Innovating Way to Show Your Property

Real estate has not been spared from the mobile revolution and Erik Goldhar  understands the sector’s new reality better than most. There are already  countless smartphone applications allowing potential homebuyers to search  listings and view basic property details, but the cofounder of Toronto-based  Clikbrix Corp. contends his company’s ability to “go beyond the property walls”  and offer such innovative features as nearby amenities or a live virtual open  house helps his offering stand out. The following is an edited transcription of  his conversation with Financial Post technology reporter Jameson Berkow.

Q Where did the idea for Clikbrix come from?

A My business partner Ted Geatros and I both come from marketing backgrounds  and the ad agency world. About seven years ago, we started a small boutique ad  agency called Consumption Inc. and we had various clients from national  retailers to museums. We had quite a bit of success. On behalf of one of our  clients, [Geatros] took a trip to Asia about three years ago to look at some  meat processing plants and he came back with QR codes. They were absolutely  everywhere over there. I had never seen them so we immediately did a deep dive  into them and found they were just getting going. We thought there was a massive  opportunity to utilize QR codes, but to provide the strategy part of that. So we  completely shifted gears into mobile marketing and that was the birth of a  company called QRE8.com three years ago. It was this QR code mobile company that  had a huge underlying of strategy.

Q How did you end up focusing on real estate?

A We asked ourselves what verticals are out there that could benefit from a  turnkey solution to generate their QR codes and be on their way. So we listed  out used cars because QR codes could go on their windows; art galleries and  museums might have been interesting, too. We laid out all of these verticals and  once we did all our due diligence we really felt real estate was where we wanted  to go first. And that was the birth of Clikbrix, which started about 2½ years  ago and launched 18 months ago and relaunched a month ago with all kinds of new  technology.

Q Why did you decide a relaunch was necessary?

A When we launched, we were first to market and four months after we launched  we won an international mobile marketing award. But because there were very  creative and innovative people out there, and very competitive people, other  companies started to surface with very similar things. So we knew about six or  eight months ago when we started planning the relaunch that we had some success  but that some of the big guys were creeping up on us. We knew unless you  innovate you are basically toast.

Q So you opted to expand on your original concept?

A That’s right, since what people often fail to realize is how close you are  to your friends and family is a massive reason why you would buy or not buy a  home, as is how close it is to shopping or a proper school or transportation or  that special cafe. All of those things are part of what ultimately leads a  homebuyer to make that purchase decision. The new Clikbrix is set up to enable  agents to include that kind of information to take potential home buyers beyond  the property walls. Because this is a lifestyle choice as much as it is a “where  am I going to lay my head at night?” kind of a choice.

Q What new features were added with the relaunch?

A When Google first launched Google+ in the summer, I was on there  immediately and I fell in love with it. I was constantly thinking how can we  take advantage of this? Before Hangouts we integrated Google Maps, YouTube  videos so agents can walk around and do a threeto-five minute video tour of the  property. They can also do that for a personal interview. We also make available  a space for agents to do a neighbourhood video shot as an automatic button on  their Clikbrix app.

Q How does the virtual open house feature work?

A That highlights a huge differentiation for us. Google+ Hangouts allows you  to have an up to 10-person video conference call. Say, for example, a real  estate agent has an open house on Saturday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. So what if  around 5: 15 p.m., they went online and started a hangout that would allow  people who either lived in the area and couldn’t make the open house in person  or maybe were from another city or country. How are they going to get a really  good understanding of the home through a couple of pictures and words that say  it has three bedrooms and three bathrooms? Having a live hangout we thought  would be a great way to allow an agent to give a quick video tour then share  documents such as floor plans and specs of the house, all in real time. They can  even have a Q&A on it. Then once you post it to YouTube, any number of  people can tune in.

Q How does that differ from your main rivals?

A The competition is very much still set on the core details. Most of them  are still in the mindset of how many bedrooms and how many bathrooms. Clikbrix  goes far beyond that.

Via Vancouver Sun.

Setting the stage for a sale

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The old sales aphorism, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak,”  perhaps explains  the increasing use of home staging for new  developments.

Home staging refers to the art of preparing a property with  furniture and  other items to create a welcoming and appealing  atmosphere.

Some people are convinced the trend toward staging homes started  soon after  October 1997. It was on that date that HGTV started  broadcasting  home-improvement programs about homes and gardens.

The generation that watched the show — and the others that  followed it –  have become accustomed to images portraying  well-designed residences.

“People have become spoiled,” says Tracy Menzies, a real estate  agent with  Pemberton Holmes. “They like to see how the home fits  their lifestyle. If they  can’t picture themselves in the home, they  leave” and keep looking until they  find a place that lets them feel  at home.

Menzies says developers would rather not stage a property. But they  skip  this step at their peril. Real estate agents agree that a  well-staged home can  reduce a listing’s time on the market. It can  also fetch a better price than a  home that is empty or with dated or  unappealing furnishings.

She says the services of a professional stager isn’t cheap. A suite  can cost  $2,500 (or much more) to be staged, and a monthly rental  fee for all the props  the staging company provides for the suite –  right down to the soap in the  bathroom — adds up. On average, a  suite may have up to 500 items to give it  its particular look.

Brent Melnychuk, the senior designer at Dekora Staging in  Vancouver, won’t  go into how much he charges to stage a listing,  only to say it depends on the  project.

“My job is to make the prospective buyer picture themselves living  there,”  says Melnychuk, who has been staging for more than a decade.  “Stagers walk a  fine line. The displays have to create a utopian  lifestyle for the buyer, but  can’t be too specific. I try to shoot  for a design that shows how a person can  live in a space now — and  also in a decade.”

A home stager gets important information from the developer or  sales agent:  What is the age of the target buyer? Are they single or  married? What is their  net worth? Is the development low, middle or  high-end?

Once the target demographic is identified, the home stager tries to  find  emotional “hot buttons” that resonate with the buyer.

“Sometimes, as I am showing a suite, a client notices an item on  display and  says, ‘Oh, my goodness, where did you get this?’ and  will ask where they can  buy one,” says Menzies.

That’s music to the ears of Melnychuk, who staged four suites in  601 Herald  St., a recently completed development near Chinatown.

While the goal is a feel of what he calls “tasteful and timeless”  for the  four suites, each individual suite gets a tweaking for the  target demographic.  A small, 450-square-foot one-bedroom suite is  designed to evoke the feel of a  boutique hotel room that emphasizes  cool functionality and youthful appeal. The  larger two-bedroom has a  balcony and is targeted toward empty-nesters with  warmer, softer  tones.

The building’s architecture and its location also have an influence  on how a  room is presented.

Sometimes the decor is so attractive that buyers have been known to  ask for  the furnishings to be included in the sale. Melnychuk says  that’s not a problem  and his staff will itemize the objects used in  the staged suite — right down  to the aforementioned soap in the  bathroom.

“People buy on emotion,” says Menzies, a 15-year sales veteran.  “But people  these days also have less time. They typically don’t  want to take the time to  fix up a place. A staged home is appealing  because it means they can have it  all — and have it right now.”

Melnychuk says home-stagers come from the same family as interior  designers.  An interior designer might be involved with a project  earlier to set the  overall tone. The stager comes later, to give a  show suite the finishing  touches.

“We don’t create a fantasy, we just make a home look more desirable  by  altering reality.”

Via Vancouver Sun.

B.C. housing starts up in February on higher multi-family dwelling projects

Increases to the number of new multi-family dwelling projects across B.C.’s urban centres nudged overall housing starts up in February compared to the same month last year, according to new numbers by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

While more condo and townhouse projects got underway in cities with a population of 10,000 or more across the province, the number of new single-family detached homes decreased, compared to the same period last year.

In Vancouver, 1,675 new multiple-family dwelling units got started last month, up 38 per cent from 1,211 in February 2011.

In the same period, the number of new detached homes decreased from 203 to 195.

Across all of urban B.C., the total number of housing starts climbed by 28 per cent in February, year over year, increasing from 1,805 to 2,302.

The year-to-date numbers showed increases in both housing categories across urban B.C.

Single-detached starts rose from 739 last year to 808 in January and February this year, while the number of new multiples climbed from 2,957 to 3,546.

“Residential construction activity during the first two months of 2012 is ahead of last year’s levels due to strength in a number of housing markets around the province,” said Carol Frketich, CMHC’s BC Regional Economist, in a release.

She said Nanaimo, Victoria, Abbotsford-Mission, Vernon and Chilliwack also recorded an increase in total housing starts so far this year, compared to January and February of 2011.

Via Vancouver Sun.

BC home sales not expected to repeat 2011

The multi-million dollar Vancouver home sales that skewed the national average in 2011 are not expected to happen this year, according to an industry group.

The Canadian Real Estate Association says, “As a result, while prices are projected to hold steady near current levels, the national average price is forecast to dip by 1.1 per cent to $359,100.”

It predicts prices will rise 0.9 per cent next year, topping $362,000.

CREA chief economist Gregory Klump says the forecast reflects recent positive trends for sales coupled with provincial economic outlooks. But he cautions the risk to the market remains elevated “owing to the European sovereign debt quagmire” and that continuing low interest rates will keep the housing market “under scrutiny for signs of overheating.”

Maybe now is the time to be creative with your listing and make it stand out from the crowd.

Via News1130.

$365k country real estate option versus city housing

The average price of a house in Canada is $365k. Most of us stick to a pretty small radius when settling on a neighbourhood, with location dictated by work and family, personal history and affinity. But if you could telecommute and strike further afield, where would you spend your money? City or country? Mountains, prairie or coast? Sticking around that $365k budget, here are some options.

CITY

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Listing price: $365,000

Bedrooms: 1

Floor space: 622  sqft

Land size: n/a

MLS #: V927599

Photograph by: Handout photos, Sutton  Group-West Coast Realty

COUNTRY

Location: Quadra Island, British Columbia

Listing price: $369,000

Bedrooms: 2

Floor space: 2655  sqft

Land size: 15246 sqft

MLS #: 325359

Photograph by: Handout photos, Discovery  Islands Realty Ltd.

Via Vancouver Sun.

Housing market to remain steady

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing  Corp, Canada’s housing market will remain steady this year and through  2013 with home prices expected to rise moderately. “With the Canadian economy set to expand at a moderate pace and mortgage  rates expected to remain low, activity levels in 2012 in both new home  construction and sales of existing homes will stay close to levels seen in  2011,” said CMHC deputy chief economist Mathieu Laberge. Housing starts will total 190,000 units in 2012 and 193,800 units next year,  according to the government agency.

Sales will amount to about 457,300 units this year 468,200 units in 2013, it  said. CMHC sees the average home price reaching $368,900 in 2012 and $379,000 the  next year. “The moderate increases in the average . . . price are consistent with the  balanced market conditions that occurred in 2011, and that are expected to  continue in 2012 and 2013,” CMHC said.

Via Vancouver Sun.