Wayne Braid, The Scrivener, Winter 2013

Welcome to this issue of The Scrivener.

Our Cover Story features Rudy Nielsen, a larger-than-life personality with larger-than-life companies—the NIHO Land and Cattle Company, the Landcor Data Corporation, and LandQuest Realty Corp.

I first met Rudy in the late 1960s when we worked together in the northwest part of British Columbia. The firm we worked for—an investment group called Northern Securities Ltd.— owned real estate offices,  insurance offices, movie theatres, golf courses, and travel agencies and did some land developing and residential home construction.

The idea for the formation of Northern Securities had come from a couple of local businessmen who went out and enlisted a number of very successful logging contractors to invest in the idea of a diversified portfolio of small companies in those various fields.

The company had holdings and offices all over the north west including Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, the Hazeltons, Smithers, Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Prince George, and McBride. They also owned a restaurant on Hornby Street in Vancouver called The Red Fox.

Rudy was brought in to run the real estate company; I was brought in to run the insurance part of the operation as the Terrace insurance manager. We were both in our 20s and very eager to be part of the business community and to help make the venture successful for our owners.

I remember I was struck by Rudy’s tenacity and vision. I also recall he told all the real estate salesmen, “I will never ask you to do anything, try to sell anything, or list any property that I haven’t looked at or that I haven’t researched.”

We worked hard and also played hard. On Wednesday nights at the Thornhill Golf course that was owned by our company, we would gather and play golf. Following our golf game, we would enjoy dinner, then have a few drinks and play a dice game we called “liar dice.” Rudy was always so competitive. Most nights, he would go home with our money.

Rudy is the type of guy that whatever he turns his hand to, he wants to be number one, even if it is a simple game of golf, a game of cards, or dice!

Many BC Notaries use Landcor Data Corporation’s various products. When assisting a client with a private (residential) purchase, many Notaries will use one or more of Landcor’s Appraisal products. The use of Rudy’s products provides assurance to the purchasers that they are obtaining value for their money.

The Fraud products available through Landcor solutions are also invaluable for private purchasers. Reports can be developed for Notaries’ clients within hours, not days, and the information generated is always accurate and dependable.

I know when Rudy created Landcor, he had a vision of using accurate data from BC Assessment plus data from many other sources and you will see the numerous analytic products available. If you don’t see what you are looking for, all you need to do is call Rudy and he will put something together for you!

www.landcor.com

Landcor recognized there was a need for a fast, accurate system of valuating and analyzing properties without physically having to inspect each and every one; its direction was aimed at filling that void.

Today, Landcor is building the best source of real estate data and analytic tools available on the Internet. It acquires comprehensive, accurate, and current information and develops sophisticated programs to allow a wide range of users to use the data to make swift and reliable real estate decisions.

Landcor’s analytical tools have been developed and tested over a 3-year period by a multidisciplinary team including the following:

Urban land economists
Appraisers
Experts in statistical analysis
Real estate consultants
Software developers
Academics
Website designers

Rudy has contributed to the British Columbia Real Estate Industry in a significant way. I am certain we have not heard the last of Rudy Nielsen and his ideas for the development of data and information for BC real estate and economics. Ever since the day I met Rudy over 40 years ago, his mind has always been at work on the next useful development and product.

The only other advice I have for our readers is Don’t play cards or dice with Rudy!

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