HGTV: Associates Star on Hit Shows
RE/MAX Associates have taken HGTV by storm becoming go-to experts for various hit shows on the popular cable television network.
Agent vs. Agent, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
When Les and Chris Sohar went head to head on HGTV Canada's controversial "Agent vs. Agent," it was husband against wife. The Hall of Fame members with RE/MAX Realty Enterprises competed to work with first-time buyers Catherine and Raj. An online episode description reads: "Will [the buyers] be drawn to Chris' sweet homey style, or will Les' systematic approach be more their style? One thing's for sure – Chris and Les are eager to settle, once and for all, which one is the better [agent]. Will their marriage survive?" Les Sohar is glad he won, but "looking for a rematch to solidify my position." Chris Sohar on the other hand wants a chance to prove her sales superiority. "I really want a rematch to show Les (and everyone else) that I am the better agent." Watch this promo video.
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CREA has been successful in its efforts to have Realtor vs. Realtor, a Canadian real estate reality TV series, pulled from the air. CREA took issue with the unauthorized use of its Realtor trademark in the series’ title and threatened legal action if the program continued to broadcast.
In October, HGTV quietly removed Realtor vs. Realtor from its Wednesday night timeslot, as well as from its website, after only a handful of the 13 planned episodes had aired. The broadcaster and its parent company, CanWest, are now negotiating a settlement with CREA.
“The series is not currently on our schedule,” says Jaclyn Atwood, senior publicist for HGTV. Stating that “until a settlement has been reached, it’s inappropriate for us to comment on any other information regarding the series,” Atwood declined to share any further details, or to confirm if the series would return to HGTV’s schedule at a later date under a new name.
HGTV had promoted the program as “the ultimate real estate challenge show, where two top-notch real estate agents face-off to find desperate home buyers the house of their dreams…They have diametrically different styles but both real estate agents share one thing in common – they’re both intensively competitive. Realtor vs. Realtor follows them as they go head to head to sell houses and earn the commission that comes with it…”
CREA was unhappy with the way ads for the series were visually portraying Realtors – as battered combatants, complete with blackened eyes and boxing gloves.
CREA lawyer Bill Harrington, in a memo to members detailing the association’s concerns, said, “This show is intended to appeal to the basest of viewer instincts by glorifying disreputable behaviour on the part of real estate agents…conduct that violates the spirit and likely the letter of the Realtor Code.”
Harrington added, “Not only is the value of the trademark diminished by this type of broadcast, it harms the reputation and public standing, if not the livelihood, of hard-working Realtors, who pride themselves in offering professional real estate services that comply with the highest ethical and professional standards.”
CREA sent HGTV a “cease and desist” letter in September, advising the broadcaster that, if they didn’t stop airing the series, CREA intended to immediately commence legal action and seek an interim injunction. HGTV agreed to pull the program and to seek a resolution with CREA.
Two of the Realtors who were featured on Realtor vs. Realtor don’t share CREA’s concerns about the series.
Chris and Les Sohar of Re/Max Realty Enterprises in Mississauga, Ont. competed for a sale on the October 14th program. The episode began with Chris and Les making individual listing presentations to a couple who were looking to buy a home. Each of the Sohars then took the couple to a number of showings; Les ended up making the sale. Their competitive natures were the focal point of the program – in a good-natured way, they made it clear how much winning the sale meant to each of them.
When asked if the show should come back on the air if it keeps its same focus on competitiveness, they both responded positively, as long as that competitiveness is portrayed in a realistic way.
“If you’re looking for two Realtors to battle it out, to fight it out in a negative way, then I would say no; if you’re looking for good, competitive behaviour, which is really what we all do every single day, I’d say sure, absolutely,” says Les.
“I think you can certainly show the competitiveness with agents in the real world, without making it look negative,” Chris says.
The Sohars enjoyed their experience and praised the production team. “They did a really good job representing us,” says Chris. “I really have nothing bad to say about the whole process,” adding that she would go on another episode “in a heartbeat” if the series does come back on the air. – Kathy Bevan
Mini's big Canadian birthday bash
Celebrating 50 years of British motoring
Photo: Mini
When most people turn 50, their thoughts might turn to early retirement, golf courses and can you believe what those gosh-darned kids are wearing these days? Since its reintroduction in North America in 2002, Mini has been the hip, young, cool brand, with hip, young, cool owners - or at least young at heart. So when Mini celebrates its 50th birthday, we get parties, DJs, thumping music and break dancing.
Owing to the youthful push, there's even a celebratory 50th-anniversary song, and a documentary called Rebel Without Pause to view on the official Mini YouTube site.
Mini's global birthday celebration was back in May at the company's headquarters in Oxford, UK, where there were thousands of participants on hand. In Canada, one of the brand's celebrations took place in Toronto in late August at Polson Pier on Lake Ontario, where the company arranged a number of events. According to Mini Canada, over 1,200 enthusiasts showed up with over 500 Minis of every vintage and flavour, a record-setting number.
For Mini enthusiasts across Canada, there were already similar events in Montreal earlier this summer, and Vancouver around the same time as the Toronto shindig.
Photo: Mark Atkinson
Father and son Anthony and Vito Sestito from Toronto bought their 2005 Cooper S after their original '72 Volkswagen Bug died and Vee-Dub's new Beetle just didn't cut it. "We were immediately attracted to the Mini," Anthony said. "It'll hold four people, it's comfortable... My wife likes to think it's her car, so we fight over the keys."
Mini also held a contest where five local dealerships were given free rein to customize current models however they saw fit. Despite some close competition from the Paul Smith-esque striped Cooper and the surfer-style Mini Clubman S complete with faux-wood paneling, the folks from Durham Mini were crowned the winners thanks to their Robocop-like Mini Cooper S JCW decked out like a stealth police cruiser.
Photo: Mark Atkinson
Some of the other displays, like the live mural spray-painting, were organized by local youth group The Remix Project. According to Mini Canada, it's "an organization that helps youth achieve their goals of working in creative and cultural industries," and more than $7,000 was raised through the on-site charity BBQ.
Other activities included free go-karting, a break-dancing display by local group Supernatural, and Mini Bingo, put on by the Southern Ontario Mini Club (SOMC). Once the sun went down, Polson Pier's drive-in screened the ultimate Mini movie, The Italian Job - albeit the 2003 remake.
Photo: Mark Atkinson
But the most entertaining had to be Mini owners talking to other Mini owners. Seeing an original Austin parked next to a BMW-designed Mini is shocking, but even though the two share nothing more than a name and a similar concept, there was plenty of love between owners of each. Some Minis were modified, others were left bone stock. Some had stickers, others had stuffed animals, and there was at least one Austin Powers spotted grinning lecherously out of a sunroof. One teenage girl walking with her family back to their car could be overheard asking, "Which one's ours?"
Photo: Mark Atkinson
Few new-Mini owners probably know the Mini's history. The car's father, Sir Alec Issigonis, brought his vision of economical transportation to the masses with the Austin Mini in 1959, a revolution in packaging and vehicle design. The fact that you could fit four people and luggage into such a small footprint was revolutionary and it helped popularize front-wheel drive. By the '60s, the Mini was hip and cool thanks to the Beatles and other Brit stars, and now featured sporty 'S' models created by John Cooper of Formula One fame. The Mini was a world-beater on track too, going up against the ridiculously large Ford Galaxies in British touring car racing, and winning the Monte Carlo Rally three years in a row.
Like the original Volkswagen Beetle, the first Mini continued in production in Britain until 2000 when it was finally retired to make way for the new Mini. When the 'new' Mini launched in 2001, it was 55 cm longer, 30 cm wider, and weighed nearly twice as much. But Mini fans have been smitten ever since. It took the 'new' Mini the same amount of time to sell one million vehicles as the original did way back when.
Photo: Mark Atkinson
Real estate agents Chris and Les Sohar from Waterdown, Ont. - who coincidentally have a series debuting on HGTV called Realtor vs. Realtor - said their new 2008 Cooper Convertible is "something just for us. At this stage of our lives, that's something we appreciate." They both love late-night drives with the top down, and have even featured their ride in the new television show.
German Riveros, who originally hails from Colombia, said his red 2002 Cooper is a car he'll hold onto for a while yet. "I love the design," he said. "It's fun to drive, and I still get plenty of looks!"
That doesn't sound like someone ready for retirement.
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