This is great news from the Canadian Real Estate Association. It is a free download from the iTunes store and also works (though is not as good) on your iPad. The best part is the GPS so it can be used on the move when you are sitting in from of a property to get the REALTOR.ca information.

Ottawa, ON – December 21, 2010 – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) today released its REALTOR.ca app for the Apple® iPhone®. REALTOR.ca is the most visited real estate website in Canada, listing on average some 350,000 properties at any time.

“This free application brings Apple iPhone users the features and functionality of the REALTOR.ca website, as well as some interesting device-specific features” said CREA president Georges Pahud. “Consumers today expect portable information and REALTORS® across Canada are happy to be providing this service.”

The free REALTOR.ca app is provided at no cost to consumers by Canada’s 100,000 REALTORS® and more than 100 real estate Boards and Associations.

The app provides users with the features and functionality of REALTOR.ca and takes advantage of Apple iPhone device features, such as:

•Using the handheld’s GPS technology:
◦Properties Near Me – get up-to-date property information, photos and driving directions;
◦New Listings Near Me – recent listings in the area you’re visiting;
◦Open Houses Near Me – find open houses near your present location;
◦My Agent – Contact either your agent(s), or the listing agent for more information about a specific property;
◦Property Search – Search for houses and properties across Canada, and connect with REALTORS® to view, buy or sell a property;
◦Personalized settings allowing the user to set default language, unit of measure, how properties are displayed, and search radius for “Near Me” searches;
◦Interactive BING mapping is embedded to allow focus on specific neighbourhoods; 
◦Scheduled Open Houses can be added to the device’s calendar.

“When considering one of life’s biggest financial transactions, easily accessible, detailed information about homes and neighbourhoods, as well as access to REALTORS®, helps people make well-informed decisions” stated Pahud.

With the addition of the Apple iPhone app, REALTOR.ca is now available for two of the most popular handheld device operating systems, as the Windows Phone 7® version was released in November. A BlackBerry app will be released in February 2011.

A setup guide has been posted online at www.crea.ca.

CREA is one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade associations, representing more than 100,000 REALTORS® working through more than 100 real estate Boards and Associations. CREA owns and operates the REALTOR.ca website, Canada’s most visited real estate resource for property buyers.

Could we live in less space? Could we live in multiple locations at different times of the year by selling the larger home. Of course…but the enormity of the job ahead  hits with major depression and the reality is that Downsizing Sucks!

I thought I would give you some ideas from my home-selling experience that might help you deal with some of the challenges of this new adventure: Downsizing with grace and style.

When I start showing  smaller properties to those downsizing, I watch their faces trying to imagine their new lifestyle in terms of their existing furniture, art, entertainment options, cooking, etc….I can see that they are taking all their possessions and mentally cramming them in to tighter spaces. Don’t even try! It will never ever work.

Keep what you must but start looking at apartment-sized furniture. Most clients go wrong by not differentiating full size and apartment size furniture when they decorate. A couple of times I’ve suggested to small space Sellers that we replace existing furniture with more advantageous sized staging and to their credit, they did at great benefit to them.

The issue is the same: When downsizing, try to visualize the smaller space with smaller scale minimalistic accouterments. Start looking at Magazines, TV Shows and web sites that focus on “Living in Smaller Spaces” at HGTV.

It is amazing what you can do….visit the IKEA store or web site and look at what their designers do in managing space. I’ve been told by my friend and colleague Darcy Burkholder that IKEA now features their staged designer rooms with the square footage noted… to help you grasp the reality of smaller spaces and what can be put in them. A great idea!

Start fresh, reinvent yourself, create a new look, change styles…make it a fun project and approach the next step of your life as a challenge. Don’t focus on what you are leaving but on where you are going and the new lifestyle you can create there. You may be very surprised!

More to come but feel free to leave your thoughts and comments!

Related Posts:

Real Estate: Downsizing with Style and Grace: Post Two

Real Estate: Downsizing with Style and Grace: Part Three