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Strong Showing for RE/MAX Leaders on 2025 Swanepoel Power 200 List
Annual ranking recognizes most influential leaders in real estateRE/MAX leaders have been named among North America’s most powerful and influential figures in real estate, as part of the prestigious 12th annual Swanepoel Power 200 (SP200) list released by real estate management consulting firm T3 Sixty. Among them are Erik Carlson, CEO of RE/MAX Holdings, the parent company of RE/MAX, LLC, Motto Mortgage and wemlo, and Christopher Alexander, President of RE/MAX Canada.They are joined by James O’Bryon, Chad Ochsner, Brenda Tushaus and Keith Myers, who head up the network’s largest multi-office, multi-state brokerage groups in the U.S.Two more RE/MAX leaders were also honoured on the “Watchlist” of rising stars: Debra Beagle, Co-Owner and CEO, The Ashton Real Estate Group of RE/MAX Advantage and Suzanne Bushard, President, RE/MAX Results.Congratulations to those who earned a spot in this year’s ranking. I’m honoured and humbled to be named once again, among so many incredible leaders including our very own from the RE/MAX network, who are making an important impact on their companies, communities and the broader industry. I look forward to seeing the ways in which we can grow our business and change lives in the year ahead.Christopher Alexander, President, RE/MAX CanadaRE/MAX on the 2025 SP200 ListW. Erik Carlson2025 Ranking: #22Role: CEO RE/MAX HoldingsWhat T3 Sixty said… Carlson joined the nation’s third largest franchise brand, RE/MAX Holdings, as CEO in November 2023. He has led the company to a return to profitability in 2024 (after seeing a net loss in 2023). In his role, the 28-year veteran of the DISH Network Corporation oversees RE/MAX’s global franchise network and its mortgage brokerages within the U.S. under the Motto Mortgage brand. Carlson is also on the RE/MAX Holdings board of directors.Christopher Alexander2025 Ranking: #55Role: President, RE/MAX CanadaWhat T3 Sixty said… Alexander has helmed Canada’s largest real estate franchise brand since 2021. As president of RE/MAX Canada, he oversees operations in all Canadian provinces but Quebec, which remains independent, although he works closely with their leaders to build comprehensive brand strategy. Alexander, who began his career as a RE/MAX sales associate in 2010, is the grandson of Frank J. Polzler, who co-founded the first RE/MAX region in Atlantic Canada in 1980.James O’Bryon2025 Ranking: #41Role: CEO RE/MAX Gold NationWhat T3 Sixty said… O’Bryon has been at RE/MAX Gold Nation as CEO for more than 25 years. In that time, he has grown the company immensely from its Northern California base. The brokerage is part of Gold Nation, for which O’Bryon oversees over 2,400 agents, who do over $12 billion in annual sales, operating in California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, and Washington. In 2024, the company launched Gold Capital Partners, allowing agents and staff to own a part of Gold Nation.Chad Ochsner2025 Ranking: #49Role: Broker-Owner, RE/MAX AllianceWhat T3 Sixty said… Since 1999, Ochsner has owned Denver-based brokerage RE/MAX Alliance, which has nearly 700 agents who do approximately $3 billion in annual sales. He is a second-generation Realtor who has also served as a director of the Colorado Association of Realtors and has been on the board of the Denver Metro Association of Realtors and REcolorado (Denver’s MLS), as well as the advisory boards of Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia. Ochsner also owns mortgage and insurance companies and is active in land development.Brenda Tushaus2025 Ranking: #62Role: CEO, RE/MAX ResultsWhat T3 Sixty said… Tushaus manages RE/MAX Results whose agents in Minnesota and western Wisconsin do nearly $6 billion in annual sales. In 2024, the firm’s founder John Collopy retired and promoted his daughter Suzanne Bushard to the new role of president to work in tandem with Tushaus. Prior to becoming CEO in 2018, Tushaus held a variety of positions over 16 years with the company, most recently as chief operating officer.Keith Myers2025 Ranking: #136Role: President, RE/MAX One (a RE/MAX Gold Nation company)What T3 Sixty said… A real estate broker since 1984, Myers is President of the Southern California-based RE/MAX One. He oversees 450 agents at a firm he has led since 2018. In 2018, the firm joined RE/MAX Gold Nation to expand its reach in California and Nevada. Myers, a four-decade industry veteran, has also co-owned and been a managing partner of Landmark Escrow Inc. since 1998.Landing on the list is not easy. The T3 leadership team evaluates contenders based on four key criteria: their power within their own company; their reputation and influence among industry peers; their relative power among their industry subgroup (e.g. brokerage, MLS, etc.); and their anticipated impact in the foreseeable future.Swanepoel Power 200 Archives2024 Swanepoel Power 200The full list of RE/MAX leaders featured in the 2024 Swanepoel Power 200 includes (listed in SP200 rank order):#10 Nick Bailey – RE/MAX, LLC#38 James O’Bryon – RE/MAX Gold#47 Chad Ochsner – RE/MAX Alliance & RE/MAX Equity Group#48 Christopher Alexander – RE/MAX Canada#64 Brenda Tushaus – RE/MAX Results#151 Amy Lessinger – RE/MAX, LLC2023 Swanepoel Power 200The full list of RE/MAX leaders featured in the 2023 Swanepoel Power 200 includes (listed in SP200 rank order):#11 Nick Bailey – RE/MAX, LLC#39 James O’Bryon – RE/MAX Gold#46 Chad Ochsner – RE/MAX Alliance & RE/MAX Equity Group#58 Brenda Tushaus – RE/MAX Results#67 Christopher Alexander – RE/MAX Canada#154 Sandra Sanders – RE/MAX Estate Properties#161 Elton Ash – RE/MAX Canada#118 Pierre Titley – RE/MAX Quebec2022 Swanepoel Power 200The full list of RE/MAX leaders featured in the 2022 Swanepoel Power 200 includes (listed in SP200 rank order):#9 – Adam Contos, RE/MAX Holdings, Inc.#23 – Nick Bailey, RE/MAX, LLC#42 – James O’Bryon, RE/MAX Gold#48 – Chad Ochsner, RE/MAX Alliance and RE/MAX Equity Group#66 – Brenda Tushaus, RE/MAX Results#92 – Christopher Alexander, RE/MAX Canada#126 – Pierre Titley, RE/MAX Quebec#154 – Sandra Sanders, RE/MAX Estate Properties#177 – Elton Ash, RE/MAX Canada2021 Swanepoel Power 200The full list of RE/MAX leaders featured in the 2021 Swanepoel Power 200 includes (listed in SP200 rank order):#9 Adam Contos, CEO of RE/MAX Holdings#32 Walter Schneider, Co-Founder and President, RE/MAX INTEGRA#36 Nick Bailey, RE/MAX Chief Customer Officer#44 James O’Bryon, Co-Owner and CEO of RE/MAX Gold#49 Chad Ochsner, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Alliance#83 Brenda Tushaus, CEO of RE/MAX Results#95 Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Western Canada#112 Pierre Titley, Co-Founder and President, RE/MAX Quebec#149 Sandra Sanders, Founder and President, RE/MAX Estate Properties# 191 Luis Padilla, 2021 President, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP); and CEO of The Padilla Team at RE/MAX Advance Realty2020 Swanepoel Power 200The full list of RE/MAX Leaders featured in the 2020 Swanepoel Power 200 include (listed in SP200 rank order):#6 Adam Contos, RE/MAX CEO#34 Walter Schneider, RE/MAX Integra#34 Pamela Alexander, RE/MAX Integra#46 Chad Ochsner, RE/MAX Alliance#66 James O’Bryon, RE/MAX Gold#74 Elton Ash, RE/MAX of Western Canada#82 Nick Bailey, RE/MAX Chief Customer Officer#84 Brenda Tushaus, RE/MAX Results#116 Pierre Titley, RE/MAX Quebec#127 Sandra Sanders, RE/MAX Estate Properties#189 Serene Smith, RE/MAX Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff..The post Strong Showing for RE/MAX Leaders on 2025 Swanepoel Power 200 List appeared first on RE/MAX Canada.
What Happens at a House Showing?
And Signs a House Showing Went WellWhat happens when agents are showing your home for sale? Are there negatives to showing your house while living in it? And what are the signs a house showing went well?There’s no question that COVID-19 dramatically shifted the showing process in Canada, with extra attention paid to safety and social distancing. Now, with restrictions practically non-existent across the country and people resuming more face-to-face interactions, here’s a quick refresher of what home sellers can expect when showing their homes.Showings Vs Open HousesShowings and open houses are different.An “open house” is when the seller opens the door to anyone who wants to pop in for a closer look. This method of showing a listing was prevalent until the pandemic hit in early 2020. Homebuyers would scour property listings all week, plot their open-house route online, pile in the car for a couple of hours on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and browse the market.Times and processes may have changed, but the principles of showing homes and appealing to homebuyers haven’t diverged much in the last 30 years. However, if you have never sold a home, you’re likely wondering what happens at a house showing and the tell-tale signs a house showing went well.COVID-19 prompted a mandatory shift in how homes are shown and seen. Government-mandated health and safety measures paused the “open-door” policy in favour of virtual home tours as a no-contact way of showing listings. Once buyers found a listing that met their criteria for a new home, they would venture out, masked, and view the house in person. Some homebuyers even took the transaction completely virtual, with the showing, offer, negotiations and final paperwork all done remotely.Today, the convenience of the virtual sale continues to be a trend unlikely to wane, thanks to technology. On the other hand, with national indicators of COVID-19 infections decreasing – including the percentage of positive tests, the number of test-confirmed outbreaks, and thankfully, the rate of weekly hospitalizations, many Canadians are eager to return to their post-pandemic ways of doing things. For homebuyers and sellers, this includes in-person showings.What Happens at a House Showing?Here’s what you can expect when showing your home for sale and how to maximize the opportunity in order to yield higher offers and a quicker sale.Schedule as Many Showings as There is InterestWhen homebuyers find a listing they’d like to purchase, most will want to view it in person before making an offer. In a hot seller’s market, where timing is everything, buyers will be eager to see it as soon as possible. In a cooler market, although buyers have time to shop and consider their purchase in greater detail, the showing period is still critical.During the selling period, sellers should be ready to make themselves available to communicate with their listing agent multiple times per day if needed and be prepared to show the home in short order. Sellers may request that their agent give them a couple of hours notice, but it’s in the seller’s best interest to be as flexible as possible. Sellers also need to stay mindful of any factors that may impact the timing of showings, such as the time needed for a quick clean-up – especially if you’re showing your house while living in it – or any time required to empty the home of pets and people (more on that, below!).How Will You Know When There’s a Showing?Discuss the best way to arrange and schedule showings with your real estate agent beforehand. Choose a mode of communication that you’ll have easy access to and will check often. This can include but is not limited to, an email, a phone call, a text message, a calendar invite or a notification from a scheduling app. This way, you have the best chance of receiving advance notice and being able to act on it if necessary.Who Shows the Home?During the showing, prospective buyers will be accompanied by their agent. If the buyer isn’t represented by an agent, they’ll typically contact your listing agent directly and arrange a walkthrough with them.While it’s entirely at the seller’s discretion, most homeowners will vacate the property during showings, which typically last 15 to 30 minutes. Unless an agent requests you to be there to explain or demonstrate a special feature of the home (for example, a retracting roof over an indoor pool) during the showing, it’s best to go for a walk, drive, or do some errands. Just go! Having homeowners present during showings can turn some buyers off, create an awkward situation when discussing their honest feelings about the place, and make it difficult for buyers to picture themselves living in the home.If you’re in a hot market or a popular area and expecting lots of showings, it might be a good time to book a holiday away from home. This reduces the inconvenience to you while ensuring the house stays in “showing condition” without constant clean-up on your part. If you decide to take a vacation, make it a staycation, as this isn’t the time to head off to a different country or be incommunicado. You want to be ready to answer any questions the buyer’s agent might forward to yours and be close enough to review offers as they come in.What Happens During the Showing?The homebuyers will have access to your property during their pre-determined showtime – typically a one-hour slot. They are expected to arrive, view and leave within that time. Their agent will walk them through the home, ensuring they remove their shoes, follow protocols, and answer any questions the buyers might have. If the agent isn’t sure of an answer, they will forward the prospective buyer’s question to the listing agent, who, if they are unable to answer it, will forward it to you.During the showing, you can expect buyers to peek into cabinets, cupboards and closets and maybe even measure them from top to bottom. Furniture drawers and the like are off-limits since you’ll be taking those with you when you move, but anything that is built-in will be assessed for storage capacity, quality and condition.Buyers also typically test the utilities by running the water taps, flushing toilets, checking light switches and plugging their mobile phones into electrical outlets. Some buyers may also use this opportunity to do a cursory or even a detailed home inspection, so if they choose to make an offer, they can do so without this condition. If the buyers want to do a cursory or detailed home inspection during the showing, this should be communicated to and approved by the listing agent and the seller beforehand.During the pandemic, some sellers chose to leave closet doors open and lights on to help minimize physical contact with their household surroundings. When the showing is complete, the buyers’ agent is responsible for ensuring the property is left in the same condition in which it was found and that the door is locked. This means that if the lights were off when the agent and buyers entered, they would typically turn them off again as a courtesy and help keep sellers’ electrical bills low.If you’re not showing your house while living in it or on a staycation, you can use a timer to turn on lights automatically so it appears someone is living there. You can also invest in a motion-activated outdoor lighting system for an extra bit of added presence.RELATED READING: House showing tips for buyers viewing homes virtuallyAfter the ShowingNow that you know exactly what happens at a house showing, what’s next?Depending on market conditions, it can be a waiting game. If the buyer has any follow-up questions or would like to make an offer, communication generally happens between the buying and listing agents. If the buyers choose to pass on the property, many listing agents reach out to the buying agent to get feedback on the listing in order to understand what, if any of, the price, condition or features of the home may have turned the buyers off. If the house isn’t selling, this feedback can prove valuable when revisiting the listing strategy.Signs a House Showing Went WellOf course, there are clear signs a house showing went well, generally coming in the form of a speedy offer at or over the asking price!But before that, there are a variety of indicators that a buyer may be interested in your home.Signs a house showing went well include:The buyers’ facial expressions and body language are positive. Even when buyers are trying NOT to look interested, their relaxed posture, nudging or nodding to each other can reveal that they are.They ask lots of questions, start to go deep into details or offer critiques on various spaces. Buyers do not need to ask questions if they’re not interested in your house. Similarly – although not always pleasant to experience – if a buyer starts critiquing certain aspects of your home, they’re likely interested and intending to make an offer but are trying to mask their excitement.They focus on spaces that are important to them. If a buyer lingers in a kitchen, master bedroom, by the pool, or wherever, they’re telling you that these spaces are important to them, they already like what they see or are determining the changes they’ll make once the house is theirs.They’ve already mentally moved in. If buyers start talking about what bedroom would be best for which kid, what furniture would fit where or if they pull out a measuring tape and start sizing up a space, they’re interested.The buyers stay for a long time. In today’s market, finding the home of your dreams or missing out by just a few minutes is all about timing. As a result, if buyers aren’t interested in your home, they’ll cut the showing short, make their exit and head out to see another property or begin browsing online again.They ask for a second showing and bring a family member, architect or home inspector along for the ride. They’re interested and almost ready to make an offer.The buyer’s real estate agent calls back immediately, enquiring whether there are other offers on the table, if there’s any flexibility around sale price, closing date preferences, etc. The buyers like the house and are about to make an offer.They ask for a pre-offer inspection. They like the house and are about to make an offer.Contemplating buying or selling a home soon? Connect with a RE/MAX agent and see the difference that adding an experienced real estate professional to your team can make.Find a RE/MAX AgentThe post What Happens at a House Showing? appeared first on RE/MAX Canada.
How Do You Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster?
Buying a home is a big investment and a huge commitment, but most homeowners will attest that the long-term pay-off is worth the shorter-term financial pains and strains. Over the last few years, mortgage interest rates have been in the spotlight, and more recently, the culprit behind many of those “pains and strains.” A higher interest rate means the cost of borrowing is more expensive, including car and student loans, lines of credit, outstanding credit card balances, and mortgages. But what if we were to tell you that there are ways to lighten the load of your mortgage burden?One way is to pay your mortgage off faster. More on that below, but let’s start with a basic mortgage 101.What is a mortgage?In order to buy a home in Canada, you’ll need a down payment of at least five per cent or more of the home’s purchase price. These funds are typically saved over time and can be boosted with the help of programs such as the first-time Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP).The remaining amount required to purchase the home is then borrowed in the form of a mortgage loan. This loan is amortized over a number of years (commonly 25 years for first-time homebuyers) under specified terms and an interest rate that are renegotiated after a given period of time (commonly five years, but the term can range from 6 months to 10 years). The total amount borrowed is divided up into regular payments (monthly or bi-weekly) over the amortization period.How your mortgage rate impacts the price you payA portion of every payment you make goes toward paying down the principal loan (the final purchase price of the home) and a percentage of it will go to the lender as an interest payment on your loan. The higher your interest rate, the more money goes to the lender versus to paying down your principal loan. When all is said and done, it’s in the homebuyer’s best interest to secure a mortgage loan at the lowest possible rate.Some homebuyers choose to go with a variable rate mortgage, which fluctuates based on the prime lending rate.Why should you pay off your mortgage faster?Aside from the interest rate, your amortization period also impacts the amount you’ll pay in interest over the life of your mortgage. Stretching your mortgage out over a longer term will decrease the amount of each mortgage payment (which can help with day-to-day expenses) but doing this will also lengthen the time it will take to pay off the loan (obviously) and increase your total interest paid. Depending on the amount of the mortgage loan and your interest rate, this translates to a considerable sum of your heard-earned, harder-saved money going to the lender instead of building your home equity.With every mortgage payment you make, you increase your home equity, decrease the borrowed amount and thus, decrease the amount you pay in interest.How do you pay off your mortgage faster?To put this simply, the faster you whittle away at the amount you owe, the less you’ll pay in the long run. Here are eight ways to help pay your mortgage off faster:Increase your mortgage payments.Yep, this is an obvious solution yet the majority of debtors just don’t do it. They would rather have a few extra hundred dollars in their pocket than the knowledge that they can save thousands over the course of their mortgage.But the figures are hard to ignore. For example, if you have $250,000 left on a 25-year mortgage and you pay an extra $500 a month, you could save yourself over $65,000 and reduce the term of your mortgage to just 15 years.This applies to any additional payments that you can make. An extra $50 a month in the above scenario will only reduce your term by just under two years, but it will also save you over $10,000. A good way of looking at it is that every additional payment you make will increase the value of all following payments by ensuring that a higher percentage goes toward the house and not the debt.Pay your other debts first.It may sound counterintuitive based on the advice above, but one of the easiest ways to pay off your mortgage is to clear your other debts first. A mortgage is a long-term debt with a relatively low interest rate. Credit cards and personal loans, on the other hand, are shorter-term debts with higher interest rates.You may save more money in the long-term by focusing on your mortgage, but a credit card or personal loan debt will do much more damage in the short-term. The payments are typically harder to meet, the penalties are very severe, and if you do struggle and those debts are prolonged, they will be considerably more damaging than carrying a mortgage.Your first priority should be to pay off any loans or credit cards that have accrued penalties or have otherwise high interest rates. The money you save by not paying interest on these debts can then be used to increase your mortgage repayments.Make bi-weekly mortgage payments instead of monthly.This may sounds like a strange tip, but it’s an effective one nonetheless. There are 12 months in a year but 26 bi-weekly cycles. If you convert your monthly payments to bi-weekly payments, paying 50 per cent each time, you’ll essentially be making one extra payment every year. Of course, this is no magic trick and you’ll still be paying more, but it’s a great option for debtors who crave order and structure and are looking to pay a little extra money every year. And in all honesty, you likely won’t even miss it.Make lump-sum payments.You don’t need to agree to additional monthly repayments just to clear more of your debt. You can also potentially pay lump-sum amounts whenever you have the money to do so, provided your mortgage terms allow for it. Again, it can be difficult to find the willpower to give up a sizeable sum of cash with the knowledge that you won’t see the benefits for years to come, but it’s just a case of adopting the right attitude.You have to understand that a significant portion of every repayment you make is being used to pay interest, as opposed to the principle. But once that repayment has covered the interest then you can attack the principle and start actually paying for the house. So, if you get an unexpected windfall, consider using it to pay off your mortgage and you could save yourself a small fortune over the long haul.Use part of your home as an income property.Renting out part of your home is a great way to boost your income and help chip away at your mortgage on a regular basis. If you have a spare bedroom, garage, basement or attic space that you’re not using, consider renting it out. Property is at a premium these days, and in many cities you won’t need to wait long to find a willing tenant. Laneway homes have also gained popularity in recent years as a solution to the housing shortage.Refinance your mortgage.If you have had your mortgage for a few years and you’re not happy with it, your financial situation has changed or you simply want a new approach, then it is time to refinance. You may be able to negotiate a better interest rate, especially if you are willing to pay some money upfront or agree to higher monthly repayments.Spend less.There are a number of ways that you can reduce your household expenditure, before using all of the money that you save to pay off more of your mortgage. Over the course of a year the average American spends $500 on food they end up throwing away; $1,000 at coffee shops; $3,000 eating out; and several hundred dollars on bottled water. If you tighten your purse strings even just a little, you’ll have more money in your pocket at the end of each month.Sell up.If you’re sitting in your home right now, take a look around you. Of all the things you see, how many do you actually use and need? The average home contains an abundance of junk just begging to be sold. And with the advent of apps that let you list your items for sale online, there’s no excuse not to sell-up.*The above tips on how to pay your mortgage off faster were originally published by DebtReviews.comThe post How Do You Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster? appeared first on RE/MAX Canada.
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1301 8th Street SW, Calgary, AB, Canada
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I met with the realtor Ahmed Arshad through Houseful online agency. He was very polite gentleman who knows his job and in very professional manner he sold our house in three days for very good price. Later he guided us to buy a new house. And he showed us how to be careful about some missing, or bad things in the houses we looked at. It was a very exciting adventure working with Mr Ahmed Arshad and for very short time we found and bought the house were now we live in. Thankful Kiro and Lidija
Kiro Seremetkoski
Definitely will recommend to those who is looking for their new home.
Jeric Salazar