Sunday, October 28, 2012

Lamb, Milborne & Stinson at The Property Show October 27 2012 Hyatt Toronto





The last minute surprise moderator Peter Massihe from Tigrent Education turned out to be a great compliment to the very complex topic of real estate investing in Toronto and its impact on North American and International investors.  The panel consisted of Brad Lamb, Toronto’s King of condos, Hunter Milborne, Toronto’s grandfather of condos and Harry Stinson, a founding member of the condo market in Toronto, but now the King of Hamilton.

Brad Lamb started the commentary on Toronto’s slowing market by stating that Toronto is firmly cemented as a world class city to invest with four new 5 star hotels being built in the city’s core.  That was referring to the Shangri-La, The Ritz Carlton, The Trump Hotel, and the Four Seasons Hotel.

Hunter Milborne went on to say that although there is a slowdown in the Toronto market, Toronto condos serve a much needed supply of housing due to the slowing construction of low rise homes in the 905 regions due to higher development levies coupled with rising infrastructure costs and the greenbelt.

To take condominiums in perspective, Hunter commented that in 2002 two-thirds of the properties listed on the MLS were low-rise homes and one third high rise condos with a spread of about $75,000 between the two classes of property.  Today, two-thirds are high rise condos and the spread in value is about $175,000 between the two classes of property, so are condominiums really that expensive?

Lamb stated that the federal government has “engineered the slowdown in the condominium market” with explicit actions to cools the Toronto and Vancouver real estate markets,  which is working.
Hunter stated that although federal interest rate policy has keep rates low, the policies to cutback amortizations from 40 to 35, 35 to 30 , then finally down to 25 years has essentially had a financial impact of about a three percent increase in the monthly carrying costs of owning a home in Canada.

Lamb says the cool off is not a bad thing considering that in 2002 the average price per square foot in Toronto was $200 and today it’s reaching as high as $1,000 in buildings in Yorkville and Shangri La.  Toronto needs the slowdown because the market cannot keep up with building the condos that have already been sold.  There is shortage of qualified labour and developers have been forced to push back occupancies.
Developers are listening to the rumbling in the market and have shrunk the number of launches from eighteen in 2011 to six launches in 2012 with a recent announcement by Vihant at Great Gulf in the Toronto Star stating they have put all new launches on hold until next year.

Stinson has seen a transition over the last ten years from condo fad to condo lifestyle, where individuals are choosing a condo over a home.  Evidenced by the sale of Stinson Lofts in Hamilton where condos are priced at $400,000 in a neighbourhood where homes start at $53,000.  

Answering a question asked about rules of investing, Hunter said Rule #1 Don’t buy more than you can afford and Rule #2 Don’t sell at the wrong time.  Lamb said buy local and focus on one node or area before jumping on far away markets like the USA or Alberta.  Stinson said know your market and don’t compare Toronto prices to small towns and be the stupid big city buyer that over pays.  Educate yourself on a niche so when a deal comes along you will recognize it immediately.

When the USA market came up, Brad Lamb stepped up as the vocal proponent of the USA market being the “best deal on the planet” and he said prices will bounce back to 2007 levels as he feels the USA market is a great place to buy a second home.   Brad also feels Detroit is the best investment market in the USA right now.  “Major players are positioning themselves there “.  Locally, the best deal right now is a Toronto apartment building at $550 per sqft.  Also a $400,000 100 acre farm is a fantastic investment that could turn into a $50 million subdivision for the next generation.

When a comment was made about condo fees being a deterrent to investors, Stinson commented that investors need to participate on condo boards and be more vocal about the spending of the building.  Also, he likes super large buildings that can afford professional property management. 

When a question came up who to hire as your realtor, Stinson said to invest in your relationships with realtors and give them your contact info so that you can be informed of good deals personally.  Most of the good deals go to connected clients on the “inside” who know the real estate agents involved in the deal.  Lamb said hire the agent that has the most listings on the market.  That agent is likely the most knowledgeable about the market.  

Hunter Milborne commented infrastructure projects and areas affected in the GTA that investors should be closely watching like the LRT to Pearson from Union station stopping at two points along the way including Bloor and Dundas.  He also likes Don Mills and Eglinton for public transit infrastructure investment and Yonge and Sheppard.

My conclusion, is that it is always good to hear it from leaders in the Toronto real estate market who have a long term view of the past comparing it to the present.  I look forward to sharing these ideas and more at my Real Estate Agent and Mortgage Agent masterminds starting Tuesday November 6th in Toronto.  Register at www.MREISeminars.com.

The author, is Randy Ramadhin, author of “Investing in Condominiums: Strategies, Tips and Expert Advice for the Canadian Real Estate Investor” and a professional real estate investor advising stay at home mom’s to multi-millionaires on getting higher returns on their real estate investment portfolios while keeping more money in their pockets with a life-balance strategy that fits.  Randy is a licensed real estate broker, mortgage broker and member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada currently living in the GTA with his wife and 2 kids while serving on the not-for-profit Castles for Families teaching financial literacy to families.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Junior Achievement Day on Oct 23rd a huge success



 Tuesday Oct 23rd was amazing day where I had opportunity to teach Dollars and Sense program at Milne Public school ( Don Valley and Lawrence). I was partnered up with Susan Alagha  like myself a Junior Achievement independent.

We had our hands full with 40 students for the entire day. We had a great time going through the various lessons on how to use money, exercises on how money is used and we played an exciting game that brought all the lesson together.

The highlight of the day is we an exercise that the students had to put a 30 second radio commercial together and present it to the class.

They were absolutely awesome!  The used techniques from comedy, rap to straight forward conversations with call to action statements. We should have recorded them and put them on You tube! They would have gotten offers for sure. It was memorable experience that makes me so proud to be part of the Junior Achievement of Ontario. Look forward to sharing again in November 2013



Have the great experience in teach various Junior Achievement of Ontario courses for the past five years. While working at FedEx Freight from 2003-2011 I went to various school in GTA and shared topics from Dream Big and Economic of Staying in School.



Cashflow game in Toronto on Oct 25th a huge success

                                          Amazing group of cashflow participants.

It was an awesome event where we played the cashflow game at downtown location (25 Telegram Mews) Spadina and Front Area. Thanks to Randy Ramadhin for the location.

We had a new group of participants who had not played the game so we got started at 7:00pm sharp and didn't take long for deals to start happening!  Jim Pagiamtzis and Carmela Niro had the first deal for a 4-plex which we took and put ourselves in a big negative hole for few rounds. It didn't take long for the rest of the teams to have some great deals come there way.

Within a few roles of the dice, Carmela and I had sold our 4-plex and made a $40.000 profit!  Everyone was really impressed. I took a page out Randy Ramadhin book on "risk adversity".

As the game progressed the rest of the teams quickly came across deals that created the momentum for lots of  educational learning for this session.

Time was running out when I picked up a card for a big deal which not only got Carmela and I out of the game but also the rest of the teams also!

What a way to finish the game!

We wrapped up the night with some testimonial videos below:

Carmela Niro and Elnaz
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 Jim Pagiamtzis and Randy Ramadhin post interview
  http://socialcam.com/v/3knHt3wy


Randy Ramadhin and Jim Pagiamtzis are inspired entrepreneur, authors who want to share the game with others to created financial knowledge for everyone who wants it

Jim Pagiamtzis promo video of event:
http://socialcam.com/v/0ZhTsG50

Castle of Families
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Castles-for-Families/143777208991324

For future events check out
http://www.getconnectedmakewealthhappen.com/members.php?uri=get-connected-make-wealth-happen-book

Creating win-win environments





It’s the 21st century and everyone wants to win. In a recent 2 day personal mastery session I got my own lesson on creating win-win environments. I will not reveal the specifics of the game but there is great game called red/black that I participated in. 

As the facilitator began the event she began to explain the importance in building relationship and understanding yourself in the process. How you can communicate and bring values and ideas that work.
As the day continued in her teaching we all were listening to her instructions and were under the impression we could execute the game. When we actually played the game  it was entire different situation. The reason I am sharing this example is to explain that  we do life a certain way and for the most part it works. What we don’t realize is that areas we don’t do well that we may not realize that we are! 

This will affect the situation as to created strategic and value added long term relationships with contacts in our network.  Going through  process of continued learning is important for an abilities to mature and create new learning pathways.


 When I have a meeting with a potential joint venture partner I always so “ I would like to create a win-win situation do you agree?”  majority of the time they say yes and we get started with a plan on how to achieve it. Two factors to consider:

1st  Make sure that there is strategic value that can be shared and implemented. This is by getting everything on pep and paper or on you iPad. Then  follow-through until it gets completed.

2nd  Accountability throughout the process they you are both delivering on your commitments and the win-win situation is happening. If there is no accountability then integrity and many other factors can be affected.

Creating in a win-win situation is great way to succeed in the 21st century, the act you being able to work together to achieve a specific goals gives both partners confidence and allows their unique abilities to combined and create successful result.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Small Business Week 3 eventst this week Oct 16-18

It was busy week of  connecting, networking and learning. From the Small Business Forum that was held at the Metro Convention Center (Tuesday). Pre-launch of the Market Crash Test on  (Wednesday) with Justin McMakin to speaking with Bonnie Chan at the Power Expo in Scarborough.

It was great to meet up with entrepreneurs I had not seen due to my busy speaking schedule. Huge thanks to  Jacque Berge, Brett Deguire, Bonnie Chan, Justin McMaking and his crew, Mike Acbaral who came I saw 4 times in less than week! We had a great coffee on Friday morning to make it the easy five.

Below are some videos and pictures from the events

Enjoy!

Small Business Forum: (Oct 16th)

Dany Reiss CEO of Canada Goose sharing insight on Business,Life and Success for his keynote



                                          Dani Reis part 1 of Keynote



                                         Dani Reis Part 2 of keynote

                                   
Marketing Crash Test at Peridot Resto Lounge: (Oct 17th)


                                            Leah M. Wilson and Justin McMaking recaping the evening
                                       
                                                     Leah M. Wilson and Jim Pagiamtzis

                                                   Leah M. Wilson and Justin McMakin

For more information our amazing event on November 17th  got to
http://tmw.to/members.php?uri=the-spirit-of-prosperous-business&viewpage=4

     Power Expo event in Scarborough (Oct 18th)  
                                                    Jim Pagiamtzis and Carolyn Dickinson

                                                     James Burgess and Jim Pagiamtzis
                                                    Bonnie Chan, Jim Pagiamtzis and Doina Oncel


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Book review: The Financial Fitness Blueprint by Courtney Carroll




 

1st

 It has been great experience to connect and learn from Courtney Carroll. We had spend all 2011 meeting every Sunday in a mastermind group and to be part of the journey on listening and learning as the book began to take shape.

2nd

The Rules of Money

Over the years I have learned to work, not harder, but smarter- which provides a much better return. I have learned to follow the rules of money laid down by those have gone down this path before. I will share these rules with you in the hope you will adopt them and put your financial affairs in order.

Rule number one:
Pay yourself first! Money comes quickly and easily to the person who commits to putting aside a minimum of 1/10 of their earning for future wealth. The more money you put away, the more you will able to attract into your life. So develop the habit of saving at least 10% of what you earn.

Rule number two:

Reduce your expenses!  If you are going to win the money game, you must reduce your expenses and live on no more than 90% of your monthly earnings. If you adopt this rule early enough in your life you should be able to retire in comfort. For those who want to ensure financial security, I  would suggest living on no more than 80% of what  you  earn. This will ensure that will have at least 20% of your income to grow your wealth. For the looking to make a significant impact on society, living on 75%  of their  income and donating 5% to bless others will bring huge rewards.

Rule number three:

Put your money to work!  Money does not eat, drink, sleep, or get tired. It is willing slave that will work tirelessly for you. You will find your money doubles over time if invested properly. So find suitable employment for your cash so it can work at making your more money.

Rule number four:

Protect your money!  Invest  in business you are familiar with. I have heard it said that the truly wealthy hate to lose money. That should be on the case for everyone, regardless of financial position, but unfortunately it is not. Your money will stay in your control if you are careful how it's handled. Capital preservation is more important that the hope of capital appreciation. A wise man will do his homework and and take  advice for those who who have successfully managed their own finances  in order not to jeopardize his capital. He will learn about a particular business by surrounding himself with people knowledgeable in that field and skilled in the handling of money. Protect your hard-earned dollars by knowing your business.

Rule number five:

Singles are better than home runs! Don't chase fancy investments that promise unrealistic returns on your money. Exercise caution, and remember that wealth is created over time- there is no magic pill. there are lots of tricksters plotting to take your money. So look for reasonable and consistent gains on your money over time, because in this ball game singles are better than homeruns.


3rd

 Chapter 10 discussed the importance of Business Ownership.  Sharing resources from book from Robert Kiyosaki and many others. Learning the advantages and lessons on what you can do owning a business.


Courtney Carroll autographs his books at Optrack Conference


Pillars of  Corporate Financial Fitness
http://youtu.be/X7vypkQI4Xk



Monday, October 15, 2012

My Journey to meeting Ed Robertson at the Exposure Show


On Sunday Oct 14th,2012 I attended to Exposure Show being held to International Centre to do some research on new DSLR camera and to meeting a celebrity!


 Two parrots posing
Lizard showing some tongue!
                                                 

Highlight of the day was meeting Ed Robertson below:
    Moral of the story: Attend events that interest you and learn more about areas that you want to learn more about by asking questions and gathering material. You may meet some famous people in your journey!                              

My finest 15 minutes: How to become a networking success


I have been sharing the first chapter of my book for many years "How to become a Networking Success" using the P-A-R system. Tom Kaufmann gave me 15 minutes at his Art of Cold Calling event at Enterprise Toronto this past Wednesday to share networking strategies that work!


                                             Jim Pagiamtzis sharing the P-A-R system
                                           












Saturday, October 13, 2012

Journey to be on CityTv


 My friends tell me that I am everywhere! Well if that's the case then I should appear on Citytv before the end of the year. Perhaps the morning show or join at one of my events!  Join me in my campaign to get on Citytv. Email, tweet and let see what happens!

                                                    Jim Pagiamtzis at Herbie Fund day at Yonge an Dundas

                                                   Citytv Truck at project water



I have lots of topics to share:
-Talk about my books Get Connected Make Wealth Happen or Spotlight on Success
-Social Media
- Power of Blogging
- Journey of Entrepreneur and much more

  Email or tweet them and assist me get on Citytv before December 31st!
  twitter: @KevinFrankish @DinaPugliese @JennValentyne @FrankFerragine

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Getting Started with Constant Contact Email Marketing on Oct 23rd

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

Getting Started with Constant Contact Email Marketing

New to Email Marketing?  Want to learn how to use Constant Contact? We'll show you!
Jim Pagiamtzis will present this live, guided demonstration on the tools and features inside Constant Contact’s email marketing system. In this time-efficient, highly practical 1 1/2 hr session, you will learn the basics so you can get going with your own email marketing, including:
·         Setting up your Constant Contact account
·         Creating an email campaign and editing a template
·         Branding your emails with your logo, colors and photos
·         Creating content that people want to receive and read
·         Importing your email list into your constant database
·         Getting new subscribers by adding sign-up boxes to your website and emails
·         Tracking and interpreting your results

It's a relaxed, friendly educational session — bring your questions!
Is this seminar right for you? This two-hour seminar is suitable for anyone new to Constant Contact , or who just wants a hand learning how to use our products. Some general knowledge of email marketing practices and concepts may be helpful.




__________________________


TORONTO:  Getting Started with Email Marketing

Tuesday, October 23 - 9:00am - 11:00am

Centre for Social Innovation (Annex),

720 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON M5S 2R4
Cost: FREE

MORNING EVENT! 

Come and learn the basics of starting an Email Marketing Campaign using Constant Contact. Learn key strategies and effective marketing initiatives that work!

Learn how to put together an Email Marketing campaign in less than 90 minutes:
- How to upload information
- How to use videos, links and much more
- Marketing strategies and initiatives that create interest and momentum

All attendees will receive a Getting Started with Email Marketing Guide!

Get Branded! at CSI Toronto


                                                      Jacques Berge sharing the outline for the evening


 It was an amazing evening at CSI in Toronto where we held a Get Branded! evening. We had videographer on site who was available to do our video to be used for our portfolio or website.

 I shared 3 Keys  to Email Marketing using Constant Contact and then we discussed the art of 1 minute informercial and gave some feedback and comments on how to improve and make them more effective.

 Few us participated in a doing a video to promote our service and website offerings. This was  provided by  Andrew Sorsdahl from Prehistoric Productions.



                                           Audience listening to instructions from Jacque Berge




                                      
                                        Jim Pagiamtzis interviewing Jack Berge on what was completed



Look forward to having a Get Branded event in 2013! If you interested in learning more details about his event email jim@pagiamtzis.com






Tuesday, October 9, 2012

My Journey to meeting Chef John


                                         Jim Pagiamtzis and Chef Anthony at Fish Street


 Recently had the opportunity to meet with Chef John D'Ambrosio who will be opening the Fish Street location in the Yonge and Eglinton in mid-October.



                                           Madlen Satz and Chef Anthony at Fish Street


 Madlen Satz has been a huge fan in sharing and forwarding my messages on Face book and Twitter for the last few years. For that I am very thankfull and appreciative.

 Recently Madlen Satz referred me to Chef Anthony and we sat down to learn more about his new store and vision of his business.

I have brought in Marc Gordon (speaker ,consultant) who owns Fourword Media. He will be assisting in providing online and offline branding for Fish Street



Grand opening date will be announced soon!
Website will be launched soon!

Book review: Decisions by Jim Treliving

                                                       

 

Few weeks ago had great opportunity to meet Jim Treliving at the Dragons' Den event at CBC Building in Toronto. They were promoting their 7 season of the show.

 Reading his current book Decisions I gained great insights into his success and how making key decisions, networking and believing in his partners created long lasting business success.

1st
 Learning about how Jim Treliving came across the Boston Pizza opportunity was very interesting and how that decision changed his life. The most amusing part is that the first Boston Pizza was owned by a Greek!

2nd
The law of attraction in action. Jim Treliving must has been a money magnet. There are some great business stories on how he attracted money when he was in dire situations. The Coke and Pespsi story was funny and inspiring to read

3rd
The ability to surround yourself with great people was an ability the Jim Treliving shares throughout the book. From his family, business partners and interesting connections he made along the way on planes and many unique places.

4th
The power of networking and how to learn from it. Below is an expert that describes this.

"Mostly, I've discovered that playing golf  is the best way to get to know and understand people, from partners to prospective clients and investors. I do a lot of my business on the golf course, and because I do business in several cities and countries, I belong to a lot of golf clubs. And I'll let you in a little secret: It's not about the golf. It's about the connections

An average game is four hours, and four hours is often enough time to spend with someone to enable you to make  informed decisions about them, to get a real gut sense about the kind of person they are. And it's not through a long conversation. Words tell me next to nothing about a person. Watching how the person plays golf gives me a intimate look at how they make decisions. That's what I need to know. Not where they went to school, or how their kids are doing, or what they think of the current administration. Opinions don't tell you much about a person because opinions change. Character's pretty consistent. How people make decisions is a part of character.

Playing golf with a person, you find out what they're like under stress. You see how they deal with disappointment. You find out what they're like when they're thinking, deliberating. You see how long it takes for them to make a decision and whether they second-guess themselves. You get to see the whole person. When they win, do they gloat or are they gracious? Rational? Careful? Too careful? And most important, if they make the wrong decisions,how do they react? Are they good sports about it? Or do they pick up the ball and go home in a snit? Do they wrap their club around the tree when they miss a short or when they hit over par? You need to know these things before hiring someone. partnering with them,  handing them a franchise, a cheque or the reins of your company. And where else do you get a four-hour stretch to do that? I"ll tell you something: I never been wrong about someone I've played golf with.



5th GPS is your guide, but not always your teacher.

" Here's the thing I've come to believe about decisions: 99% of the time, my first decision is my best decision. The rest of the time I'm recalculating. It's like a GPS system: Although the destination doesn't change, how I get there. the path I take,will always change. You start the car and plug in the address. The GPS can guide you to your destination, but it doesn't know about construction, detours, traffic jams and unexpected weather. At every such holdup, you have to make a decision. Go left or right? Keep going forward or turn the car around and backtrack? Pull over and wait out the storm? Just like with business, you're always recalculating. Your destination,your goal, the 18th hole,isn't going to change. But your route to get there does."

You can see Jim Treliving and the rest of the Dragons on CBC on Wednesday evening.
http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/