Sooke Community and Real Estate Blog 642Blog.ca

This Thursday, April 29th, 2010, Vancouver-based entrepreneur Stephen Jagger and professional sales trainer Shane Gibson will be at the Downtown Victoria Chapters store to launch their new book, Sociable! How Social Media is Turning Sales and Marketing Upside-Down.

The event starts at 5:30 with a networking opportunity for social-media-curious businesspeople, and then a presentation from Steve and Shane about social media and the unique way they wrote the book. Q&A will follow, and Shane and Stephen will sign your copy of the book.

If you’re interested in learning how social media can help your business, I’d highly recommend you attend this event and pick up a copy of the book. Many of the ideas and methods they teach I have used to build my business, and in today’s business world, it’s not acceptable to answer “What’s your social media strategy?” with a blank stare.

The event is free, and you can confirm your attendance here. Invite your friends and business associates – after all, social media is all about “the more, the merrier!”

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Tagged: BC | book | chapters | how-to | launch | marketing | sales | shane gibson | sociable | social media | stephen jagger | Victoria

I’m pleased to announce that I will be teaching web marketing and social media training in Victoria, BC starting next month. Reachd.com has approached me to be their Victoria instructor. The 3-hour classes are taught in the afternoon, and are ideal for anyone in any small business who wants to learn how to capitalize on this growing trend. How can you effectively use social media and web marketing to grow your business? I can’t wait to show you how. The three courses that are happening next month are: Social Media Guided Tour ($149), Explode Your Growth With A Blog ($149), and Broadcast Your Message With Online Video ($249 – includes a video camera!). You can take all three courses for $399 – a savings of $149. Come out and learn something in December and be ahead of your competition in the new year!

The courses will also be offered in January, along with courses on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Google AdWords.

More information and registration at http://TimAyres.ca/reachd

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: courses | facebook | linkedin | reachd | Real Estate | seo | small business | social media | tim ayres | training | Twitter

Day 1 of the NAR Convention in San Diego was very productive – I saw two sessions today and unfortunately was shut out of a third due to it being full. The Introduction to Social Media session was great. As a REALTOR® who puts himself out there online using social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, I was very pleased with the session. It was facilitated by three practicing agents, just like me, and they nailed it. Ginger Wilcox, Kelley Koehler, and Mariana Wagner were excellent – it was refreshing seeing a social media presentation by three working real estate professionals who actually, as they put it, do this to feed their kids.

Check out my video update from Day 1:

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: #NAR2009 | 2009 | conference | NAR | Real Estate | san diego | social media | tim ayres | update | Victoria | VREB

Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina - photo by Jason van der Valk

Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina is a beautiful oceanside resort development located in the heart of Sooke, British Columbia. Sooke is a small seaside community on the southwest tip of Vancouver Island, about a 45-minute drive away from Victoria.

The development was completed in 2006, and since then, 70% of the project has been sold. The developers recently engaged the team at Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty in Sooke to market the remaining units. They felt that our local representation and the strength of the MLS® would be the key to getting the rest of the project sold.

The Resort is unique in Sooke in that you can own a whole unit, or choose a fractional ownership option of one quarter or one eighth share, depending on your budget and your needs. I currently hold the listing for unit 145, which is for sale at an amazing price of $399,900. I can also sell quarter shares at $125,000, or eighth shares at $64,000. Fractional ownership is whole ownership of a part of the property. It is not the same as timeshare. With timeshare, you do not own anything and are not registered on the title to the property. With fractional ownership, you are the registered owner of the property, along with the other owners. An agreement is put in place for use of the property, and there is a rotation ensuring that each owner gets his or her share of prime time in the unit.

All the units at Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina come fully furnished and equipped, and have an on-site management team who will take care of all maintenance, interior and exterior. You simply show up to your vacation getaway, and it is exactly as you left it before. If you wish, you can also place your townhouse in the rental pool, and earn income when you’re not using the property!

Unit 145 has stunning panoramic views of Sooke Harbour and Basin, the Strait of Juan De Fuca, and the Olympic Mountains. It has about 1140 square feet of luxury living space, two balconies, two bedrooms and two full baths. The floor plan is well thought out and functional.

Sooke Harbour, looking towards Whiffen Spit and East Sooke

Salmon and halibut fishing is outstanding in Sooke, and this year has so far been the best in recent memory. Sooke fishing charters can be arranged right from the comfort of your vacation getaway home, or launch your own boat from the ramp. Book a scenic and exciting tour with a local Sooke whale watching company, right on site. Kayak rentals are also available, to explore the placid waters of the Harbour and Basin. Be sure to check out the new photo art gallery by local photographer and graphic designer, Jason van der Valk of Discover Sooke.

This is truly a great opportunity for an easy, accessible, and affordable vacation home or investment property. This is the only such development in Sooke, which is fast becoming the place to be on southern Vancouver Island.

Please see the listing page on my website for more information and pictures. Call me any time at 250-885-0512, email Tim@TimAyres.ca or fill in my contact form to ask questions or book your personal tour.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Tagged: Condo | fractional ownership | harbor | harbour | investment | marina | property | rental | resort | Sooke | timeshare | Townhouse | vacation | Vancouver island | Victoria

It’s been a while since I was on video! I went to the West Shore MLS tour in Colwood and Langford today and just thought I’d say hi to you through the video. I had one of my listings on the tour this week and got to see 10 other really nice places in Langford and Colwood. I hope you’ll enjoy the video!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 13% [?]

Tagged: agents | BC | Colwood | feedback | Langford | MLS | mls tour | product knowledge | Real Estate | realtors | Sooke | tim ayres | Video | westshore

As a REALTOR®, I’m always taking notice of how other businesses market and brand themselves. I get inspiration for ideas from other people and businesses all the time. One thing I’ve noticed is that politicians in our current Federal election campaign have been all about branding and marketing their campaigns, rather than telling us what they’ll do for us if elected. What do you think?

Here’s a quick video I shot of Conservative candidate Troy Desouza in his heavily-branded car. He even waved for the camera!

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 16% [?]

Tagged: blue shift | branding | buzzword | Canada | conservative | Election | federal | green shift | malahat-juan de fuca | marketing | troy desouza

Since I wrote about Bell’s confusing -er infused advertising campaign, it’s become one of the most searched-for, read, and commented-on posts I’ve ever done. I guess I wasn’t alone in my confusion or annoyance with that campaign.

I have to wonder, however, if the same outfit that drummed up that campaign is involved with US wireless carrier T-Mobile‘s new Google Android powered phone, the G1 [warning: link has music].

I had to laugh at this one, as the concept has been taken one step further by abusing the already-beleaguered English language by proclaiming that the G1 is “The Only Phone That Makes You Smarterer.”

Yes. Smarterer. See for yourself:

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 17% [?]

Tagged: ads | advertising | android | Bell | campaign | cell | ER | G1 | Google | HTC Dream | mobile | phone | t-mobile | tmobile | wireless

A Slimmer, Trimmer Ma Bell

Telecommunications giant Bell has recently ditched their two spokesbeavers, Gordon and Frank, in lieu of a slick new advertising campaign where everything is better. Their logo has been stripped down to just the Bell name in a slim blue typeface, and now every ad you see for them with any word containing the letters ‘er’ has the pair of letters in blue, making them stick out:

From Bell.ca

From Bell.ca

Since I saw the ads during the Olympics, I’ve been mystified as to what exactly the emphasized “er” was all about. I Googled around a bit and managed to snuff out that it’s all about being easier, better, faster, and so on, but they don’t stick to that theme in their ads. They just throw in the blue ‘er’ whenever they please. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I even Twittered about it and was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who was confused. Then I logged into my facebook page this afternoon and saw this:

Should Bell Bring Back The Beavers?

Bell seems to be testing the waters on this issue. Not surprisingly, most people polled said they didn’t care, but taking those out of the equation, a good proportion just don’t get the ads.

And to think, some ad agency probably got millions to dream up that campaign.

What do you think?

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: ad | advertising | Beavers | Bell | branding | campaign | ER | frank | gordon | new | rebrand

An issue that comes up every now and again is the practice of certain real estate agents cancelling a listing that has been on the market for a while and re-listing it right away. The result is a new MLS® number (they are sequential), and a days on market count set to zero, making the listing appear “fresher” than it is. Watch the video below, and comment using the form/link below the video.

Deceptive Marketing by REALTORS® using Days on Market from Tim Ayres – REALTOR® on Vimeo.

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Tagged: cancel | days on market | deceptive | listing | marketing | real estate agent | realtor | reset

In this time of change in the real estate market, the marketing services of a professional REALTOR® are more important than ever. Why would a potential buyer look at your home that you’re selling yourself when he or she can see 15 similar homes in the same neighbourhood with the help and guidance of a REALTOR®. How are buyers going to find your place over the listings on the MLS®? The Internet is a powerful tool, to be sure, but again, when there are so many listings with REALTORS® on MLS.ca, why would a buyer look anywhere else?

That being said, there are plenty of for sale by owner signs around town, both the paid FSBO website type, and the dollar-store-neon-orange-and-black budget models.

I’m low on listings at the moment, so I have been sending out information packages and e-mails to selected FSBOs that I see that would be marketable properties. On my way home to Sooke the other day, I saw a FSBO sign on a house on Sooke Road near Luxton Fair Grounds. I jotted down the number, hoping to give the owner a call. I always try and do a little research before I do, and after a bit of Googling, I came across the house on Used Victoria (I’m not going to link directly to it).

I’m not interested in listing this property – at least not until the owner gives his/her head a shake and realizes there’s no way he/she is going to get $519,000(!) for a home on Sooke Road in the Glen Lake area. Not even close. Not even last year.

The ad says it’s “beautifully renovated,” but seriously. Check out these listings and sales over the past few months nearby. A buyer could have a brand new home on a quiet street for what they’re asking for an older home on a Provincial highway!  Homes along Sooke Road are selling (and currently listed) for over $100,000 less than what they’re asking.

If by chance the owner comes across this post, and would like a realistic market evaluation of the property, I’d be more than happy to provide one, free of charge, and without any obligation to list the property with me. I’ll even include a booklet of tips for owners who want to sell their property themselves. In fact, I always offer all of the above to anyone wanting to sell their own home. Just contact me anytime at 250-885-0512 or Tim@TimAyres.ca

-Tim Ayres – Sooke Real Estate Professional

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Popularity: 18% [?]

Tagged: CMA | evaluation | For Sale By Owner | FSBO | homes | Market | marketing | pricing | properties | Real Estate | reality check | REALTOR® | Sooke Road