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About Tanya Bakanova
Tanya has an extensive legal background as she has obtained a degree in Paralegal studies from SAIT and studied an International Law to become a lawyer. She switched her focus towards Real Estate industry to pursue her other main strengths - effective communication, negotiation and great people skills. In today's popular condominium market it's important to have a knowledgeable professional guiding you through the condo transaction. Tanya provides valuable support as she has met the professional and educational requirements and was awarded by the Calgary Real Estate Board the designation of a Certified Condominium Specialist. Besides being fluent in English, Tanya also proudly serves the Russian community of Calgary as a Russian REALTOR®. Tanya's natural drive to perfection, attention to detail and great attitude complete her already valuable service package.
The owners of rhinorealty
began their real estate careers in 1999 as traditional agents. Shortly thereafter, it became apparent to them that the majority of home owners wishing to sell their properties considered the prevailing commission rates too high for the services they were receiving. Unfortunately, these same home owners also felt there was very little they could do about it as access to the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) was controlled by REALTORS®. Through discussions with their clients and some local market research, it became clear to them that the demand for a lower priced MLS® option was indeed quite strong and that home owners would welcome the savings provided they could sell at market value.
The definition of Market Value is,
as defined by the Courts, "The highest price estimate, in terms of money which a property will bring if exposed for sale in the open market allowing reasonable time to find a buyer who purchases it with knowledge of the uses to which it is adapted and for which it is capable of being used."
So, it became a question of exposure. Could a lower priced MLS® option, from a small discount brokerage, offer home owners the same exposure of their properties as did the large traditional brokerages? The answer was yes.
The reason why was simply, the internet.
Prior to the internet, home buyers were entirely dependent upon their REALTOR® to inform them of, and show them properties for sale. REALTORS® worked with catalogues that resembled phone books and the information on homes for sale through the MLS® was not shared with the public. Then came the internet, and more specifically mls.ca (now realtor.ca), which handed the power of house hunting directly to the buyers. More importantly however, it provided equal exposure of all homes to the marketplace regardless of the listing brokerage.
Hence, throughout the latter half of 2000,
all the work, licensing and preparations of starting a real estate brokerage were tackled and in January of 2001 we listed our first house in Calgary. Since that time, we have sold over 700 homes (and counting), an impressively high number when you consider that prior to 2009, we operated primarily as a two person brokerage. On a per agent basis, no traditional brokerage even comes close to the average annual home sales we have achieved over the past decade.
Also, in that same time frame,
we have helped our clients save millions dollars in real estate fees when compared to a commission of 7% on the first $100,000 plus 3% on the balance of sale price of your home. Although rates can vary, this is a common real estate commission charged by traditional brokerages in Calgary and surrounding area.
In addition to selling homes,
we also work with buyers and have helped hundreds of clients find that perfect place to call home. Recently, changes to the Real Estate Act now allow licensed REALTORS® to pay cash incentives to non-licensed individuals. As such rhinorealty has led the way in offering cashback incentives to home buyers. We were the first real estate brokerage in Calgary to offer a brokerage wide cashback program for buyers. To date, not a single traditional brokerage in Calgary offers such a program.
Tanya Bakanova & rhinorealty,
as a full service real estate brokerage we offer both sellers and buyers an innovative and cost effective solution to real estate transactions. Free of the many costs a traditional agent must incur, Tanya is able to provide a superior level of real estate service and pass significant savings on to her clients. Also, in addition to our attractive rates for home sellers we offer helpful cashback rewards to home buyers. By using the efficiencies of the internet, Tanya Bakanova & rhinorealty will save you thousands without compromising on service. So remember, whether you're buying, selling or both… it pays to be a rhino!
