ONTARIO 5-22-23

ONTARIO EDITION

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WAYS TO TRANSFORM RENTERS INTO OWNERS

UNCOMMON CONTACT: CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

FEATURED AGENT

NICK CROZIER

MILLENNIAL BUYERS: WHERE THEY ARE & WHAT TO KNOW

WHAT THE FIRST THING YOU DO AFTER WORK SAYS ABOUT YOU

COVER STORY

LANDON LAVICTOIRE

ONTARIO EDITION

NICK CROZIER

ozier, pursuing a career in real 7 customers. One 16 ural. Ambitious and driven, he Nick is his ded o reach great heights in his field. tional commun s been a motivated and driven transactions sea ter finishing playing provincial ents have acces , he pursued a kinesiology honmaking the enti York University. Transitioning free. Nick’s inn LANDON LAVICTOIRE NICK CROZIER g, he made the move to pursue clients enter th n Texas. “While I was there, I unattainable si was something more for me,” commitment to CONTENTS Always into sales and real estate their lives. By f felt this 4) career could rative around re 5 WAYS TOopen doors 18) WHAT THE FIRST TRANSFORM THING YOU DO AFTER nk possible prior. “IRENTERS was also ways for youn INTO OWNERS WORK SAYS ABOUTmarket, YOU Nick ha sales roles and in customer serwhole life, so long story CONTACT: short, above and beyo 14) UNCOMMON 20) MILLENNIAL BUYERS: ARE they continue to e came CONNECTING natural to me,WITH I decided to becomeWHERE a AsTHEY a result, THROUGH okerage,” heCLIENTELE exudes. “I hope to mold the are important and& fulfilling, and I’mKNOW excited WHAT TO that he always has their best and go all in.” m by showing them how things should be to become the broker of record.” With his SOCIAL MEDIA

ne, and hopefully step back a little bit from position in the industry already cemented, sales side of things. My son Hunter just Landon is excited to deepen his connections Staying connected with pas he hit the ground running at just 26, knockned eight, and I’ve been spending more with the Minor Hockey Association, The Phone 310-734-1440 of Nick’s approach to real e learning the ropes| Fax to310-734-1440 build Lake a solid me and with him at the lake and coaching his Kirkland Golf Club Board of Directors, ckey team. Those and| his family! www.topagentmagazine.com a mix of personal touches a ow in hismag@topagentmagazine.com sixthwork-life year inboundaries the industry, Nick has No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine

Through calls, he m entially, making name for GA, himself a dediis published byaFeature Publications Inc. Although as precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy ofmonthly published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To learn more about Landon Lavictoire, call 705-570-1951, with his clients, keeping t rking agent withor change a pursuit toinquiry change industry To subscribe address, send to mag@topagentmagazine.com. emailinlandon@royallepage.ca, or visit his website at: Published the U.S. information. “We do givea th accolades including placing seventh and royallepage.ca/en/agent/ontario/kirkland-lake/landon-lavictoire/60238 media, client events and all ada during his first two years as a solo agent, 2 Top Agent Magazine perks for our clientele,” he s mented himself in the top 1% of the Toronto Copyright Top Agent Magazine www.

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5 Ways to Transform

Renters into Owners Perhaps the largest demographic of untapped business lies in the rental market. From major cities and suburbs to rural communities—renters across generations are opting to rent rather than own. The question is: why? For starters, many Americans are undereducated about the inventory and financing options available that might suit their budget and lifestyle. Secondly, many would-be homeowners have difficulty 4

visualizing the potential investment of purchasing property, and how homeownership can build wealth and security in the long-term.

As an agent, you’re always on the lookout for potential clientele. Now, to guide renters toward the real estate market, keep a few of these strategies in mind as you meet and greet this untapped demographic.

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Show renters that purchasing a home isn’t impossible

Possibly the biggest hurdle for renters is believing homeownership is possible. Beyond saving for a down payment and boosting credit scores, there are dozen more factors to consider: affording utilities, homeowner’s insurance, renovations, property taxes, and more. Besides that, assembling pay stubs, finding an agent, arranging house tours, negotiating a price, and timing the transition are all major considerations to surmount.

One way to combat this thinking is to make the process transparent and demystified. Find examples of past clients who made the leap successfully, or profile the average buyer in your marketplace and see how that renter compares. Provide evidence that it’s been done before and can be done again, then build a game plan from there.

into play. Consider making a checklist, or step-by-step road-map, that guides clients through the process from start to finish. This way, you’ll manage expectations and create a path to ownership that’s specific, instead of abstract. They won’t have to wonder what goes into buying a home when they can look at an interactive site or read a document and see the steps outlined before them, with you there to guide the way.

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Collaborate with mortgage professionals to find the right financing opportunities

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Help would-be homebuyers create a road-map to ownership

It’s no secret that buying a home can feel overwhelming. Compared to signing a yearlong lease on an apartment, taking on the house-hunting process is a daunting affair.

That’s where your expertise as an agent comes Top Agent Magazine

Many renters aren’t aware of the variety of mortgage financing options out there that cater to first-timers, offer low down payments, or down payment assistance. Most buyers believe that the standard 20% down is a hard and fast rule, when in reality, there’s far more flexibility out there to cater to renters where they are. There are even loan options catering to freelance workers, renovation options, and other unconventional routes to ownership.

Work with a mortgage pro and find the route that suits your renter best.

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pay monthly in a mortgage—while building a lasting asset.

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Compare and contrast rental rates with monthly mortgage payments One way to convince renters to make the shift is to demonstrate the savings potential of paying into a monthly mortgage, rather than throwing away rent on a property they don’t own. To do this, draw up the average rental rates in your area, then find some potential listings that would demand a similar amount in monthly mortgage payments. Sometimes placing these numbers and images sideby-side can prove to renters that what they manage to pay monthly in rent, they can

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Paint the big picture

For most, renting isn’t the most sustainable financial option when it comes to housing.

Rents rise, families grow, and retirement looms.

Building a financial future and homeownership go hand-in-hand. When planned appropriately, buying a home can create a path toward retirement and position homeowners in a better place for further investment in the future. A rental has little security or investment returns to offer, while owning a home makes a renter king or queen of the castle.

Prospecting renters as potential homebuyers may seem like a time-intensive way to cultivate new clients, but logic is on your side.

Keep these tips in mind as you broach the conversation with renters in your hometown.

All it takes is clear-cut value proposition and a listening ear.

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LANDON LAVICTOIRE

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Since starting in 2019, Top Agent Landon Lavictoire has maintained a remarkable trajectory within the industry. His first three years have seen him close over three hundred houses, with 2021 being a record setting year at ninety-seven total.

Landon Lavictoire of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, pairs the drive of a professional athlete with a military work ethic and a degree in business administration to fuel his real estate business. “The difference between me and everybody else is the number of hours I put in to the things that I care about, and how hard I work. I pride myself on customer satisfaction – that’s why I purchased 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

my own moving trailer two months after I got started as an agent. I wasn’t about to let the lack of UHauls around my hometown stop me from listing houses.”

Prior to entering the world of real estate, Landon lived a multifaceted professional life as an athlete, a soldier, and a millwright.

“I left my hometown as a teenager to play Top Agent Magazine

junior hockey, and eventually played for the Brockville Braves before being traded to the Cornwall Colts,” he recalls. “While I was on that path I got recruited by the Royal Military College in Canada. I received my

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undergraduate honors degree in business administration while playing for them.”

Landon spent nine years in the military: four years in Kingston, Ontario completing his undergrad while doing phase training during

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In 2021 and 2022, Landon was a recipient of the Chairman’s Club Award with Royal LePage as a Top 1% Producer, and he also finished Top 10 in Ontario for both years. Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, he was celebrated with the “Top 35 under the age of 35” award in Canada. the summers, and the rest of his military career at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa where he served as a paratrooper artillery officer. “After I was released and came back up north, I was working in the mine as a temporary job while I was completing my real estate license, and I realized the real estate market was looking for new blood and representation. So I did my courses and jumped right in – it’s been good so far. It goes hand in hand with a business degree.”

Since starting in 2019, Landon’s has maintained a remarkable trajectory within the Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

industry. His first three years have seen him close over three hundred houses, with 2021 being a record setting year at ninety-seven total. In 2021 and 2022, Landon was a recipient of the Chairman’s Club Award with Royal LePage as a Top 1% Producer, and he also finished Top 10 in Ontario for both years. Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, he was celebrated with the “Top 35 under the age of 35” award in Canada. “It’s been quite an adventure. Moving back home and being able to grow a business has been so rewarding – there’s nothing like hearing my son say my slogan along with the radio Top Agent Magazine

when the advertisement comes on. ‘He Shoots, He Sells!’”

Up to this point, Landon’s enterprise has been primarily a solo venture (with the help

of a full time administrator), but as the markets around Kirkland Lake continue to blossom, he is eager to pursue the next entrepreneurial endeavor. “I’m in the process right now of creating my own

All previous photos are courtesy of desfacchinphotos Top Agent Magazine

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brokerage,” he exudes. “I hope to mold the team by showing them how things should be done, and hopefully step back a little bit from the sales side of things. My son Hunter just turned eight, and I’ve been spending more time with him at the lake and coaching his hockey team. Those work-life boundaries

are important and fulfilling, and I’m excited to become the broker of record.” With his position in the industry already cemented, Landon is excited to deepen his connections with the Minor Hockey Association, The Kirkland Lake Golf Club Board of Directors, and his family!

To learn more about Landon Lavictoire, call 705-570-1951, email landon@royallepage.ca, or visit his website at: royallepage.ca/en/agent/ontario/kirkland-lake/landon-lavictoire/60238 www.

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Uncommon Contact:

Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

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Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, Top Agent Magazine

these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react.

Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed.

Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key.

Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

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NICK CROZIER For Nick Crozier, pursuing a career in real estate felt natural. Ambitious and driven, he was destined to reach great heights in his field.

He has always been a motivated and driven individual, after finishing playing provincial junior hockey, he pursued a kinesiology honors degree at York University. Transitioning after finishing, he made the move to pursue firefighting in Texas. “While I was there, I realized there was something more for me,” he explains. Always into sales and real estate investing, he felt this career could open doors he didn’t think possible prior. “I was also intrigued by sales roles and in customer service roles my whole life, so long story short, helping people came natural to me, I decided to become a REALTOR® and go all in.”

customers. One key aspect that distinguishes Nick is his dedication to providing exceptional communication, striving to make transactions seamless. He ensures that his clients have access to a supportive admin staff, making the entire process smooth and stressfree. Nick’s innovative approach to helping clients enter the market, even in seemingly unattainable situations, demonstrates his commitment to making a positive impact on their lives. By focusing on changing the narrative around real estate and finding creative ways for younger generations to enter the market, Nick has built a reputation for going above and beyond for his buyers and sellers.

As a result, they continue to trust and refer him, knowing that he always has their best interests at heart.

A self-starter, he hit the ground running at just 26, knocking on doors and learning the ropes to build a solid foundation. Now in his sixth year in the industry, Nick has grown exponentially, making a name for himself as a dedicated, hardworking agent with a pursuit to change industry standards. With accolades including placing seventh and eighth in Canada during his first two years as a solo agent, Nick has cemented himself in the top 1% of the Toronto real estate board. He’s also built up an impressive investment portfolio on the side, showcasing his prowess in all facets of the industry. Focusing in Toronto’s Etobicoke neighborhood, Nick and his team serve a wide range of clients, from those in the luxury market,to first time condo buyers, to full cycles with those looking to downsize. With a modern approach and a commitment to hard work and dedication, Nick’s success story is just beginning.

Staying connected with past clients is an essential part of Nick’s approach to real estate. His strategy involves a mix of personal touches and community involvement.

Through monthly calls, he maintains strong relationships with his clients, keeping them updated on important information. “We do giveaway events through social media, client events and all sorts of different prizes and perks for our clientele,” he shares, further illustrating his commitment to nurturing these connections. Nick also collaborates with local businesses and service providers, offering various perk packages to his clients throughout the year.

An impressive 60% of Nick’s business is repeat and referrals, thanks to his energetic and positive attitude in every interaction. “We are not your client for today, we’re your clients for life,” Nick says. He focuses on building generational wealth clients, turning his clients into life-long

With ambitious plans for the future, Nick aims to create one of the biggest real estate teams in Ontario and eventually expand across Canada, all while maintaining a top elite team of agents. As young REALTORS®, Nick and his team are continually innovating and finding new ways to showcase properties and provide exceptional service, redefining the real estate experience for clients and setting a new standard for the industry. “We get to help people achieve their goals, and that is a really good feeling.”

For more information about Nick Crozier, please follow on instagram at Nickcrozier_realtor or email nick@crozier-realty.com

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What the First Thing You Do After Work Says About You We all have our routines. From that morning cup of coffee to a jog at the gym, it’s common to establish touchstones for our daily lives.

But have you ever considered what these habits tell us about ourselves? Our actions reveal much about our motivations and emotional life, so taking a second look at your first move at the end of the day can be telling.

With that in mind, see how you fare when it comes to post-workday habits...

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Break a Sweat After a long day of work, is your first instinct to strap on your sneakers and take off on a run? Do you stop off at the local yoga studio for an extended stretch? Maybe you head to the weight room to pump some iron. Whatever your exercise pick, if you’re inclined to sweat it out at the end of a long day, you’re likely a routine-oriented profes-

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sional who internalizes work-related stress. Of course, you’ve chosen a healthy release for all that pent-up tension, and you’ve discovered the power of endorphins. Once work hours are over, not everyone finds the motivation to stay active. This means you’re driven by routine, conscious of your emotional and physical health, and prefer to leave your cares at the gym, rather than bring them into your home oasis. However, it’s important to give your body a rest now and again, as recuperation time is not only beneficial for physical health, but can help prevent burnout for the long haul.

Flexibility is a skill, and one just as important to cultivate as rigid commitment. If you find yourself out of sorts if you miss just one day of working out, you might want to pay some attention to your routines and motivations, and rebalance your commitments and fitness routine accordingly.

Round-the-Clock Hustle If you’re the type to bring work home with you, you aren’t alone. While your motivation to work nonstop is admirable, it’s also important to make the mental transition from workplace to home, establishing the time to hustle and the time to relax. Just like those that hit the gym without fail after a long day, sometimes you’ll need to practice saying no. If your work life is indistinguishable from your personal life, it’ll be hard to catch a break and recharge.

This means burnout, frayed nerves, and missed details will soon be on the horizon. Of course, round-the-clock hustle is a strength, too. You’re passionate about your work, care deeply about doing things right, and failure is not an option.

Just make sure that you establish some foundational boundaries so that you maintain an Top Agent Magazine

appropriate, healthy balance between your time at work and your time at home with the loved ones and hobbies you cherish. If making way for downtime isn’t easy, try penciling it in the way you would a work engagement. Dinner with a friend, a date night with a significant other, or a solo movie fest can be readily added to your calendar, and thus built in to your regimented schedule.

Turn to Food If your first instinct after work is to eat, it can say a few different things about your routine.

Perhaps you’ve been so on-the-go all the day that you haven’t had time for lunch. In this case, you might need to regiment your schedule with more purpose aimed towards downtime and self-care; food is fuel, after all. If you head home and gorge after an average day, you may be turning to food as a way to relieve stress.

In this case, you may need to reassess some of your post-work habits and find a healthier balance and outlet for your tension. Taking a walk, grabbing fresh ingredients for dinner, hitting the gym, or decompressing by catching up with a friend or a good book—all are healthier, more balanced ways of executing the transition from the office to the home. Pay attention to your consumption post-work. Determine how hungry or satiated you really are before making a grab for the nearest sustenance.

People decompress in all different ways after getting home from the office, but always remember that routines are telling. Don’t take your daily actions and impulses for granted. Examine the root behind your well-worn practices, and you may detect nuances at play beneath the surface that can you help you recalibrate for the better.

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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 20

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 Top Agent Magazine

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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