The Comox Valley real estate market benefits from the use of technology. Technology is terrific when used at the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons. Technology certainly has its place featured in my life, and it serves a very useful purpose in many different ways. For example, I certainly would much rather fly or drive to California than ride a horse.
When I was in a Comox Valley gym over the weekend I could not help but notice the use of technology in ways that do not improve my quality of life. There were 7 other people working out in the weight room. Even though the radio was on over the PA system for all to hear, each of the 7 other people were hooked up to their own music and earphones via I-pods, etc. Not a single one was interacting with anyone else. They were in their own little worlds and oblivious to the rest of us. Social interaction and sociability = zero.
The last time I was out with my wife at a local pub, we noticed a young couple at a nearby table who were both texting on their smart phones. They did not say a word to each other during the meal but they did spend a great deal of time interacting with their smart phones. This experience was similar to watching two young children who were sitting across from each other at the same table. They were texting each other the entire time that they were there. They did not say a word to each other. Quality social interaction?
At church this morning, the purse of a woman in front of us began to make strange sounds. Her cell phone was vibrating and ringing for over a minute during prayer. What did she do? She moved the purse from the seat beside her to the floor. Did she turn off her phone? No.
The internet is given credit for a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce since the mid-1990s. The revolutionary impact is hard to argue against, but has the impact been all positive? Social networks were spawned in the early-2000s. Friendster opened in the US in 2002, Linked In for professionals started in 2004 and Facebook emerged in 2004. You Tube began hosting videos in 2006, Twitter appeared in 2006, and Apple released the internet smartphone in 2007. Facebook reached a billion users in 2012. Communication via the web is common through email and tweeting and by posting messages on social networks. Texting is common via smartphones. Comox photography based real estate listings are seen by the world. But how social is the interaction?
The internet certainly has helped business. In the Comox Valley most of the high technology based real estate business, for example, we now have an ability to post information about homes on the internet, and get wide exposure for Comox Valley homes that are for sale. Through networks, we can communicate with many different people over vast distances. While this is a good way to give people who are far away a sense of Comox Valley homes, none of this technology can replace viewing a home in person. Some home show well online and some do not. I have worked with Comox Valley real estate clients who loved a home online but hated in when they saw it in person. The opposite of this experience has also been experienced.
Social interaction is the basis of social structure and important to human health. To interact, we must communicate. Communication involves both a process and an effect. The process involves a message that is sent and one that is received. The effect is message understood as intended. How often does this actually happen?
As humans we are born with social tendencies and, for the most part, five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch). When we communicate face-to-face, how many senses are generally involved? Sometimes non-verbal communication is important to get the right message across.
How many times have you sent an email to someone and did not get a reply? Did the person actually receive the email or did they choose to ignore it? When we email someone, do we assume that they will receive the email? Spam filters can and do intercept emails on a regular basis. Do we assume that they are by the computer or other device that will receive and host the email until it is read? When we text or tweet do we assume the same thing? How many times was a message misunderstood exactly as intended? Worse, how many times has someone used the relative anonymity of the internet to be ignorant to someone else. Recently I agreed to allow someone access to an internet service for free that I pay for and she had the nerve to complain and be rude to me even though she had never met me.
Nearly 90% of home buyers start their Comox Valley home searches online. They are now able to access vast amounts of information and websites that host the information. For the most part, these visits are accomplished with the anonymity that the internet can provide. However, the websites being visited are developed, maintained and paid for by business persons. In the real estate industry, many businesses are run by only one or two people. When a stranger accesses a website and asks for information, the response must come from a person. That person must be willing to spend time, effort and money (yes money because time is money in business, and the systems used to host the information cost money to operate and maintain) to provide you with the answer. If you were dealing with that person on a face-to-face basis, would you interact differently than you do while you are online? Technology is cold and impersonal but people do not have to be. Be social and personable, and remember that there is a person on the other end of the system. Karma is real.
Consider the following age old expression: Mind your Ps and Qs is an English expression that commonly meant mind your manners and it was commonly considered a short form for please and thank you. When we send an email to someone that we do not know and ask them for information, do we use please when we request something from someone else? Do we acknowledge them when they reply? Do we thank them for the time and effort they spend on crafting a reply that provides us with the information that we requested? The words please and thank you are powerful and they can go a long way in helping you get the information that you want. If you were the person being asked for the information for free, would you expect anything different?
When it comes to Comox Valley real estate information, I aim to provide my clients as much information as I can to help them make their real estate decisions with Peace of Mind. As well, I maintain a website to help others who are looking for real estate information so that they can make informed choices. Contact me when you need information, and I will be pleased to help you. Thank yous are appreciated.
What do I need to know about viewing Comox Valley Homes?
Some Comox Valley residents like to view local homes. A few people in the past month expressed surprise when I asked to meet them at the office after they contacted me for the first time and asked me to arrange a viewing of someone’s home for. Viewing any real estate such as a home for sale is a professional real estate service. There is a good reason for this and it is worth a short blog to explain why this happens.
First, the Real Estate Services Act is among the many different laws in British Columbia that govern and regulate the real estate services industry. This Act came into force in early in 2005. Among other things, the Real Estate Services Act imposes licensing requirements on people who provide trading services related to real estate. Trading Services is a term used to refer to the activities related to the purchase and sale of real estate. Trading services are more commonly referred to as professional real estate services. The Real Estate Services Act (Part 1) defines these services as including:
- Advising on the appropriate price for the real estate;
- Making representations about the real estate;
- Finding the real estate for a party to acquire;
- Showing the real estate;
- Negotiating the price of the real estate or the terms of the trade in real estate;
- Presenting offers to dispose of or acquire the real estate; or
- Receiving deposit money paid in respect of the real estate.
Full-service and full featured homes listed for sale in the Comox Valley regional district area by agents often provide many more services than those mentioned on this list to help people buy and sell homes. Real estate agents provide professional services to people in anticipation of getting paid for these services. This expectation is no different than any other person working in the service industry sector that accounts for nearly 70% of the jobs in Canada.
It is important to understand that most real estate agents who are licensed through a particular agency do not get paid a salary by that agency. They only get paid from the commission that is paid when a real estate transaction completes. As well, while the agents must be licensed through the agency to work, they are generally not employees of the agency. In many cases, they are independent contractors and sole proprietors of their own business. They must generate their own business, and pay their own business expenses which are numerous and varied as any other business owner will appreciate. As a Comox Valley realtor, I operate my own business.
Showing a home takes a real estate agent time, effort, and money. On average, it takes 2-4 hours out of the day of a real estate agent to show a home. First, the agent must contact the seller’s agent and request a viewing. The seller’s agent must then contact the seller with the information related to Courtenay real estate listing to coordinate and schedule the viewing. Sometimes this process is straightforward and quick. At other times, it is not. If a tenant is involved, the tenant must be notified of the request at least 24 hours in advance. If the requested time and/or day does not work for the seller (or tenant if applicable), additional coordination is required. The agent must then notify the person that requested the viewing, meet them to explain a form (the form is discussed below) to them, drive out to the home, show the home, and drive back.
Just like any other business person, Comox Valley estate agents (including buyer’s agents) expect to be adequately compensated for the services that they provide. They are not obligated to show homes whose sellers choose not to offer any (or adequate) compensation. Real estate agents would not stay in business for long if they provided professional services for free, or for that matter, did not generate enough revenue to pay for their expenses. For those related to the showing of a home, the agency does not pay for the agent’s gas or time. But, why meet at the office first?
The Real Estate Services Act (Rule 5-10) states that before providing trading services to someone (such as the showing of a home), the agent must disclose the nature of the representation that will be provided. The Law of Agency governs the relationships that can exist between an agent and the person to whom they are providing services. In June 2012, the Law of Agency changed in British Columbia. The nature of the representation that an agent can provide to a person is explained in the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) brochure – Working With A Realtor – Designated Agency. The Realtor Code (Article 2) reinforces these laws by stating that agency disclosure shall be made at the earliest opportunity and in any event prior to the Realtor providing professional services which go beyond providing information as a result of incidental contact by a consumer.
In addition to agency disclosure, real estate agents are required by law to identify and document the identity of people before they engage in real estate transactions. This law was applied to real estate and came into effect on 23 June 2008. The form used for this purpose produced by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) called the Individual Identification Information Record is the form most often used. Many agencies now use this form for the protection of sellers before homes are shown by a buyer’s agent. If it was your home, would you want someone walking through it if you (and the agent showing it) had no idea of the real identity of the person entering your private residence?
So, a real estate agent is required by law to explain agency before providing professional real estate services to any person. Since the showing of a home is defined in law as a professional real estate service, the agent will need to meet with the person before showing the home to do this. In many agencies, the agent will also be required to identify and document the identity of the person before showing them a home.
Are you thinking about buying or selling Comox Valley real estate? Wondering about the real estate considerations of selling a home? Contact Brett Cairns of RE/MAX Ocean Pacific Realty.