We’re proud to offer our clients many services and tools to help them buy or sell a home,” Tracy says.

With her fierce dedication to both her clients and the professional development of other agents, Tracy is a true gift to the Durham Region real estate landscape. It is no surprise that Tracy’s repeat client 11

and referral rate sits at 65%, a testament to her dedication, communication, and high standards of professionalism.

Tracy is committed to her own growth as an agent, and has been in coaching with Richard Robbins International for almost her entire career. She has attended numerous trainings and professional development courses, including a Tony Robbins seminar that helped her build her strong Real Estate, Staging & Design brand. “I attend lots of conferences and courses, and when I hear what people are

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“I’m always reinventing how I do things and trying to find better ways to serve my clients and train new agents.” up to it inspires me to be a better agent and to offer better services,” Tracy says. “I’m always reinventing how I do things and trying to find better ways to serve my clients and train new agents.”

Tracy’s dedication to her clients extends to how she keeps in touch, using monthly newsletters and prize giveaways to demonstrate her care and attention. For her twenty-year anniversary, Tracy is planning a big giveaway that will directly support local businesses. “I’ve always wanted to be like Oprah,” Tracy says.

“I plan to give away twenty thousand dollars’ worth of prizes over twenty weeks. I want it to be big, memorable, and helpful for people.

As I mark this milestone, I want to step up, give more, and show my gratitude for how well I’ve done.”

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Dedicated to her community, Tracy and her team are active supporters of Feed the Need, an organization that provides food to needy families. They are also steadfast supporters of local businesses, and regularly participate in food drives over the holidays. Recently, Tracy’s team raised almost seven thousand dollars to provide families with holiday turkey dinners. When Tracy is not busy helping her clients or giving back her

time, she loves to visit her cottage, golf, and help others with the redesign of their homes.

Looking to the future, Tracy has no plans to slow down. “My passion is finding new agents who are a good fit for my team.,” Tracy says. “We’ll continue to bring on new people for coaching, helping them find their footing so they can go out and help others, too.”

To find out more about Tracy Mullin, you can contact her by phone at (905) 430 -2390 or by email at tracy@kaylandgroup.ca.

You can also check her out online at KaylandGroup.ca www.

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Millennial Buyers: Where They Are & What to Know Homebuyers and sellers come from all walks of life. If you’ve been an agent for long, you’ve likely worked alongside a wide variety of folks—from first-timer homeowners and down-sizers, to second home searchers and those finally hunting for their dream home. While there is hardly a shortage of diversity in the housing market, there Top Agent Magazine

is one generation that is making big strides in homeownership these days: Millennials.

Millennials can be loosely defined as those between the ages of twenty-two to thirtyseven. As you can see, this constitutes a wide swathe of the population. If you’re an agent who stands to learn a bit more about

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a demographic whose influence and homeownership goals are rapidly evolving, tune in below for a few pointers that can help you expand a segment of your clientele in the process.

Where do Millennials prefer to buy?

Many Millennials came of age during or immediately following the Great Recession, and as such, many of them relocated or returned to mid-size cities and smaller communities where the cost of living was most affordable. Of course, there are countless Millennials that call the U.S.’s major cities home—especially those in the

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tech industry. The good news is that you can court Millennial clientele no matter where you service area is located. That said, community amenities are of great importance to this generation. They value public transportation, green space, and entertainment—from coffee shops and topnotch restaurants to farmer’s markets and boutiques. Emphasizing those attributes will be key in selling to Millennials and locating neighborhoods they’re most interested in.

What sort of communication do Millennials prefer?

Most Millennials are digital natives, or close to. That means they grew up learning

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how to navigate digital spaces, and prefer to communicate through mediums like email, text, and social media. This isn’t to say that Millennials aren’t good communicators, but they’re often on the go, and have learned to research and shop online. To accommodate this, it’s best to build a presence across the most popular listing portals and social media platforms. Although, it’s not enough to establish a site and wait for the calls to come in. Responsiveness is a key factor for Millennials, who expect speedy response times. Make sure you’re checking your inbox frequently, responding accordingly, and engaging with your audience online. This will let Millennials know

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that you’re savvy, available, and understand the value of their preferred method of communication.

Are Millennials ready to buy?

It’s a common misconception that Millennials are uninterested in the rite of passage of purchasing a home. While Millennials maybe waiting a bit longer than their parents did to buy a home, there are good reasons to explain this phenomenon. For starters, Millennials entered the job market during the downturn, which means they are more conservative when making big purchases, and have to play catch-up to reach a sound

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financial position. Likewise, student loan debt has proved a major financial inhabitation for Millennials. Instead of socking away a few hundred a month to save for a home, they’re forking over that cash to pay down their educational loans. How does a Realtor compete with this reality? For starters, a bit of understanding goes a long way. Work with your mortgage partners to find financing possibilities that cater to this younger demographic. Recognize that Millennials—like most buyers—have some trepidations when buying a home.

Also consider fielding Millennial clientele with the long view in mind. You might be 18

courting them for months or more until they’re ready to take the plunge, but they’re also famous for their reviews. When a job is done well, Millennials shout it from the rooftops—or at least share it a dozen time from their phone.

As time passes, Millennials will continue to dominate the marketplace when it comes to buying and selling homes. A little self-education on this powerful demographic can go a long way. If you know your clients and your audience, you’ll be in a far better position to serve their interests and make a customer for life.

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JULIEN LECLAIR DIONNE 15 years ago, Julien Leclair-Dionne started his career in real estate as a part-time agent, but quickly realized his love for the industry. A few years ago, his business truly started to grow into something substantial, and he had to move into the field full-time to accommodate his ever-growing base of clients. He started his own Brokerage in Ottawa, Homefluent Realty, Inc., and set to work building a dedicated Team of vibrant, dynamic agents to offer top quality service to clients across the province, and their growth over the past year has been impressive to say the least.

HomeFluent is a small, boutique Brokerage that places a high priority on intimate, personalized service to truly cater to the client’s needs. Julien’s agents are trained and mentored in 1-on-1 settings where they get a genuine chance to learn how to reach their full potential and grow their business. Each client can rest assured that they are getting the same quality of service that HomeFluent Realty consistently provides. “We pride ourselves on making sure each client is well taken care of, regardless of what phase they are in,” Julien says.

“The transaction process can be tricky, and we make it our number one mission to guide clients through it.

We positively transform the lives of our clients through real estate. We care for and create a life of abundance through real estate for our clients. We also pride ourselves in being an expert in everything that we do.”

Homefluent has experienced a large number of referrals and repeat clients and Julien is confident that his referral business will continue to climb quickly as his reach expands.

When the agents on Julien’s Team first meet with a client, they make a sincere effort to deliver information with transparency and set clients’ expectations realistically from the get-go. Their collective knowledge of the industry is vast, and they are able to connect with clients on a deep level to understand their specific circumstances and come up with a plant to meet their unique needs.

“Honesty and integrity are core to any business where you regularly work with a lot of people,” Julien says. “We strive to maintain these values in every conversation we have with clients.”

Julien puts a high emphasis on using technology to his benefit, especially in the way his Brokerage markets listings. Julien’s Team uses high quality professional photography and videography to make each property shine, then markets them heavily online through social media and the MLS to make sure each home reaches a wide audience, thereby getting competitive prices for all of their sellers. HomeFluent Realty is growing quickly and Julien expects to close over 200 next year based on the growth in the size of his Team over the next months.

All things considered, Julien got into real estate initially because of his love for people and the satisfaction he finds in helping them, and he takes that generosity into other parts of his life as well. His Brokerage frequently works with charitable organizations in Ottawa and he genuinely believes in the spirit of giving back to his community. In the next few years, Julien hopes to expand HomeFluent Realty both within Ottawa and outside of it, moving into other cities in Ontario and providing excellent real estate service to as many clients as he possibly can.

If you need some advice about buying or selling your home, or if you want to join an innovative brokerage that takes mentorship and coaching seriously, contact Julien at (613) 698-8380 or julien@homefluent.com, and you can visit his company website at homefluent.com. www.

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Embracing Smart Homes:

Does New Technology Really Increase Home Value?

Technology and innovation move at a lightning-fast clip, so it can be hard to keep up with all the smart-home trends sweeping the market at a given time. From smart thermostats to security systems accessed through an app on your phone—there are endless options to customize and update your home for the modern era. But which, if any, of these smart home products add Top Agent Magazine

value to property in a significant, worthwhile capacity? Especially with new generations of the same products released in quick succession, it can be hard to determine whether it’s worth it to take the plunge. With that in mind, we’ve conducted a deep-dive into the smart home options out there that make the most sense for your bottom line and real estate investments.

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Smart home amenities range in price and return.

There are certain smart home products that won’t break the bank while still adding lovely touches and time-saving features to your space. For instance, a smart thermostat may not run more than a few hundred dollars, but it can take so much of the guesswork and analog nuisance out of programming your home’s internal environment. That said, buyers selling properties with mid-range amenities like this can’t expect a windfall in return. While smart home features can certainly lure buyers and give the sense that a home is attractively modern (and thus move-in ready), it doesn’t mean that you’ll be reaping a sizable monetary reward for your foresight. Conversely, this reality doesn’t mean those smart options

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are without value entirely; it just means that the value of smart home options may be apparent in a different capacity, like luring a particular buyer or creating a desirable, sleek image for a property headed to market.

On the other hand, larger scale smart home amenities that are being left behind for the buyer—like a smart refrigerator or wired sound throughout the property—may be able to lure particular buyers who value high-end details. While it can be difficult to state definitively the value of smart home options, the rule tends to be that the more you put in, the higher the likelihood you’ll reap the investment you sow. Focus your smart home options on home appliances first, then work your way toward security, thermostat, and entertainment options.

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Smart home amenities capture the attention of buyers

Agents must know how to pitch the value of smart home options

Even if you have mostly opted for small or mid-range smart home options, you can still benefit from their presence in a property—even if they don’t inflate your bottom line as a result. Smart home amenities have the power to focus the attention of buyers, sending a clear signal that the previous owners were tech-forward and made an effort to upgrade the property for the contemporary era. Millennial or Gen Z buyers especially value these up-to-date modifications, and the presence of these desirable gadgets can create added interest and drive up value naturally. Likewise, featuring these options in listing photography can also drive interest from younger or high-end buyers looking for move-in ready spaces.

Remember that smart home features are relatively fresh to the market. While some new construction properties are equipped with these smart amenities, just as many homes on the market don’t offer these upgrades and modern flairs. This means that many buyers, of all ages even, aren’t familiar with the benefits and perks of these options, let alone how they’re operated. Before you can derive value from a smart home or smart home features, you’ll need to understand a product’s proper usage, cost, and benefits. Do your homework regarding what smart home features can offer in terms time or cost savings, and be able to show prospective buyers how easy these objects are to use, as well. Do both, and you’ll be in proper command of what smart home features can offer buyers and pitch them accordingly.

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