Top 10 Reasons For Joining A Real Estate Club or Association! Maria Rekrut
I have joined a number of Real Estate Investment Associations since 1987 and that was one of the best things I did for both myself and for my real estate investing company. It’s been my honour and pleasure to be a member of a number of REIA’s, and I’m also honoured to have been on a number of Boards of Directors for various investment clubs for a number of years.
Let me explain why I think every real estate investor, property owner, developer, other Association member, contractor and supplier should join Real Estate Investment Associations.
Whether you are interested in strengthening your investing network, educating yourself, furthering your real estate career or maybe just in need of a few more friends – professional networking organizations can be a great option for you.
In addition to providing information about your chosen field, professional organizations can enhance your personal and professional development and provide endless networking opportunities. Look around your community—there are bound to be a plethora of organizations (from small local start-ups to national chapters) for you to join.
Here are the Top 10 Reasons for Joining a Real Estate Investing Association
1. Broaden Your Knowledge: Associations offer courses, seminars and/or lectures to keep their members and the real estate community up to date on the latest industry innovations, certification, research and trends. Staying informed on your industry’s trends will only help you in the long run and will put you one step ahead of the competition.
2. Take Charge of Your Business: Take advantage of business resources, information and skills you may gain. Associations often have trade related information online or in print available only to their members. This is a great way to find targeted articles or up-to-date trade secrets related to real estate in your area of interest and in your area of investing.
3. Build a Better Resume: Associations offer many opportunities for members to volunteer to be on Boards and Committees. Being part of the Board of Directors or Committees will strengthen your business or negotiating skills. Listing your association membership on your resume is impressive to current or future employers, as it shows that you are dedicated to staying connected in your profession.
4. Enhance Your Network: We all know that networking is key for the movers and shakers of the community! Making connections is critical, and joining The Association you join will offer you countless opportunities to connect on a local and sometimes even global level. For most people, creating professional relationships is important, and joining a group allows you to have a sense of security and trust. From this, you are able to support and help one another in reaching your professional goals 5. Be a Leader: Professional associations give you an opportunity to develop your skills as a leader, and this is significant not only for your personal growth, but for your growth in your company or firm.
6. Become a Mentor: Giving back can be the greatest reward and benefit. Participating in forums, chat groups or discussion boards sponsored by an association is also a great way to grow your network. This allows you to use your peers as sounding boards and often make some great friends with the same interests as you.
7. Make a New Friend: Use professional networking groups as an opportunity to escape the norm and meet new people that may give you a reason to come out of your shell a bit more and have fun.
8. Give Back to the Community: There are plenty of organizations that coordinate socially conscious initiatives to support community efforts. Associations have a number of Charitable events throughout the year, and they are always looking for volunteers to spearhead their Charitable events and even come up with some new ideas. There are sure to be plenty of options for you to choose from if you are looking to give back. Many REIA’s have been known to volunteer for Habitat For Humanity Projects.
9. Strength In Numbers: We live in a day and age where establishing a presence in any given career field often demands working long hours in the office and bringing work home when the doors close. At the end of the day, you may have ideas for cultivating partnerships, yet not feel up to shouldering all the responsibility to organize them.
In a real estate investment club organization, you have access to an established support system of experienced people who are motivated to get things done. The battle is half-won!
10. Stay Inspired and Stay Motivated: Learn to love what you do! You may not even know that you love something, but it’s important to be proactive about things you discover on the journey. Join a local or international Real Estate Investing Association and discover something new TODAY!
For more information, about the Canadian and International Real Estate Investors Association call 437-600-6860 or email realwealth@live.ca
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We Need To Change The Landlord & Tenant Board Rulings – Maria Rekrut
Calling All Landlords, Landowners and Real Estate Investors
We need to change the Landlord and Tenant Boards. Landlords & Investors need our voices heard by the people who are making decisions about our properties. These people are not landlords or real estate investors nor have they suffered through going to a hearing, nor have they had to pay for repair and damages that “Unhappy tenants” felt it was their right to do, and we can’t collect for damages!!
I’m asking all the landlords, landowners and real estate investors and real estate professionals, lawyers, paralegals, mortgage brokers, insurance brokers and banks to please send out this letter and let our voices be heard!!
Send out a copy of this letter to your local board or minster:
Dear [PUT LOCAL POLITICIANS NAME ( mayors, and councillors) NAME HERE]:
We are millions of landlords, landowners and real estate investors in the world and up until now we haven’t been heard or listened to. We need to change how the Landlord and Tenant Boards conducts business, and we need to have their files made public.
The quasi-judicial agency overseeing rental housing in ________________, the Landlord and Tenant Board (‘LTB’), is broken. The heavy load at the provincial Board combined with the automatic right of appeal of a Board decision to the courts routinely delays justice. The inconsistency of decisions by adjudicators at the Landlord and Tenant Board is shocking.
Most of their mistakes come from the lack of common sense, the overly strict interpretation of the wording of the statute without giving regard to the purpose of the statute or the real substance of the disputes.
The appellate body, the Divisional Court, almost always fixes the problem with common sense decisions, but that’s a slow and VERY expensive process that most landlords can’t afford. Glaring drafting errors and oversights have not been fixed through statutory amendment.
More than once, the Divisional Court has suggested that the Tribunal and the government get its act together and fix the issues.
Over the last two decades, the appellate courts have made a number of decisions modifying the generally accepted interpretation of the law. For instance, a recent appellate decision has confirmed that lease-breaking parties are legal, negating the purpose of lease term as a benefit to the landlord.
Serious confusion now exists between the jurisdiction of the Landlord and Tenant Board and the Small Claims Court with regard to utilities as well as for damage or rent owed after a tenant has moved out. The issue of a landlord’s claims for damages that are legal in nature, not physical damage where something could be repaired or replaced, is also a grey area in terms of the LTB’s jurisdiction.
The government has further shifted the balance, discouraging small landlords and driving us out of the business of creating housing, much of it affordable through basement second suites. The government and non-profit agencies practically beg landlords to rent out units despite the terrible risk landlords take and the unattractive rental environment the government has created.
The Affordable Housing Act, and the recently passed Promoting Affordable Housing Act, 2016 which promote exclusionary zoning are honest efforts to create more accessory suites and affordable housing. But it won’t work and landlords won’t open up their homes until some risk is mitigated, the playing field levelled and the confusion eliminated.
The LTB’s Rules of Practice need amendment related to serving notices of entry. Email is not allowed, yet fax is permitted.
Currently, a landlord with a home in one city and a rental in another city wanting to change a furnace filter on the weekend, would have to drive from one city to another on Thursday or Friday to serve a notice of entry, return home, and then make the trip again on the weekend to change the furnace filter.
In a day and age when most faxing is done via email and e-fax, it is ludicrous that the RTA Rules permit service of notices of entry to tenants by fax and not by email. Our tenants generally do not have fax machines, and they all have email.
We urge you to re-consider the elimination of the s.6 exemption on rent increases. Those of us who are investors in condominiums will have no choice but to charge higher rents to mitigate the risk of increasing condominium fees or special assessments which cannot be recovered. Above Guideline Increases can not recover costs incurred through these types of aggregated expenses.
I am asking specifically for eight changes to the Residential Tenancies Act that would assist landlords, restore some balance and create efficiencies:
1. Reconsider the proposed elimination of some guidelines’ exemption. (This will differ in every state and province and country)
2. Streamline the LTB process to have matters resolved more quickly, ensuring that rent is paid into the Board by the tenant if disputes are protracted.
3. Fix the confusion currently existing between the Small Claims Court and the LTB regarding jurisdiction for utilities and post-occupation claims at Small Claims Court for damage and rent.
4. Amend the RTA provisions regarding “damage” to make it clear that the LTB is the forum for legal, monetary damages, not just physical damage, arising in the rental complex. That will go a long way in resolving the LTB vs Small Claims Court confusion.
5. Allow service of notices of entry (not termination notices) by email if the parties agree in the lease that communication may be by email and if they have provided their respective address in the lease.
6. Lease term has become meaningless. Jurisprudence since the Act came into force has confirmed that lease-breaking parties are legal, negating the purpose of lease term as a benefit to the landlord. This needs fixing. A notice to terminate that can be remedied (rent N4’s for instance) should not end the tenancy, thereby ending any statutory or common law obligations related to term.
7. Fix the problem so that different parts of the Governments operate in a less conflicting manner.
8. While theoretically tenants with a non-smoking lease can be evicted for smoking, the legislation should be more specific. This is especially important with the impending legalization of marijuana.
In summary, I am asking that the government consider fixing, clarifying and modernizing the Act to make it more balanced, instead of just amending amendments which will simply drive more landlords out of the business.
Yours very truly,
Sign your name and send this email to your local, state and federal representatives.
I hope all Canadian and American Landlord Investors take the time to let their concerns and voices be heard.
How to Successfully Invest in Short Term Rentals
The fastest moving and hottest growth in real estate for 2017 is investing in short term rentals. Why has this form of investing becoming so popular, you may ask? It’s becoming more popular because of the popularity of the listing site Airbnb.
Airbnb.com is a listing site that has become popular with the travelling millennials who are looking for both long and short term rentals. Because of this increased demand for both the long and short term rentals, there has been a rise of real estate investors providing rooms, homes, condos, vacation rentals and unique living arrangements that cater to the appetite for the new traveller and tenant who is looking for unique living situations.
The Millennials Traveller & Tenant
Who are these new travellers and tenants? Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends; demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years.
In 2017, and moving forward, you’ll be hearing more about this growing trend and the uproar it has caused in many cities in the United States and Canada. This is a different real estate business model, new to many real estate investors and not always understood. I was interviewed by Gary Hibbert about my experiences with short term rentals that I’ve owned and operated since 2000.
What are Short Term Rentals?
According to Tripping.com and my own experience,”a short-term rental, or vacation rental, is the renting out of a furnished home, apartment or condominium for a short-term stay”. The owner of the property will usually rent out on a weekly basis, but some vacation rentals offer nightly rates. The owner of the property will rent their space when they are not using it – though some rentals are shared spaces – especially during peak holiday seasons like in December or for New Year’s and times over the summer including the Fourth of July when higher rates can be applied. It’s also become common for people travelling for festivities like music festivals or sports events like the Super Bowl to rent houses or condos rather than pay for over-the-top, expensive hotel rates.
Vacation rentals have surged in popularity in recent years for many reasons, especially because they often offer more privacy and space for a lesser cost than hotels.
With long-term traditional rentals, the owner of the property rents out their accommodation on a long-term basis, receiving rent payments monthly typically.”
Real Estate Investing Opportunity
Consider the next property that you pick up in a popular tourist, business or university district a great candidate for short term rental cash flow opportunity. You will be able to charge higher rates and advertising in social media will keep your property filled.
The major difference between a traditional rental property and a short term rental property is the CONTRACT.
Vacation rental contracts are essentially short-term leases drawn up between a property owner and a renter who wishes to use the property for a short period of time, namely the length of their vacation. According to Bailey Richert, an eHow Contributor, Rachel states that your rental contract serves as a legal agreement between the two parties and therefore must be carefully worded to protect the rights of all individuals involved.
In the twenty-one years of owning rentals, I must agree with Bailey. I have found that having a proper contract is very important. Having the best contract available has been my saving grace, and I didn’t have too many sleepless nights worrying if all parties were on the same page.
I’m happy to share my experiences with short term rentals with anyone who may be looking for an alternate way of investing their time and money outside the usual tenant model. If you want more information, you’re welcome to read my blogs on Reiclub.com or my own website, or leave a comment below.
Self Promoting Your Real Estate Business On Social Media by Maria Rekrut
Maria Rekrut here from Niagara on the Lake Cottage Rental. I came across a great Blog on Self Promotion on Social Media that I wanted to share, with all of my Baby Boomer/Zoomer followers on my Social Media networks. As a Baby Boomer/Zoomer, this concept of self-promotion goes against the very grain of how we were taught to view and do business marketing.
Business Marketing was in the 3rd person plural “We” not in the first-person singular “I” and the actual owner of the business was promoted by other forms of advertising and people. Now all the business strategies that I learned are changing over into using Social Media as a vehicle to Brand and Market your business product, whether you’re the brand or your product is the “brand”.
I came across this great Blog by Marsha Collier that has a different perspective to self-promotion that I found of great interest and wanted to share with you.
6 Steps to Painless Social Media Self-Promotion
A common topic for discussion is promotion for small businesses and personal brands. When it comes to social media, the responsibility for promotion falls on the shoulders of the own(chief cook and bottle washer). Even though my books are published by one of the top 10 publishers in the world, I still need to take responsibility for my own brand.
I’ve personally been promoting my work and books in the real world and online for over 15 years, and it’s the most difficult task on my plate. Even on the “About” pages of my websites, I am loath to blow my own horn. I might consider myself an introvert, or I might just feel the mere act is bragging.
To be fair to those who do it well, it takes nerve to think there are thousands of people waiting around to hang on to your latest words or hot new project. We may have products, businesses or books to promote, but not everyone has a similar promotional style.
Social media is a bit like Dish Network’s Auto Hop. A feature which enables viewers to jump past commercials and get back to the show.
Especially when your promotional messages become too overwhelming — folks will just tune you out and unfollow. Your job is not to leave people feeling spammed. not what you plan to do. You are your brand. Your message is your topic.
2. Promote others: Even if it chokes you a bit to give a hat-tip to the competition, social promotion is symbiotic. Helping others with pure intentions builds your social credibility.
3. Stay on topic! If you have a business audience, keep the kitten and puppy pictures to a minimum and save the emoticons for your personal friends.
4. Curate the best content that ties in with your online community; whether photo or product.
5. Tell stories! Storytelling about successes is a favourite read. Do you personally have any? Perhaps stories of those who have benefitted from your work?
6. Build trust by not sharing topics out of your wheelhouse just because they are trending. But do sprinkle personal posts, they bring humanity to your brand.
Lose any feeling of entitlement — no one is required to follow (or listen to) you. You need to romance your customers by engaging in conversations and commenting.
This has worked for me. If you’re into technology, e-commerce or customer service, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, or my website. I may not always be posting about the same topics, but I try to engage in the topics in which I think my customers are interested.
I’d love to hear from you about how you’ve grown your business. How you are using social media to grow your business. What social media strategies have worked for you the most? Make sure that we touch base on my social media channels.
Get in touch with me at 437-600-6860 or email me at realwealth@live.ca
#realestate #womenenterpreneur# #womeninrealestate #financialindependance #financialfreedom
Hello everyone on Friday, 3rd December 2021, today, I will be hosting the Friday show on the following times – 7 am, 7 pm, 12 pm and 12 am EST, on http://myradio.rocks/ I will be interviewing paralegals, property managers, businesses, and today’s theme is on: “Learn how to know if you and your property are meant for each other”!!
You could also like our Facebook page, and comment about the show https://www.facebook.com/MariaRekrutAllThingsRealEstate, once you comment, you get a chance to be on my show to tell us about your business!!
8 Day Vacations Are Key to Good Health, find out why 8 days are just the right number of days to take for a vacation.
Studies have shown that the ideal number of day for a vacation is 8 days. Do you agree or disagree? Looking forward to your comments below.
#realestatemedianewsnetwork, #mariarekrut #health
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