On Thursday February 16^th, Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate was proud to be the only real estate company to host an event at Social Media Week in New York. The event, titled “From House to Home: Social Media’s Impact on Buying, Designing and Selling a Home,” included Kim-Marie Mullen, social media expert and Business Development Manager at Better Homes and Gardens^® Real Estate Rand Realty.

We sat down with Kim-Marie after Social Media Week and asked her to share a few tips and tricks to managing social media as well as her favorite tools.

Creating Your Social Media Strategy

Q:  How do you plan posts and tweets throughout the week?

Kim-Marie:  I would encourage anyone dabbling in a few different social channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to determine what their goals are for each one.  Once you identify what you want to achieve, the next step is to create or curate interesting content.  Schedule time into your calendar to find 2-3 articles to tweet per day and at least one post for Facebook.  Then take a few minutes to interact within your social sphere.  It’s important that your fans and friends know there is a real person behind that information.

Q: Do you use automation to send out regular social media updates?

Kim-Marie:  Social media automation is a great way to save time, but it must be used in moderation.  I will use tools like Hootsuite, and Sprout Social to manage my social sites and also to schedule a few tweets throughout the week.  Since I’m on the go quite a bit, my favorite posting tool is my iPhone.  It’s easy to scan through Twitter or Facebook and find articles that I want to share.   The Hootsuite app for the iPhone allows me to schedule tweets in a matter of seconds!

Q: What is your communication strategy?

Kim-Marie:  I take time each day to interact with my friends, followers and fans.  Social media isn’t a one-way street.  Schedule 10 minutes at the beginning and end of your day to read and comment on friends’ and followers’ tweets, posts and blogs.  Participation is the key to a successful strategy.  Scheduling time into your calendar like any other appointment will keep you on track.

Q:  Are you tweeting, posting and commenting at all hours of the day?

Kim-Marie:  You will find that I’m far less active on social media on the weekends.  I believe that it’s important to unplug and unwind.  During the workweek I’m very active, but like to step away from the social side of business and enjoy my evenings or weekends.  Who said we have to be available all hours of the day and night?  At some point you will burn out if you don’t step away and shut social media off entirely.

Q:  Any final thoughts or suggestions?

Kim-Marie:  The bottom line is this:  If you take the time to plan, implement and stay consistent with your efforts, your social media strategy can and will pay off.   The important thing to always keep in mind is that social media is only one pillar of your marketing strategy.  Decide how much time and effort you can devote and then stick with it!

Follow Kim-Marie on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook!

It is that time of year again in the northern hemisphere, the snow and temperature are falling and the roads are getting icy. 
 

1.    1. Do nothing and hope for the best
2.    2. Buy a snow blower and start driving south, when you meet someone that asks what that thing is, it is safe to stop. 
3.    3. Prepare your vehicle and yourself for the coming months of winter wonderland. 

  
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safevehicles-safetyfeatures-winterdriving-tips-700.htm

Prevent problems before they occur: Top 10 tips

• - Get your vehicle ready for winter in the fall.
• - Install four matching winter tires.
• - Pack an emergency kit.
• - Learn and practice winter driving techniques before you need them.
• - Plan your trip, check road and weather conditions.
• - Remove all snow from your vehicle before each trip.
• - Give yourself extra travel time in bad weather.
• - Avoid using overdrive and cruise control on slippery roads.
• - Travel with a fully charged cell phone.
• - SLOW DOWN and WEAR your seatbelt.

"Hey Baby, what's your sign?"

The year - 1978. The place - a crowded disco on a Saturday night. Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band's "A Fifth of Beethoven" is thumping, perspiring couples clad in their best polyester are crowding the dance floor doing the Hustle and the mirror ball is slowly turning overhead.

The scene is perfect for a single guy...let's call him Rick... to pick up a "chick." Rick spots a particularly "foxy" one sitting at the bar so he decides to make his move. He adjusts the collar on his pale blue leisure suit, smoothes his feathered haircut, and takes the stool next to her. 

Then he delivers his no-fail line...   "Hey Baby, what's your sign?

The "foxy chick"...let's call her Denise...tosses her Farrah Fawcett hairdo, peers coyly over the umbrella in her Fuzzy Navel and purrs, "I'm an Aquarius."

"Right on!" Rick thinks to himself, "a water sign." 

He turns to Denise and smiles. "That's really groovy, baby. I'm a Pisces. You wanna boogie?"

The scene fades as they take to the dance floor. Let's just say that Rick and Denise keep on truckin'.

Examining the scene from today's perspective, the obvious issue - beyond their poor fashion sense - is whether either Rick or Denise actually learned anything substantive about the other in that brief exchange. On the other hand, I'm sure that more relationships than many of us would like to admit were launched in the seventies based solely on the knowledge of our date's astrological sign.

However, believe it or not, there are plenty of homeowners and buyers who have selected an agent based on similar surface generalizations to choose, assess and manage their Real Estate transactions.

The buyers and sellers of today have a long list of tools and resources that will assist them in selecting and hiring the right agent; such as the internet, books, and checking with the local Real Estate Board. 

Let’s review a few quick and easy methods that will allow you to determine if your agent is worthy of your business.  After all, we wouldn’t want you to hire someone who will end up costing you money, correct?!
 

1. Has anyone you know worked with this agent.  A great resource is to ask the question on your Facebook, or better yet, check out their LinkedIn profile and see who is connected to them.

2. Interview this agent properly, while asking questions that demand measurable answers.  An example would be: “How many Open Houses will you host over the next 120 days?”

3. What tools will the agent use to locate your next home or to sell your current home?  Are they tech savvy and do they have additional resources that other agents don’t currently use?

4. How and how often will they keep in contact with you?  Will it be up to you to check in with them, or will they actually treat you like a client/

5. If you select them to represent you, what are your recourses if you are not happy with the service or the outcome?

6. Do they have references and personal recommendations from past clients that you may call on or read?

7. Did they bring a portfolio to the table with tools and resources that will ease the process for you, such as a mortgage contact, a bonded home inspector, a reputable moving company, reliable cleaning services, and more?
 

So before your strap on those boogie boots, armed with a quick one liner, remember that selecting a good and reputable REALTOR® can make all the difference and may save you lots of money in the end.  Follow the aforementioned few steps and you should be well on your way to a successful and stress free Real Estate experience. 

If you are currently thinking about buying or selling a home, we are happy to assist. 


 

You should ensure that you are using the correct fittings.  It sounds very basic, but this is a detail that gets overlooked by many equipment drivers.  If you are using NPT pipe fittings (National Pipe Tapered), be aware that they are designed to convey fluids at a low pressure, 300 psi or less.  They are not safe to use in a situation where high-pressure hydraulics are required.  NPTF (National Pipe Tapered Fuel) hydraulic connectors, on the other hand, are safe for use with high-pressure hydraulics.  Knowing the difference is key.  NPTF fittings look very similar to NPT fittings, but they are plated with a zinc compound that makes them look more silver or gold.  The safest rule of thumb is: if you don’t know whether a fitting is NPT or NPTF, do not use it for high-pressure hydraulics.

If you are installing an NPTF fitting for high-pressure use, make sure that you tighten the fitting with alignment and do not loosen it.  Tightening the fitting and then backing it off again in order to align it with the hose will weaken the integrity of the fitting.


You can back off a Straight-Thread O-Ring fitting.  With these fittings, you twist the nut away from the washer and then install the threaded portion of the fitting, tightening it as much as you can by hand.  It can be backed off by one revolution in order to align it with plumbing.  The nut should be tightened until it is firmly in place, but be warned that over-tightening can cause as many problems as under-tightening.

For flared hydraulic fittings, your options are 37 or 45 degree designs.  Typically, they have similar thread pitches.  Therefore, it is possible to thread a 45 degree male into a 37 degree female fitting but the seal will be insufficient.  Use the proper matches and make sure the cone-angles of the fittings are a match.  Do not over-tighten flared fittings.  If they’re over-tightened they’ll leak as much as if they were under-tightened, due to the torque of the thread cracks.

Do you have any tips you would like to share?

When you make a decision to search for a new home, and are actually serious about purchasing a home, it is time to take the necessary steps for the search.

There are several ways to go about searching for a home, which includes searching the internet, reading the newspaper and of course, talking to a real estate agent.

It is always great to do your own research, and by that I mean searching the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) - available on our website www.ssre.ca - for homes and if you do find homes that interest you, then you can take the next step, that being to call the respective agent and setting up a showing.

The best thing you can do is talk to a real estate agent about the type of house you are looking for, it helps make the process a lot easier, and will save you time you might not have to spend.

A real estate agent will take what you want into consideration and compile a list of houses that suit your needs.

This will include the features you are looking for and the price you are looking for.

They will do the work for you, and all you really have to do is go through the list, and select what you really want to see.

Next time you are looking for a house, get yourself a real estate agent, you will definitely not regret it. And you can always connect with one of our agents through our Facebook Page.

For instance, the site Realestate.com offers a youtube channel for all of its listings. The videos show pictures of the home and provide many of the relevant details that buyers would be interested in. The benefit is that the videos are engaging and can potentially draw buyers in more than a traditional static listing can. Unfortunately, this site is currently only for American listings.

However, even this site is not taking full advantage of the power of youtube. Since these videos only show a succession of static images, beyond the simple fact that people are more engaged by videos, this channel is not necessarily that effective. A better approach is provided by Silver:House.

Silver:House is a Toronto-based service that does more immersive video tours of properties for real estate agents. Although the shots generally remain in one place in the room to minimize the jarring, Blair-Witch-Project feel of a handheld tour of a property, they offer pans of rooms to give a genuine sense of their size, layout and connection to the other rooms in a house. These shots also provide an authentic idea of what the view from the unit might look like.

Of course, since these videos are more expensive than a simple collection of still images, they are most effective for high-end properties where the seller wants to minimize the number of showings.

Another use for Youtube in the real estate arena is to get the feel of a neighbourhood. Moving into a new ‘hood can make you nervous, but checking out a youtube tour of it can give you an idea of what the amenities of the neighbourhood are, and what you can expect from the character of the place. There are many independent tours available on youtube. They may not be the most professional pieces on the Internet, but they can be interesting and fun.

I have been studying Real Estate for a few years now and in addition to my training for legal contracts, building concepts, marketing methods, Government requirements and negotiating principals there are some important aspects of applied common sense gained from experience.

One primary challenge that presented itself to me, immediately after spending two (2) years in school to learn the basics of the Real Estate industry was that there are a lot of people who decide they can do it themselves because they think it is easy to do.

Other seemingly standard every day tasks, like driving a car and picking suitable clothing have also spawned “Reality TV” programs showing what NOT to do.

What about Real Estate? How difficult can it be?

No one individual listing is particularly challenging when considered on it’s own but putting everything together creates quite a challenge.

For me, time and time again, I rediscover that I need experience to really understand what I have learned. Gaining experience unveils the essence of knowledge, that is when you understand what you have learned.

I am very passionate about the Real Estate business because I know that I can help my friends and the people they care about meet their goals. Of the large number of possible requirements to sell your house many or most things will have some element of new knowledge or new experience. What will it cost you to sell your house on your own? Is the cost of possible errors or omissions and the value of your time and the frustration and anxiety worth more than the real estate commission?

When everything has been considered, we will be here to help you out - Contact Us

A lot of the old-school methods of selling real estate in Mississauga are starting to go by the proverbial wayside. Bench advertising, although good for branding, does nothing to sell a home. Newspaper advertising still gets you a lot of dead leads, but the good ones are getting fewer and farther between. Even the more-recent method of keeping a database of agent email addresses and then sending each and every one of them a “Just Listed” EXCLUSIVE email… even this ploy has seen much better days.

(Heck, it was legendary Mississauga Realtor Gordon Daly who ADVISED me to do this, and then HE was the first one to UNSUSCRIBE me!)

“The MLS gives us everything we want!” agents defend.

So then what about the Open House, eh? The Open House has been the King of Home-selling Tactics ever since the invention of the welcome mat. Long loved (hated) for its unique blend of Serious Buyers, Passers-By and Nosy (read: contemptuous) Neighbours, the Open House has historically been a profitable diving board for sellers jumping head-first into the deep waters of the real estate market. But with the exponential advancement of the Internet and the de-socialization of human interaction, is the Open House still King?

You bet your assessment it is.

First, let me address my fellow agents: IF YOU ARE NOT HOLDING OPEN HOUSES AT EACH AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE JUST STARTING OUT, THEN YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUCCEEDING.

The benefits of the Open House are almost innumerable for the agent. First let’s broach the people coming in… The Serious Buyers – well, this helps you and your client without saying, but the real value for the agent lies in the Passers-By and the Nosy Neighbours.

The Passers-By will likely have no agent………… Ding ding ding ding!!

The Nosy Neighbours? Well, half of them are nosy, for sure. But the other half are comparing homes to see what their home might be worth………… Ding ding ding ding!!

Is there a math here that I have to calculate?

Prevent problems before they occur: Top 10 tips

1. Get your vehicle ready for winter in the fall.
2. Install four matching winter tires.
3. Pack an emergency kit.
4. Learn and practice winter driving techniques before you need them.
5. Plan your trip, check road and weather conditions.
6. Remove all snow from your vehicle before each trip.
7. Give yourself extra travel time in bad weather.
8. Avoid using overdrive and cruise control on slippery roads.
9. Travel with a fully charged cell phone.
10. SLOW DOWN and WEAR your seatbelt.

Whenever possible, do as much of the work as you can. Most renos go through money to pay for the labour, rather than materials. However, as always, make sure it is stuff you can do yourself. If you try to do something that you just don’t know how to do, it could potentially cost more than you would like it to when you have to fix it.

The things you can probably do yourself are the ones that are labour intensive but not very skilled. These include demolition, tiling, installing floors and painting. Save the electrical and plumbing to the experts.

2. Be the boss

When you hire contractors, cut out a middle man by doing the hiring yourself. To make sure you aren’t scammed, get a referral if possible. If this isn’t possible, try to get several estimates, and choose the most professional and comprehensive one.

3. Shop around

Save money that you would spend on materials by shopping around for the best prices. You can sometimes pick up steals from salvage yards, or directly from the manufacturer. The Internet is

also a great place to pick up for deals.

When you do find any good materials, make sure that you measure your space correctly so that you know how much you need. As well, buy a little extra, particularly when you are purchasing tiles. If you need to repair any tile work in the future, this extra tile will come in handy, and will save you if the tile you used has been discontinued.

4. Reuse whenever possible

If you don’t have to get rid of it, don’t! You can always paint an existing cabinet, or have an existing bathtub refinished. Mirrors that aren’t damaged can usually be framed to appear more attractive. Reusing is not only environmentally friendly – it will also help you save money.

Hopefully these tips have been helpful. As always, if you have any more particular concerns, consulting directly with a contractor or other expert can help you save a lot of money in the long run.

For starters, mirrors add space to a room and bring light into dark corners. Since they capture movement in unexpected ways, they also give a room more visual interest. And when they are used well, mirrors never seem ostentatious, and almost invisibly support a room’s decor.

Designers are becoming more interested in the uses of mirrors. One big trend is to use mirrors in places that would normally have seemed very rough. For instance, making a fireplace mirrored creates a jarring effect – the replacement of a rustic look with something very sleek – and produces visual excitement.

If a bare mirror is too boring for you, you can also find mirrors with patterns, borders and text etched into them. If you can’t find the specific look you’d prefer, you can also etch your own mirrors for relatively low cost with an etching cream. This can be a nice way to feature a quotation that you find particularly meaningful.

Mirrors are also being used in the urban decay trend: antique mirrors with stains or rust on them can create a more natural-looking piece of visual interest. These mirrors are usually displayed without frames, and can be cut into various shapes, particularly antique shapes.

Another big trend right now is to take unframed, long mirrors and lean them rest against a wall. The casualness of this move helps break up a fussy room.

Or, if all of this seems too outré for you, just hanging a framed mirror on your wall as if it were another piece of art works well, too. And unlike a piece of art, this image will never be the exact same, and you can change it simply by moving it around. If that isn’t the definition of recession chic – versatility and beauty through a low cost solution – I don’t know what is.

You should have a plan for any renovation you undertake, but a bathroom is especially important. While you can survive on take-out and sandwiches if your kitchen is a mess, going without a bathroom – particularly if it is your only bathroom – can be potentially more problematic. As well, the bathroom features a lot of running water, and improperly fixing up your bathroom can easily cause water damage, or let mould develop. Think of this as cost control: you don’t want to be forced to pull out your bathroom in three years because it wasn’t built properly. Planning well means writing out all of the steps you are going to take in your reno, and when and if the key components of your bathroom are out of order.

2. Don’t move the sink.

Most importantly for your plan, is whether you are going to change your bathroom’s main features. If you can, you should likely avoid any major changes. Moving the toilet or bathtub will substantially increase your costs. You can then channel all of your cost savings into installing top-of-the-line faucets or by upgrading your shower stall.

3. Budget and don’t budge it.

Figure out everything you need to spend right down to the bolts, nuts and tiles. The closer you determine your need for everything, the more likely you will be able to get deals. For instance, you might be able to find just the right number of tiles at a clearance sale. If you don’t know how much you need, how will you snag these deals?

Also, stick to your budget. You may feel like suddenly adding a new bathtub will not adversely affect how much you are spending, but when you stray away from your budget, you are going to suddenly find all sorts of costs wracking up that you didn’t think of. Budgets are there for a reason.

That’s it for today. Next time we'’ll provide you with more helpful tips to ensure that your bathroom reno doesn’t turn into a money pit.

Inspection Fee

Any house that has been previously owned will need to be inspected. You wouldn’t want to buy a property and find its roof is leaking, discover that it is uninsurable because it has knob and tube wiring, or see that it has roaches. Good inspectors will find these things for you; they will also cost you in fees.

Appraisal Fee

When you are getting your mortgage, your bank may require you to get your new home independently appraised to determine its value.

Survey Fee

This fee can be avoided if the previous owners of your home have already done one. However, if there isn’t a recent one completed, you’ll have to get a new one done. A survey will tell you how your home is situated on your property. It will also tell you if any part of your home is on your neighbour’s property, if any part of their home is on your property, and if your home meets the current zoning regulations.

Legal fee

When you are claiming the title of your property, you will need to have the title searched. Searching the title is undertaken to ensure that you aren’t buying a property that has any claims on it and to make sure that the seller actually has the right to sell the home. Although you can use a paralegal (except in BC and Quebec, where a lawyer is required), a lawyer is advisable.

Title insurance

To ensure that you are protected from the possibility that the seller doesn’t actually own the title to your home, you’ll have to get title insurance. It sounds like an unnecessary expense, but you definitely wouldn’t want to find out you’ve paid several hundred thousand to a person who doesn’t actually own the house you are buying.

Other costs

And there will be other expenses: moving costs, gas and time to look at all the houses you are interested in, costs to replace those terrible drapes, etc. Generally, these costs are an understandable and necessary part of buying a home. And these costs will be recouped by you if you live in a house for several years, and the house naturally appreciates in value. However, it is unlikely that you will recoup these costs if you try to flip the house immediately.

In other words: flipping is only for the brave. For the rest, real estate is a great long-term way to invest your money.