OREA Conference 2018 #OREALITY18

Conference Time

Checking in from #OREALITY18 in Toronto!

I’m proud to be representing the Realtors Association of Hamilton Burlington as a Board of Director and Committee Member. 

What a great few days at the Ontario Real Estate Association Conference, hosted at the Sheraton Hotel

 Day One, I took a Leadership Course, hosted by a bright, Realtor Amie Ferris. 

 

We learned the structure of governance in Real Estate (Responsibilities, Participation etc.).
It was a Very Interactive Session; Amie had us physically move to A B C or D in each corner of the room for Trivia. We changed seats halfway through so we could Discuss and Role Play with Members of other Boards.
It was a great way to Learn how to be a Leader and Interact with my Fellow Leaders and Volunteers in Organized Real Estate.  It was Character Building, which you can’ t get with an Online course. 

 

#OREALITY18

Of Course There was an App for That!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


That Afternoon, we Attended ‘The REALiTY of REBBA” (REBBA is our ‘Realtor Code’ and we’re in the process of transforming it).
We Heard about what OREA is doing to be Involved in the Marijuana Legalization, and ensuring Home Owners and Tenants Safety.

OREA’s Government Relations Committee Put forward a 5 Point Plan to provide support to the government while new Marijuana Laws are being rolled out.
  1. Designate Illegal Grow Operations as Unsafe
  2. Inspect Former Illegal Grow Operations
  3. Registration of Former Grow Operations
  4. Mandatory Training for Home Inspections
  5. Reduction in Plants for Multi – Unit Dwelling (ex, Only 1 plant per 1000 sq ft in Condo Apt)

 

 

Being on the Government Relations with our Local Hamilton Burlington Real Estate Board, I was talking to MP’s about the Marijuana laws in Ottawa on Parliament Hill when I was there October 2017.
We hope our Government, MPs and MPPs consult us Realtors while they’re deciding New Legislations that will Affect everyone. Realtors are Professionals with Boots on the Ground, and Realize how their New Rules will Affect Canadians on a Grassroots level.

 

 

Our RAHB (Realtors Association of Hamilton Burlington) headed to the Networking Reception to mingle with Realtors from across the Province

 

 

 

This is me with our RAHB President, and fellow RE/MAX Escarpment Agent, Jack Loft 🙂

 

 

 

 

 


We Started off at 8:10 Tuesday Morning with some Optimism that Ontario is a great place to live and grow.

Phil Soper Outlined 4 Drivers of Growth that are Unique to Ontario:

 

 Ontario has the Lowest Unemployment Level in 42 Years
– Cumulative, Canadians are paying more in Principal then Interest. So, they have more Real Equity, then Bad Debt. (Aka they owe little Mortgage compared to how much they could sell their property for).
Millennials and Baby Boomers are the 2 Largest Co-Horts, which will have a Significant Impact on the Housing Market. (There are a ton of each of us, and we mostly want the same thing)
Since Millennials are Urgent to get into the Housing Market, they will be the reason for increased demand in Suburban Areas (Greater Golden Horseshoe), because they will move out of the City (GTA) to Afford a Home.
 – Interprovincial Immigration is the Highest of any Province in Canada. 25,689 came to ON in 2017, ahead of BC which was 16,163, with Alberta at the highest emigration at -15,131)

“If you look at Japan, Italy and most of the advanced nations on earth, particularly those that don’t have good immigration programs… they’re actually shrinking. As their population gets smaller, they get older… and it has to result to reduction of services and civil unrest. There is a HUGE benefit to Growing, and we are growing rapidly in the prime house buying ages.  People in Millennial and Gen X Generations”

“Millennials don’t seem to car about Owning Stuff like Gen X, like cars and tools, but they DO like Housing to the same degree as their parents. 69% of people are going to own a home in the next 5 years” ~Phil Soper
“Millennials are staying in school longer, getting married later, having kids later, buying housing later, but they will be Leaving in Mass!  They will want Suburban Homes so the Demand will go to the outskirts of the GTA”
~ 61% of Millennial would Relocate to Own a Home, that’s how important Owning a Home is.  ~ Phil Soper

 


THE NOTORIOUS R.O.B.

What a show this was! Rob Hahn is super cool (in a nerdy kinda way) and hilarious!  He knew how to captivate his audience and get us chuckling… even at ourselves…

His Session was the Opposite Vibe of Phil Soper’s Green Pastures.

 

Rob reminded us Realtors of some Serious Shit that could go down, and that we should be prepared for juuuust in case. Like..
  1. The MLS becoming a Public Entity
  2. Realogy Acquires Zillow and comes to Canada
  3. WalMart Real Estate

Very Interesting Discussions he made about each topic. It really makes you think! We are in an ever changing world and “Adapt or Die” is all so true in our Industry.


You’d never believe who showed up… Zillow!

 

After that Session, Headline’s Read:

Zillow teases Canadian listings at conference

 

… you’re not too far off.
It’s true, you could hear a pin drop in that room.
The Zillow Rep Impressed us with their Innovative Technologies in (DIY) Photography, and Showcased how they Market a Property.
They know how to tell reeeally good stories and having Efficient Technology makes them cutting edge in the real estate Industry. 

We transitioned to another Room, to Talk Tech with Amy Erixon, which was Fascinating.

She Swiftly translated the Wiry Tech Trends into Realtor terms, and what it means that our Industry is Changing…. ( Yes, Robots 😀 )
She spoke of the Potential with AI technology and how it will affect us in the Real Estate Industry, and, every day life. Likely Self Driving Cars by 2020 will be the Next Evolution of AI.

She spoke of Technology Disruptors in Real Estate

  • Business continuity.
  • The adoption rate of smart homes.
  • Autonomous vehicles.
  • Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and computer-aided design (CAD).
  • The building sector’s large contribution to global warming.
  • Selling condos with virtual reality.

It shows the Calibre of Speakers we have when Top Speakers come to Each Others Sessions!

 

Phil Soper Tweeting about Amy Erixon’s Session

 

 


Amy was followed by Lisa Kimmel from Edelman Trust.

It’s Not a Pretty Topic… But someone has to call out the Elephant in the Room…

Distrust. On a Corporate, National, and Social Level.

Lisa had an Informative and Flowing Presentation Exploring Trust that Society has (or Doesn’t),  for their Government, Companies and the Media. The Internet is making this World Smaller! (and us smarter..)
“Building Stronger Communities begins with Trust” 
Society is Becoming Aware of Fake News as a Weapon, For Example.

 Which Institution is the Most Broken?

46% said Government

16% Media

10% Business

8% NGO’s

 

Canadians have theseTrust Building Mandates for Businesses:

  • Drive Economic Prosperity
  • Invest in Jobs
  • Innovate
  • Guard Information Quality
  • Ensure Equal Opportunity

    Canada Is Among the Most Trusted Globally


Before Lunch I had the Pleasure Listening to Steve Schmidt.

What an Educational Experience this was for me! Steve Spoke about Previous Political Events and how everything falls apart when Trust is lost.
He compared these Stories of Wars and Heroes, and Misunderstandings, to Real Estate. It seems like a Logical Correlation seeing we have a lot of different situations that could happen to us, and communication and trust is so important.
 In our line of work, we Listen, Plan, Execute, Collaborate, and have to Trust that each moving part is going to do their job. We must TRUST. Steve didn’t Sound all too  Optimistic about our Future and Trust in Government and Societal Systems, but he Taught us how to Try Navigate Rocky Waters.
Steve is such a Level Headed Guy:

“Without Truth their can be no Accountability and Without Accountability you don’t have a functioning democracy.”

“Do what you say you’re going to do, and do it better then your Clients think you will”  ~Steve Schmidt

 

 


LunchTime!

 This was a Fun Lunch, with over 100 Realtors Sitting Down for Lunch, Listening to some fine ‘Entertainment’ from our Round Tables.

I sat with my Fellow Directors from the Realtors Association of Hamilton Burlington.

We were Listening to OREA’s CEO Tim Hudak speak with BC former Premier, Christy Clark.

Tim Hudak is a Great Guy who has done an Outstanding job representing Realtors in our Province and Elevating our Profession.
Having the Political Background they do, they weren’t afraid to get Raw with the Housing Topics, and have a Transparent Conversation about Problems and Solutions for Ontario Housing.

 

 

 


Of course, I had to take a Photo Op with the REMAX Balloon, as REMAX Integra (Ontario), was a Gold Sponsor of #OREALITY18!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I needed some Fresh Air, so I went for a jaunt across Nathan Phillips Square

Hotel Life

 

 

 

Toronto is such a Beautiful City!

Great Character and Architecture 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A great way to finish our 3 day Conference was with a Fun Night in our own Lounge. They converted the Ball room we were learned in to an impressive, unrecognizable Club!

Not to make you hungry, but they had 3 MASSIVE tables of food! Charcuterie, Dessert, Noodles, Roast Beef, ah I was so Full and Happy 🙂


 

Mind = Blown.. There are tons of upcoming Disrupters to our Industry, and Economy. As a Realtor, I must Adapt with New Technologies, Empower Generations with Future Buying Power, and Understand that in The End, we’re just trying to Connect, as Humans. Through Stories, Through Interacting Face to Face. Bring the Online, Offline. I loved the Intensity and Precise Execution of every one of these Speakers. Very Inspiring.

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