Surina Hart, Quinte Real Estate Broker Royal LePage | MLS listings for Belleville, Brighton, Cramahe, Quinte West, Trenton & Prince Edward County

My Education

Friday, Apr. 18 2008  |  Posted by: Surina  |  2 comments

04.18.08

OREA College of Instructors Qualifying Exam

YEAH!!!!!  The OREA College of Instructors informed me today that I have successfully passed the qualifying exam. The next step is auditing the Phase II, two week course. I will keep you posted on my progress. Have a great weekend everyone... and once again... thank you for all the wonderful support.

 

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03.25.08

Money Laundering Legislation and the Effect on Real Estate Transactions

This continuing education course was held for all REALTORS® at The Empire Theatre today. Most people do not comprehend the magnitude of cash generated by illegal activities and it is estimated that the amount of money generated worldwide approached one (1) trillion dollars annually. The course desgined by OREA, and hosted by FINTRAC, introduced the concepts of Money Laundering and Grow Houses and the new information on the new FINTRAC requirements for all REALTORS® coming into effect on June 23rd, 2008.   more information>>

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03.19.08

OREA College of Instructors Qualifying Exam

Today I was invited by the OREA College of Instructors to write the qualifying exam for Instructors to facilitate Phase II. I will be writing this exam on April 12th, 2008, at our Quinte Real Estate Board Office here in Belleville.

 

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03.12.08

OREA College of Instructors

I am very proud to announce, that today, I learned that I have been accepted as a candidate for the OREA Ontario Real Estate College of Instructors. Earlier this year I submitted my Instructor application to OREA and met with a panel of Interviewers in Toronto on Monday March 10th, 2008 at the OREA Head Office. Suffice it to say, the interview was a very positive experience and I personally believe, that the Education of Ontario REALTORS, are definitely in the hands of caring, committed, very experienced and quite knowledgeable people. The three gentleman I had the honour to be interviewed by, impressed me greatly and I left the interview learning a great deal.

As a candidtate for an OREA Instructor, the assessment process is quite in-depth and I wish to thank all my family, friends, clients and colleagues for their continued support. 

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02.29.08

Leadership 300

As expected, Leadership 300 was very interesting indeed and a huge success. Leadership 300 and 200 sessions were made available during the second day of our OREA Conference in Toronto. The response from people registering to these sessions was overwhelming. Leadership 300 was over its preferred number of participants, and Leadership 200 held two sessions in order to accomodate the number of participants.

The Leadership 300 session involved group interaction and case study discussions. It was my pleasure to have been a participant in the group from the Peterborough Real Estate Board and benefit from their perspective and experience.

As a member of the Quinte Real Estate Board of Directors and Chair for the Education Committee, these Leadership sessions provide me with the tools to help other members from our Real Estate Board. To speak for them effectively and to work hard for them so they in turn can achieve success within our industry. I am very much looking forward to continuing the Leadership series with 400 and 500 coming soon. 

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02.20.08

ACTING for the Buyer 

Continuing education for REALTORS® is a very important part of our industry. Not only for our Licensing, but also for our business and our clients. Continuing education courses are offered to us on an ongoing basis, and as I have stated previously in my Blog, I take as many (if not all) of these courses when offered.

 

Today, I successfuly finished Hugh Foy`s course titled ``Acting for the Buyer``.  The course covered all aspects of REALTOR`S® duties and responsibilites when dealing with Buyer Clients - from the first moment of contact, through offer presentation and beyond closing. It was very beneficial for both new and experienced REALTORS® and positively received by all participants. 

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12.27.07

Leadership 300 

Scheduled for February 27th, at the Toronto Sheraton Centre delivered in the form of a workshop and retreat format. Looking forward to this 3rd course of the Leadership series.

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12.21.07

UPDATE: Micro-Economics

I am very pleased to say that I have successfully finished and passed my course. I was a bit nervous before the exam, as I had not given myself enough time to finish the necessary assignments - so I spent plenty of wee hours in the morning catching up. I did miss one test and an assignment due to the lack of study organization but learned a valuable lesson - I had to learn how to manage my study time all over again. Even though I did not receive the mark I had set out for, I do know that I will be able to achieve those marks in the next course. Time management will get you every time! 

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11.22.07

APARTMENT EXPERT: Prospecting for and Selling Rental Apartments

Wondering why I would be interested in taking a course on apartment buildings? Well the short answer is EDUCATION!

Some might say the reason is, as a licensed REALTOR® I must obtain mandatory 24 credit hour courses within each of my two-year registration renewal cycles. This is true, as I stated in my blog post Real Estate Continuing Education, however I have already obtained all my 24 credit courses and my renewal date isn't until February 2009!!  Yes, I admit it - I am an education junkie! 

The course this morning was provided by our Quinte Board and was scheduled before the Quinte Real Estate Board's annual general meeting. The course was 3 hours long and was delivered by Derek Lobo, CEO of the DALA Group of Companies and ROCK Apartment Advisors. The course content consisted of understanding Capitalization Rates (Cap Rates) to Valuing the rental property and Underwriting.

The course was extremely interesting and very enlightening as it related to all types and styles of real estate property and was not limited to that of apartment buildings. I would highly recommend this course to all REALTORS® as it would benefit buyers and sellers of residential, recreational and commercial real estate.

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11.11.07

GREEN Real Estate 

I successfully finished and obtained from the National Association of Green Agents and Brokers (NAGAB), my course certificate in Home Energy Efficiency. This course is the first in a series of green real estate courses developed for the professional real estate salesperson and broker. Not only does an energy efficient home save hundreds if not thousands of dollars during the life of a home, it makes the most sense environmentally. I was able to learn about the government's home energy rating system and which programs are available to help guide my home buyers and sellers increase their home's energy efficiency.

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11.07.07

Leadership 200

Successfully finished the OREA Leadership 200 - an Interactive Workshop held in Toronto at the Crowne Plaza on Tuesday afternoon. The content was quite educational and very beneficial for anyone who is interested in volunteering in any capacity. Took lots of notes and am hoping I will be able to implement some of the great ideas next year, should I be successful in our upcoming Real Estate Board election. Really looking forward to Leadership 300.

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11.01.2007

Micro-Economics

August 2007 brought an exciting time for me with regard to education. I decided to enroll in Quelph University as an Open Learning mature student. Online courses give me the same opportunity to learn as on-campus courses with the flexibility to study when I am done work.

For my first course I chose to study micro-economics - yah - thought it was a good idea at the time! Actually, it is very interesting and I am quite impressed how relative it is to real estate. Currently we are studying supply & demand, consumer and producer surplus and the efficiency of markets. Last night I wrote a chapter test and I received a grade of 100% - It was such a thrill! 

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10.31.2007 

Leadership 100 

Just recently I successfully completed the course titled OREA Leadership 100 - Becoming a Valuable Committee Member.  This non-credited course detailed how organized real estate is structured, the concepts of effective discussion and debate, effective practices of running efficient meetings, how to apply the rules of meeting procedures and how volunteers can work well with staff and the Board of Directors. I found the course very informative and a great overview for new volunteers.

Leadership 200 -  an Interactive Workshop, is scheduled for November 6th, 2007 in Toronto. I am very excited about being able to participate in this workshop. 

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10.30.2007 

Welcome

There is no limit to what you can learn. 

I thought in this section of my Blog I would share my personal experiences in an area that I am very passionate about - real estate education!

With age and maturity I gained an appreciation of education and the positive role it has in our lives. I thrive on the opportunity to learn and improve not only my business, but to acquire skills that will benefit my clients. This thirst of knowledge keeps me busy during the wee hours of the morning.

As a volunteer member of the Quinte Real Estate Board Education committee and Co-chairperson of my daughter's school parent council, I try to share the knowledge I have acquired and in turn always leave each meeting learning more. The educational opportunities are available in all facets of our life and I gravitate towards them.

In real estate, as a registered broker, mandatory credit hour courses are required in order to maintain my license as a REALTOR®.  There are a multitude of courses available with subject material from legal aspects of real estate to accounting and bookkeeping. These courses are ongoing and 24 credit hours must be completed within a two-year renewal period for the duration of my real estate career. In addition to the mandatory credit courses, informational non-credit courses are available throughout our local community and Brokerages. I always try to take as many courses as I can fit into my schedule.

Permalink  |  Posted in: Education

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Canada’s Housing Market Remains Stable; Moderate Price Increases in First Quarter

Monday, Apr. 07 2008  |  Posted by: Surina  |  1 comments

Strong local economies and population growth support buyer demand

TORONTO, April 3, 2008 – Canada’s real estate market stands on stable footing.  On average, healthy year-over-year house price gains were recorded during the first three months of 2008.  While more modest price increases were observed when compared to previous quarters, the solid appreciations noted in the first quarter are largely due to the shared effects of resilient local economies, high immigration levels, and relatively low interest rates – all leading to enduring buyer demand, according to a House Price Survey report released today by Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

While almost all markets surveyed experienced price increases, it was the smaller cities, with relatively affordable housing and strong economies based on resource industries that emerged with the most significant gains. Thriving Saskatoon saw appreciation as high as 66 per cent, while areas in Newfoundland posted increases above 20 per cent for the first time since Royal LePage started tracking house prices.

Of the housing types surveyed, detached bungalows increased to $336,834 (+8.3 %), followed by standard two-storey properties, which rose to $400,647 (+7.1%), and standard condominiums, which increased in price to $240,423 (+6.9 %), year-over-year.  Read more...

provided by: Royal LePage Canada 

Permalink  |  Posted in: News Release

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