My Grand Plan is this:

Use my contacts and real estate license in Ontario where I focus on the  Greater Toronto area to sell    retirement or for now investment properties to Canadian Boomers.

In order to do so and earn more than a referral commission, move to Florida and obtain a Florida real estate license, which I just did.

Of course the selling in Canada will take place during the summer months.... While wintering in Aventura (North Miami) I research and show  my Canadian propspects the abundance of great  real estate bargains, currently available in this area.

The fact that the majority of Foreign buyers are cash buyers, also creates a great advantage with sellers over those realtors who focus on local buyers who often loose deals because their clients can not get financing.

The purpose of my blog is to uncover other realtors who are willing to share some proven marketing strategies to support my plan. In these tough economic times, the ones least costly are preferred.

On a recent visit home to Toronto ( in the middle of FEBRUARY), just about everybody we spoke to asked me to look for property for them or their retiring parents; surpise, surprise!  So I wonder if that is not the better time, rather than the middle of July, to set up a booth at the local mall and entice prospects to The Sunshine State.

What do YOU think?

In this market with its abundance of listings, you need a "hook" as they say in marketing circles.

In my neck of the woods, Markham/Richmond Hill, which immediately adjoins Metropolitan Toronto to the North, the overwhelming majority of the population consists of Chinese immigrants both from HongKong as well as more recently from Mainland China. Many of the older earlier immigrants and now those recent arrivals from the mainland hold very strong cultural beliefs, such as the one in Feng Shui.

As I understand it, this involves energy fields which promote such essentials as Romance, Relations, Health, Learning and above all the identification of a Money Centre in the House. (Geomancy) Of course if the  front door of the house doesn't face the Sky Dragon (East) and does NOT feature a wide entrance (Double doors preferred)and Foyer the property value is severely diminished.

I had recently come across an MLS listing in my area which contained the notification that it had been certified by an International Feng Shui Grand Master, contained the required Money, Learning, Health and Relations centres and sold $65,000 above list.

Given that this was my own home I was placing on the market, I decided to give this avenue a shot.

The Grand Master visited our home with what looked like a compass in a square leather case and low and behold discovered not one but TWO money Centres, as well as the ones for Learning (essential if there are children in the household to be educated), Health, Relations, etc. We were instructed to purchase three piggy banks to be displayed in the money centres, a painting with 8 horses galloping in a certain direction, a clock with three hands and 8 RED artificial flowers. We also received two Feng Shui certificates, one in Chinese and one in English both containing a multitude of red wax and gold seals.

Our first Open House was 2 days ago and the 80% of visitors that were of Chinese origin were suitable impressed. Our Offers Review Date is September 15th. so I will keep you posted on the magnitude of the success of this strategy. Yes, we are fully anticipating to receive multiple offers!  You can check out the property at: www.ValueHomes.INFO under "Featured Listing" of course, but unless you are a "Geomancer", I doubt that you can identify the Feng Shui Centres.

In this market with its abundance of listings, you need a "hook" as they say in marketing circles.

In my neck of the woods, Markham/Richmond Hill, which immediately adjoins Metropolitan Toronto to the North, the overwhelming majority of the population consists of Chinese immigrants both from HongKong as well as more recently from Mainland China. Many of the older earlier immigrants and now those recent arrivals from the mainland hold very strong cultural beliefs, such as the one in Feng Shui.

As I understand it, this involves energy fields which promote such essentials as Romance, Relations, Health, Learning and above all the identification of a Money Centre in the House. (Geomancy) Of course if the  front door of the house doesn't face the Sky Dragon (East) and does NOT feature a wide entrance (Double doors preferred)and Foyer the property value is severely diminished.

I had recently come across an MLS listing in my area which contained the notification that it had been certified by an International Feng Shui Grand Master, contained the required Money, Learning, Health and Relations centres and sold $65,000 above list.

Given that this was my own home I was placing on the market, I decided to give this avenue a shot.

The Grand Master visited our home with what looked like a compass in a square leather case and low and behold discovered not one but TWO money Centres, as well as the ones for Learning (essential if there are children in the household to be educated), Health, Relations, etc. We were instructed to purchase three piggy banks to be displayed in the money centres, a painting with 8 horses galloping in a certain direction, a clock with three hands and 8 RED artificial flowers. We also received two Feng Shui certificates, one in Chinese and one in English both containing a multitude of red wax and gold seals.

Our first Open House was 2 days ago and the 80% of visitors that were of Chinese origin were suitable impressed. Our Offers Review Date is September 15th. so I will keep you posted on the magnitude of the success of this strategy. Yes, we are fully anticipating to receive multiple offers!  You can check out the property at: www.ValueHomes.INFO under "Featured Listing" of course, but unless you are a "Geomancer", I doubt that you can identify the Feng Shui Centres.

This is my very first entry in a Blog. At a recent convention, Realtor Quest, here in Toronto, the largest seminars were those on Blogging given by Dustin Luther, so I thought I would give it a shot.

I don't quite understand where my fellow realtors find the time in their busy lives looking for and servicing clients to respond to what Dustin told us are thousands of blogging inquiries, if that is the correct termonoligy.

I have for a number of years been looking at retirement venues, such as southern california, where we used to live. While real estate prices have come down significantly from their lofty levels there, it appears that the niche areas, such as Palos verdes, which we like are still much higher priced than say Las vegas or Florida. After lenghty research we have recently been making some offers on properties in Aventura, which is just North of Miami and south of Ft. Lauderdale.

In conversations with our friends and clients, retirement residences are front of mind since we are in our fifties and nearing that horizon. Of course for Canadians the timing appears perfect, given the collapsing real estate values in the US and the strength of our dollar. Of course what comes down must go up and vice versa, if you get my drift. So time is of the essence as our lawyer friends put it.

I am looking therfore to specialize in the retirement market of Canadians, especially in the south eastern Florida area. If you are interested in such leads, give me a call, or e-mail and visit me on my website: www.ValueHomes.INFO for some background on me.