Upon further reflection, I could have chosen a shorter name for this series.

But how can you get the right message across if you’re overly-concerned with how a 14-word title will look on the home page?

Today, let me show you two more videos from my 2015 series, so I can head out and shoot Budweiser bottles in the woods with my neighbour.  Okay, I made that up.  But I’m sure just about anybody on the street would be up for that if I asked…

I hope you enjoyed Monday’s videos.

They weren’t bad for our first, second, and third attempts.

But as I began to learn how much I loved writing scripts, and saw how incredible my videographer’s finished product was, I decided our videos could get a little more visual.

For those of you that have been condo-shopping before, have you ever gone with your agent to see a “1-Bedroom-Plus-Den,” only to have absolutely no clue where the den was, or what the listing was referring to regarding this so-called “den?”

It’s a very common problem in real estate.

And the idea of the “Plus One” on MLS has allowed agents to abuse it, often suggesting that the space for a computer desk next to the kitchen is a “Plus One,” when in fact, the “Plus One” was always intended to be a den.

With freehold properties listed on MLS, the “+1” refers to bedrooms that are below grade.

So how come agents listing condos in Toronto use the +1 for whatever they damn please?

Even when it comes to a true “den” in a condo, like the one you’ll see below, they’re still pathetic.

I filmed this video in my own condo, in my own den, which has served zero purpose in the six years since we moved in.

I have a home office that I never, ever use, and there’s a chair nobody sits on, and a storage bench that would be more helpful if it were a storage unit.

So we cleared out all my worldly possessions, went really heavy on posters for the background (not to mention the $140 leisure-suit Halloween costume that I never used again…), and this was the result:

Another pet-peeve of mine, and you’ll start to notice a trend here in that all my videos are based on things in the real estate industry that irritate me, are the incessant radio commercials for real estate seminars.

“Make money flipping houses, with no experience.”

Come on, really?

Who the hell believes this crap?

“And use none of your own money!”

A fool and their money are soon parted, or so goes the saying.  And people who look for short-cuts and get-rick-quick schemes in life will never prosper.

When I first started in real estate in 2004, I attended a seminar by a well-known motivational speaker and real estate guru, and I learned absolutely nothing.  But the crowd was full of clapping morons who would have given a standing ovation to a turd placed in the middle of the stage.

So combining that experience, plus the idea of “making money flipping houses, with no experience, and using none of your own money,” plus a little assist from Tom Cruise’s character in the movie Magnolia, I put together a video simply called, “The Real Estate Seminar.”

This is the result:

I actually hired extras for this video.

But first, I sent out an email to all the rookie agents at Bosley Real Estate, and told them it was mandatory that they show up at 8:30am on a Saturday to be part of my video.

Half of the rookies showed up, three or four emailed me to apologize for being unavailable, and ask for my forgiveness, and two thought I was an arrogant asshole and just ignored me.

But we did meet an actor named Jared who we used again in two successive videos, and who I expect to see on TV one day…

It was probably the most fun of all the shoots.

We filmed the crowd reactions first, which gave me time to drink eight cups of coffee, develop real pit-stains, and dive full-bore into character, which I refused to drop.  Even between takes, I kept the voice going.  I’m no Daniel Day-Lewis, but I gave it my all.

These were a ton of fun, but I have three more on Friday which I think you’ll enjoy too!