SUNNY DAYS FOR THE CANADIAN REAL ESTATE MARKET ARE NOT TOO FAR OFF
It was an interesting day today. We attended the Re/max Platinium Plus Event today held by Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada, at the reknown Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in downtown Toronto, Canada. It was a great event filled with informative insights on the future of the company, market forecast and a chance to network with some of the "who's who" of this select group.
As we walked up the street to the hotel, we wondered why it seemed, whenever Re/Max Ontario-Atlantic Canada held functions, it was usually, if not always, at this hotel. We surmised it was because it is a very large and beautiful hotel, it is easily accessible and convenient and that because events were normally held there, everyone knew where it was located. Strangely, shortly into the presentation one of the co-founders Walter Schneider unknowingly answered our query. 29 years ago, this hotel was the very place the founder of Re/Max International Dave Liniger and his associates met with Walter Schneider and Frank Polzler and introduced them to the Re/Max concept. Fortunately Walter and Frank saw the vision Dave had and embraced the idea of bringing the concept to Canada.
Today Re/Max is 100,000 Agents strong, in 36 countries and expanding into China, India and Brazil.
Walter Schneider did a comparison between Myth vs Reality with regards to the economy, that assured us we are in a slow but steady recovery and smooth sailing is indeed in the forecast. With Re/Max expanding into 3 more countries, we know they believe this.
However, he did point out that we are also on the edge of a paradigm shift that will happen in 3 to 5 years from now. That the future Buyers are different than the Buyers of today. These new Buyers were born between 1979 and 1994. There are 75 million of them and they are called "millenniums".
How are these "millenniums" different? They are used to everything being instantaneous. An example of this is contact used to be made face to face, then came phone calls, then emails & faxing, but now it is instant texting and "pinging". They even text in short forms to be quicker! Social networks like Twitter have even adapted, by only allowing 140 characters, to get what needs to be said faster!
Makes you wonder though how they can wait in the Tim Horton's line up for the iced mocha, doesn't it?
Make mine a latte at Starbucks, we'll wait!
Al & Peggy
http://www.TheHousePeople.com