Advice from the business trenches

The North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA) hosts an annual event called Lesson’s I’ve Learned wherein they invite local business leaders to share their journeys.

There are takeaways every time I attend.

Sometimes the ones that resonate the most with me come from unlikely folks.

Continue Reading

Agents need to stay in their own real estate sandbox

In many larger jurisdictions, commercial brokers focus on one asset class such as office, industrial or retail.

They do that because they know that to service their clients, it’s necessary to have a high degree of knowledge in one area.

In Saskatchewan we do not have that luxury.

Continue Reading

The little Blockbuster that could

The Last Blockbuster (2020)

“Do I rent missing renting from a physical store, no, absolutely not. I don’t think anybody does.”

86 minutes, streaming on Netflix  (2020) Trailer

The giant of all video rental franchises has truly fallen, with one remaining store in Bend, Oregon.

I’m sure most of us are surprised to hear there would even be one left in the wake of home streaming.

Thankfully, filmmakers have documented Blockbuster’s rise to fame and the eventual aftermath called The Last Blockbuster which ironically is airing through Netflix.

Continue Reading

Trust happens when I’m transparent with clients

No one can pinpoint a precise market number.

Run for the hills If a broker represents that they know exactly what your property is worth.

Doubly so if a commercial real estate broker tours you through property and does not point out the defects, as well as the features.

So who can you trust?

Continue Reading

Movies for commercial real estate nerds

After a hard day of knocking on doors and grinding out deals, how do commercial real estate agents relax?

By sitting down and watching films about our industry like the nerds we are. Or is it just me?

Here are a few I recommend checking out…

Continue Reading

3Q20 industrial vacancy rate improves over last quarter

Although Saskatchewan’s GDP is projected to decrease by 5.5 per cent in 2020, our latest quarterly industrial market survey shows the industrial vacancy rate in Saskatoon has dropped.

A remarkable fact when you consider the financial hit that our economy has just endured due to the pandemic.

Continue Reading

Selling is a form of art

Therefore, salespeople could be considered artists. Here’s an example of what I mean.

With a total of seven partners within our brokerage division, we have a bit different business model at ICR. Our new licensed associates are mentored collectively by the partnership.

When they’re seeking solutions for an assignment, an apprentice is encouraged to request input from a few partners.

We then suggest they take that input and craft a solution that they can call their own.

It’s kind of like art and it’s an empowering process!

It’s interesting how we can all have a different strategy to move to the next step.

Continue Reading

The oxymoron of office culture for remote workers

The dialogue is starting around this latest experiment in the office sector.

We’ve seen other experiments in recent years such as the open office concept and co-working concept. COVID-19 has accelerated a work-from-home (WFH) trial that might otherwise have taken years to duplicate.

Will WFH emerge as the disruptor that some are suggesting?  

Will organizations be able to maintain culture within, while the experiment is underway?

Continue Reading

My “Negative Attitude” cure for the CRE Professional

I’m grateful that despite the new challenges many of us are currently encountering in this remarkable new world, I’m doing well. 

However, that would not always have been the case in my past.

Continue Reading

3 ways a Buyer’s Broker is a no brainer

Did you know when you’re buying or leasing that you can engage a commercial broker to search listings, organize viewings, and write offers, among other duties, for the low cost of… ZERO?

This relationship is referred to as a Buyer’s broker and as the name suggests, they work for you and you alone.

Continue Reading