Business Watch

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This article was published 19/03/2015 (4075 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ComFree now on MLS

COMFREE believes it now has an important new weapon in its battle to convince more Manitoba homeowners to sell their homes privately — the ability to have their property listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

“Our customers have been asking for this for a long time. They wanted the option of having the ability to list their properties on the MLS system or Realtor.ca,” said Kim Ewchuk, a licensed real estate representative and general manager of Manitoba’s ComFree Commonsense Network.

“So we anticipate that there will be a significant increase in our business because of that.”

ComFree couldn’t offer that before because it was a private sales agent, rather than a registered real estate broker. But that changed recently when the Manitoba Securities Commission approved its broker licence.

In addition to being able to offer the MLS option, ComFree’s licensed brokers can also now offer clients comparisons of how similar properties are priced, advice on how to price their property and help with the legal document process — things they also weren’t allowed to do as private sales agents.

Ewchuk said the ComFree Commonsense Network became a licensed real estate broker about two years ago in Ontario and Alberta and saw an increase in business volumes.

“That’s why we chose to do that here in Manitoba, as well,” she added.

The big difference between ComFree and most other registered real estate brokers is it charges a flat fee, rather than a sales commission based on the sale price of the property.

 

Power Corp. earnings up

MONTREAL — Power Corporation of Canada has reported a year-over-year increase in both net and operating earnings in the fourth quarter.

The Montreal-based holding company focused on financial services and other sectors said Wednesday net income attributable to shareholders in the three months ended Dec. 31 rose to $369 million or 80 cents per share from $300 million or 65 cents in the same 2013 period. Operating earnings were $340 million or 74 cents, up from $218 million or 47 cents.

For the full year, net earnings were up $1.275 billion or $2.77 per share, up from $977 million or $2.12 per share for all of 2013.

In addition to its holdings in Great-West Life and Investors Group, Power Financial also holds a 50 per cent increase in Parjointco N.V., which in turn has about a 55.6 per cent equity interest in Pargesa Holding SA.

Great-West’s contribution to Power Financial’s operating earnings for the quarter totalled $442 million, up from $330 million a year ago, while Investors Group’s contribution amounted to $122 million, up from $115 million.

 

— staff / The Canadian Press