REALinfo March/April 2017 by RAHB News

REAL info MARCH/APRIL | 2017

News and Resources for MEMBERS

FEATURE

Musings from RAHB CEO George O'Neill – page 2

MLS®/TECHNOLOGY

RAHB Matrix Update! – page 3

RAHB NEWS

RAHB dues deadline March 31, 2017 – Page 3 Milestones – Retirement – page 4 RAHB welcomes new members! – Page 4

MEMBER SERVICES

Professional development for REALTORS® – page 5 Upcoming office closures – page 5 REALTOR® CONNECTIONS 2017 – pages 6 and 7 Hamilton Economic Development incentive programs – page 8 Ethics Corner –Some tips and cautions for a hot market – page 9 Realty Shoppe – page 10 20th Annual Charity Golf Tournament – page 11 Government Relations – Call to Action! – page 12

SERVICES SPOTLIGHT

Professional Standards – page 13

CREA NEWS

Do you understand the real estate forms you are using? – page 14 Multiple offers and pre-emptive offers: new Registrar’s Bulletin – page 14 Introducing REALTOR.ca smart leads – page 15

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

What's coming up at RAHB – page 16

Justin

RAHB welcomes our 3,000th member! page

Empowering REALTORS® to Succeed

News and Resource for Members

MUSINGS from RAHB CEO George O'Neill Established in 1921, the REALTORS Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) represents more than 3,000 real estate brokers and salespersons from Hamilton, Burlington, and surrounding areas. Members of the association may use the REALTOR® trademark, which identifies them as real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics. The Association operates the local Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System and provides ongoing professional education courses for its members. In addition, RAHB is an active participant in the Home Ownership Affordability Partnership (HOAP) and holds an annual auction in support of local charities. Advertisements of local MLS® Property listings and information about the services provided by a REALTOR® can be found at www.REALTOR.ca. More information about RAHB is available at www.rahb.ca. ®

Mission Statement Empowering REALTORS® to succeed. President

Lou Piriano 905.628.6625 President-Elect

Jack Loft Immediate Past

Donna Bacher

905.304.3303 905.520.1946

Directors

Ann Forbes Arndt 905.574.3038 Nikola Bucalo 905.388.1110 Kathy Della-Nebbia 905.574.4600 Ralph Frisina 905.628.6625 Paul Hammond 905.335.8808 Diane Price 905.308.8333 Andrew Robertson 905.308.8333 Bob Van de Vrande 905.332.4111 Richard Weima 905.637.1700

REALinfo is published monthly by the REALTORS® Association of HamiltonBurlington (RAHB) 505 York Boulevard, Hamilton ON L8R 3K4 T.: 905.529.8101 F.: 905.529.4349 MLS® F.: 905.529.6636 Help Desk T.: 905.667.4650 Realty Shoppe: T.: 905.529.5979 F.: 905.529.7109 Email: info@rahb.ca Web site: www.rahb.ca Intranet site: www.realtorlink.ca Editor: Valerie Webster Editorial Assistant: Sheila Sferrazza Design: Maggie Inglis In-house Products: RAHB Print Services

MARCH | APRIL

REAL info

2017

In this issue of REALINFO we are focusing on an important RAHB member service: Professional Standards. RAHB is charged with running the organized real estate marketplace within the geographical boundaries of the Burlington, Hamilton and surrounding communities. To do that we focus on two areas: first, we manage the local Multiple Listing Service® System and, second, we define and enforce rules with the goal of ensuring the marketplace functions in an efficient and fair manner for all participants. Of course, those participants are mostly our members, but they also, more frequently, include REALTORS® from other areas who may work with a client or customer within our area. RAHB strives to hold our members to high professional standards. That means we expect you to abide by the rules for real estate trading found in REBBA 2002, as well as those in RAHB’s MLS® Rules and Regulations and Policies. We also expect you to uphold the Code of Ethics in REBBA 2002 as well as the CREA REALTOR® Code. Links to all those sources can be found on page 13 of this newsletter. RAHB has among its membership an overwhelming number of ethical, upstanding real estate professionals who do an exemplary job of helping buyers and sellers. We expect you are part of that group by demonstrating professionalism daily when working in a way that is both fair to fellow REALTORS® while working for your clients and customers. You help consumers with one of the largest, and often most emotional, transactions of their lives. What you do affects many people. Unfortunately, when something goes wrong and a member willingly or unwittingly ignores a rule or acts unethically, it can reflect negatively on all REALTORS®. This is where RAHB’s Professional Standards services apply. RAHB’s Professional Standards Committee exists to investigate allegations of wrong-doing on the part of a member. If you encounter a situation where a REALTOR® hasn’t followed the rules or has acted unethically, you should file a formal complaint with RAHB’s Professional Standards Committee. It is the only way that Committee can follow up and ensure that improper behavior is investigated and appropriate disciplinary action is taken. The process is outlined on page 13. It takes years to build a positive reputation, but only minutes to lose it. By helping the Professional Standards Committee fulfill its mandate, you can help ensure all members are upholding the high standards of the profession you deserve. Best regards,

News and Resource for Members

MLS®/TECHNOLOGY

RAHB Matrix Update!

On Friday, March 3, all members received an update about RAHB’s Matrix MLS® System from RAHB CEO George O’Neill. In his email, the Association CEO advised that the upgrade from Fusion to Matrix is on schedule, and a contract with ORTIS to share MLS® data should be finalized within the next 30-45 days. Once the contract is in place, 60 days will be required for CoreLogic to program an interface to facilitate data sharing between the regional Matrix system and RAHB’s Matrix system. Following consultation with the RAHB Board of Directors and Brokers of Record and Managers, it was decided the best course of action was to wait to launch Matrix until a data sharing contract and interface are in place. The advantage to waiting is that members will then have uninterrupted access to both RAHB and regional listings in the RAHB Matrix system. Watch for more details.

RAHB NEWS

RAHB dues deadline March 31, 2017 The quarterly RAHB dues have been billed and emailed to you as part of your February monthly invoice. Please note that dues are due and payable no later than March 31, 2017.

125.00 28.75 77.50 30.06 $ 261.31

FULL MEMBER – RAHB dues (April - June) – OREA dues (April - June) – CREA dues (April - June) – HST Total

75.00 28.75 77.50 23.56 $ 204.81 $

SENIOR MEMBER – RAHB dues (April - June) – OREA dues (April - June) – CREA dues (April - June) – HST Total

Acceptable methods of payment: In Person: VISA, MasterCard, Interac, Cash or Cheque By Phone: VISA or MasterCard Online through Fusion: VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, VISA Debit NEW Online: CIBC/PC Financial, Royal Bank, Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust – for assistance in set-up, please call Karin at 905.529.8101 x258.



Pre-Authorized payment subscribers will be processed on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

A reminder about notifying RAHB of terminations in your office

Brokerages are responsible for notifying RAHB when members in their office resign or leave. Notice must be received by RAHB within seven business days of the member leaving. If notice is delayed beyond the seven business days, the Brokerage will be assessed a penalty of $50 per incident. (RAHB Bylaw, Article 4, Section 1.02)

Print your RAHB invoices for your tax return Tax time is here! Here’s how to print off your RAHB invoice:  Log into the Fusion Homepage  In the Resource section, select “Smartlinks”  From the drop down menu, select “Education/Account Services”. This will open a new window.  Select “Print Members Statement”  Enter the date parameters of your choice. For example, if you want to create a copy of your 2016 invoices, you would enter a start date of 01/01/2016 and an end date of 12/31/2016  Select “Run statement, Print” ** If you get a printer error, go to “select a format” (found above the RAHB logo), select “Acrobat Adobe PDF”, “export”, “print”. **

TAX TIME MARCH | APRIL

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2017

News and Resource for Members

Milestones – Retirement Congratulations to Fred Amalfi (Right at Home Realty Inc.) on his recent retirement after 43 years of RAHB membership! The Association would like to recognize members who have recently retired after achieving 40+ consecutive years of RAHB membership. If you know of a member who should be recognized, please contact Camryn in Membership at camrynh@rahb.ca or 905.529.8101 x251.

RAHB welcomes new members! The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington extends a warm welcome to its newest members from January 24 to March 21, 2017!

Jennifer Hansen Apex Results Realty Inc. Sharon Caetano Bradbury Estate Realty Inc. Dale Murphy Century 21 Miller Real Estate Ltd. Khalid Bajwa Century 21 New Age Realty Inc. Nicola Caruso Ashlee McLean Coldwell Banker Community Professionals Ira Greenspoon Com/Choice Realty Sal Mohammad Alizadeh E. Homelife Professionals Realty Inc. Don Henderson Keller Williams Complete Realty Inc. Jamie Buckrell Sandra Naccarato Nicole Burns Karl Wulf Keller Williams Edge Realty Boby Singh Multani LEADEX Realty Inc. MARCH | APRIL

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Devin Todd Keller Raechel Roganowicz The Listing House Real Estate Brokerage Myka Wroblewski Mick Neale RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp. Dave Bartolacci Joshua Bennett Helen Cen Sarah Donnelly Zaya Oshana Kevin Wen Jessica Zimmer RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc. Victoria Fiore Scarlett Strati RE/MAX Escarpment Frank Realty Jacob Campagnaro RE/MAX Escarpment Lisa Weber Realty Inc. Samantha Sposato Rachael Hensen RE/MAX Garden City Realty Inc. Betsy Wang RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. Sonia Sandhu Right At Home Realty Inc.

Sabrina McCaig Olivia Rapson Angelika Zammit Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services Michael Hesson Royal LePage Macro Realty Glenn White Royal LePage Realty Plus Inc. Sal Difalco Royal LePage State Realty Rudy Carneiro Filomena Dias Oksana Holubiez Anabela Serra Royal LePage Supreme Realty Alex Irish Sotheby’s International Realty Canada Benjamin Clarke StreetCity Realty Inc. Visalinh Saythavy Stonemill Realty Inc.

News and Resource for Members

MEMBER SERVICES

Professional Development for REALTORS® What You Need to Know About Tarion – Amy Lewis

Master Open House – Amyn Chagan

Power of Sale – Lou Radomsky

Insurance Concerns for Buyers – Lou Radomsky

Friday, March 31, 2017 10 a.m. – Noon FREE

Thursday, April 13, 2017 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. $ 30+HST New Interactive Zoning Lookup Tool – Sue Rimac Wednesday, April 19, 2017 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. FREE

SRES® – Seniors Real Estate Specialist®

– Gareth Jones Monday, May 1 & Tuesday, May 2, 2017 (2-day course) 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. $ 325+HST

ABR® Accredited Buyer’s Representative – Gareth Jones

Monday, May 15 & Tuesday, May 16, 2017 (2-day course) 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $ 325+HST

iPad Agent – Amyn Chagan

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 9 a.m. – Noon $ 79+HST (Early Bird prior to May 10); $99+HST regular price

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. $ 79+HST (Early Bird prior to May 10); $99+HST regular price Friday, May 19, 2017 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. $ 30+HST

Agency – Practical Facts for Dealing with Buyers – Hugh Foy Monday, May 29, 2017 10 a.m. – Noon $ 30+HST

Tax and Estate Planning – Peter Bowen Lunch and Learn Workshop Monday, June 5, 2017 10 a.m. – Noon FREE

Successful Email Marketing – Mark Brodsky Monday, June 12, 2017 10 a.m. – Noon FREE

REIC 2600: Ethics and Business Practice – Mary Jones Monday, June 19, 2017 - Wednesday, June 21, 2017 (3-day course) 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $ 625+HST

All courses will be held in McCullough Room at the RAHB office (lower level). To register, or for more information, contact Angela at 905.529.8101 x233 or angelam@rahb.ca.

Upcoming office closures The RAHB office will be closed: Friday, April 14 for Good Friday Monday, May 22 for Victoria Day Monday, July 3 for Canada Day MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

REALTOR® CONNECTIONS 2017 – Highlights RAHB’s annual premier member event, REALTOR® CONNECTIONS AGM, Conference and Trade Show, was held Thursday, March 9, 2017 at the Grand Olympia Convention Centre!

Here’s a brief look back at the day: RAHB Annual General Meeting

 Justin Podmoroff of Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services joined RAHB in the fall of 2016 and became our 3,000th member. Justin received a gift basket and was recognized at the RAHB Annual General Meeting  MLS® Chair Nikola Bucalo discussed what the MLS® Committee accomplished last year and what is on its work plan for 2017  CEO George O’Neill provided an update on RAHB’s new Matrix MLS® System  Audit Committee Chair Bob van de Vrande presented the audited financial statements for 2016. Find the MLS® report and audited financial statement in the 2016 RAHB Annual Report here.

Knowledge Pods

Knowledge pods were divided into three streams - Professional, Technology and Commercial - and featured:  Rebecca Mountain: 3 Keys to Lead Generation  Mark Brodsky: 2017 Marketing Trends  Kelvin Kucey: RECO Update  Bruce McPherson: Real Estate and Drones  Sue Rimac: New Interactive Zoning Lookup Tool  Gregory Klump: CREA MLS® Home Price Index (HPI)  Lucie Brusse: What You Need to Know When Selling a Tenanted Property  John Davidson & Stephanie Mazhari: Update: Halton Region Economic Development

Trade Show

 44 suppliers of goods and services filled the Exhibit Hall and foyer  The Road to Success contest challenged those attending REALTOR® CONECTIONS to collect stickers from all 44 exhibitors. The prize: a $50 Pearl Hospitality Group gift card

Keynote

REALTOR® CONNECTIONS wound up with keynote speaker Stuart Knight’s motivational address on the Four Conversations for Success. Each member left with a reminder of the four conversations. Find the outline of Stuart’s presentation at http://bit.ly/foursuccess. Representatives of the Charity Auction Task Force collected donations to The Children’s Fund. Anyone who donated $100 was eligible for a draw for tickets to see Coldplay in August and all other donations were eligible for a draw for a $50 Pearl Group Hospitality Group. Representatives of the Charity Golf Tournament took early registrations for the annual charity golf tournament on May 18, 2017 at Beverly Golf & Country Club. Members who signed up MARCH | APRIL

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(continued on page 7)

News and Resource for Members (continued from page 6)

at REALTOR® CONNECTIONS went home with a little something to use in the tournament. Members of the Member Engagement Committee conducted an informal survey about member communications and helped direct members to the various activities and contests.

Winners!

Members who went home with prizes and gifts: Debora Agro (Royal LePage State Realty) – draw for 2018 RAHB dues

Dennis Tian (Apex Results Realty Inc.) – $50 gift card for the Pearl Hospitality Group (Road to Success contest) Penny MacKenzie (Keller Williams Edge Realty) – Tickets to Coldplay (Charity Auction Draw) Vicki Steele (Royal LePage Macro) – $50 gift card for the Pearl Hospitality Restaurant Group (Charity Auction Draw) Lily Cerminara-Clairmont (Re/Max Escarpment Realty Inc.) and Jeff Hewson (Century 21 Aberwin Realty Inc.) – Realty Shoppe Gift Baskets valued at $180 each

The Hamilton Spectator – Best Booth Award (for exhibitors)

MARCH | APRIL

Photo courtesy of REAL SERVICES PHOTOGRAPHY INC.

REAL info

2017

News and Resource for Members

Hamilton Economic Development incentive programs Did you know …. The City of Hamilton offers a number of financial incentives for property owners, developers and, in some cases, tenants to help offset costs of redevelopment, conversions and other improvements to brownfields, heritage structures, buildings and properties located within particular areas of the city.

The programs available are: Development Charges (offered exclusively in downtown Hamilton) Hamilton Downtown, Barton and Kenilworth Multi-Residential Property Investment Program  Barton and Kenilworth Rebate of some planning and building fees  Barton/Kenilworth Tax Increment Grant program  Barton/Kenilworth Commercial Corridor Building Improvement Grant program  Hamilton Tax Increment Grant program  Office Tenancy Assistance program  Commercial Corridor Housing Loan and Grant program  Commercial Property Improvement Grant program  Hamilton Heritage Property Grant Program  Hamilton Community Heritage Fund Loan program  BIA Commercial Property Improvement Grant program  

Hamilton also offers several environmental programs under the Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement (ERASE) Community Improvement Plan. These programs are designed to encourage and promote brownfield redevelopment. Most ERASE programs are available throughout the City of Hamilton. ERASE Redevelopment Grant (ERG) program Development Charge Reduction Option  ERASE Tax Assistance program  ERASE Municipal Acquisition and Partnership program  ERASE Study Grant program  LEED Grant program  Downtown Hamilton/West Harbourfront Remediation Loan program  

For complete details about these programs, check out Hamilton Economic Development’s website at www.investinhamilton.ca.

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

Ethics Corner – Some tips and cautions for a hot market Soliciting business by email

RAHB has lately been hearing from members that their sellers have been receiving random emails from other members offering their services.

Please remember that under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), you may not solicit business by sending emails to people who are not your clients if you do not have a previous relationship with them or do not have their consent to communicate with them.

Learn more about CASL guidelines in CREA’s flow chart at http://bit.ly/2m30YuP (via REALTOR Link®)

You can also find more detailed information about the CASL on CREA’s REALTOR Link® page – just go to REALTOR Link® > CREA > Resources and Compliance > Compliance Resources > Anti-Spam (CASL ).

Cold calling by telephone

With listings being as scarce as they are, you may be considering cold calling by telephone to solicit listings.

Before you call, make sure you know the Canada Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) rules about unsolicited calls and the national Do Not Call (DNC) list.  you

MUST verify the numbers you intend to call are not registered on the DNC list (and if they are, you may not call them)  there are specific requirements for telemarketers, which include real estate salespeople and brokers. Check out the requirements at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-283.htm Remember – there are penalties for initiating contact with a consumer whose name is on the Do Not Call list.

Offers in a hot market

It’s a hot market right now – with relatively few listings and high demand, members are reporting multiple offers in the double digits and prices being driven up as a result.

We have received a number of calls from frustrated RAHB members and buyers who report they have been in situations where the listing salesperson has either suggested a price for an offer – usually well above the listed price – or indicated their offer should be, for example, $10,000 higher than their original offer in order to be successful.

While it may appear the listing salesperson is being helpful, they are in fact disclosing information about offers already received for the property. To suggest an increase or a figure that should be offered discloses that there is already an offer that would be unsuccessful if the suggested amount was offered.

You are reminded that RAHB’s Rules and Regulations specifically state that members may not disclose any terms of any offer to anyone:

Section 12 – Trading Procedures, Sub-section 12.03 Under no circumstances may the terms of an Offer be disclosed to anyone other than the parties to the Offer or their authorized representatives. The Brokerage must not disclose these terms to its own salespeople, other Brokerages, or other prospects. An Offer is confidential document and must be treated as such.

Offering “helpful” advice about how much an offer needs to be to be successful is clearly contrary to the RAHB Rules and Regulations, and is unfair to the buyers whose offers are being used as bargaining tools.

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members ALL THINGS REALTOR®

READ for success! Pick up a good book from the Realty Shoppe!

REALTY SHOPPE SINCE 1992

REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington

Dialogues To Success by Michael Appleton

Language and systems designed to maximize your earning potential in residential real estate! Twenty years of extensive research compiled into one volume.

Foundations For Success by Stephen Silver

39.95 ea.*

Featuring an eight-week program to real estate success. This workbook outlines a path to help new agents become successful in the shortest time, and to help veterans in a slump get back to basics with a set plan and new skills.

35.00 ea.*

Put the Pen Down! by Mark Weisleder

19.04 ea.*

Real Estate Advertising Made Easy by Jamie Edwards & Mary Ellen Randall

Real Estate Salespeople, BEWARE! by Mark Weisleder

29.95 ea.*

24.00 ea.*

18.00 ea.*

What homebuyers, sellers and salespeople need to know before signing on the dotted line. The original “mix and match” real estate ad writer. Personal promotion – effective public relations and techniques – open houses for profit. Protect your clients – Increase your success on every deal!

19.04 ea.*

The Happy Agent by Ross Wilson

Find harmony with a thriving real estate career and an enriched personal life. Discover immediately implementable step-by-step marketing and presentation protocols, principled smart tools, and get answers to popular questions like how to transition from the low-production majority to the high-producer minority.

The Millionaire Mindset for Real Estate Agents by Richard Fournier

Learn how to rediscover your hidden potential, create your own success blueprint, use the goal setting strategies of the super-achievers and sustain a ‘millionaire mindset” with daily personal development tips. PLEASE NOTE: Final Sale policy in effect on all published books. REALTOR® CONNECTIONS 2017 Congratulations to the lucky winners of gift baskets from the Realty Shoppe.  Lily Cerminara-Clairmont

(Re/Max Escarpment Realty Inc. Brokerage – Winterberry Dr.)

Jeff Hewson  (Century 21 Aberwin Realty Inc.) MARCH | APRIL

REAL info

2017

Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. T.: 905.529.5979 F.: 905.529.7109 E.: realtyshoppe@rahb.ca * All applicable taxes are extra. Prices subject to change.

News and Resource for Members

nual Charit n A y 20 ou r n a m th

S i n c e

fT l o G

e nt

1 9 9 7

Thursday, May 18, 2017 Beverly Golf and Country Club 1211 2nd Concession Road West, Copetown, L0R 1J0

175

+ HST

All proceeds proudly supporting

Includes golf, cart, lunch, dinner, contests & more!

Tee off your golf season and register today: bit.ly/RAHBgolf17

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

Call to Action:

Lawyers can... Accountants can... Mortgage brokers can... REALTORS速 CAN'T. It's time to treat REALTORS速 fairly. It's time to permit Personal Real Estate Corporations in Ontario. ISSUE

Currently, Ontario real estate salespeople are prevented by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA), 2002 from incorporating their businesses through a personal real estate corporation (PREC).

ONTARIO LEGISLATION IS DISCRIMINATORY

Other regulated professions, including chartered accountants, lawyers, health professionals, social workers, mortgage brokers, insurance agents, architects and engineers, can all form personal corporations.

OTHER PROVINCES

Since 2008, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Nova Scotia have all moved to allow real estate salespeople to incorporate.

NO COMPROMISE TO CONSUMER PROTECTION

Real estate salespeople who form personal corporations will continue to be subject to all professional and ethical obligations under REBBA, 2002.

SOLUTION

OREA calls on the Ontario government to amend REBBA, 2002 to permit real estate salespeople to incorporate. Allowing personal real estate corporations will help REALTORS速 with their small businesses, level the playing field with other regulated professions and harmonize the practice with other provinces. MPP Todd Smith has reintroduced Bill 104, the Tax Fairness for Realtors Act, 2017, which is being co-sponsored by MPP Mike Colle and MPP Catherine Fife. The bill, if passed, would allow Ontario REALTORS速 to form personal real estate corporations (PRECs). Tell your MPP to support the Tax Fairness for Realtors Act, 2017. Take action now: http://www.realtortaxfairness.ca

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

SERVICES SPOTLIGHT

Professional Standards As a RAHB member, you are held to a high standard of professionalism. You have to abide by the regulations and Code of Ethics in REBBA 2002, the CREA REALTOR® Code and the RAHB MLS® Rules and Regulations and Policies. That’s a lot of regulation! It’s no surprise that, especially with the busy real estate market we have now, there are times when rules are forgotten and the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, which is the basis for the REALTOR® Code – gets a bit tarnished. When that happens, other members – and sometimes buyers and sellers - are affected. As everyone knows, just one bad experience with a REALTOR® will leave an impression with a buyer or seller that will be hard for every other REALTOR® to overcome. If you are in a situation where another member has acted contrary to what is required or expected of a real estate professional, you do have a remedy: you can make a formal complaint to RAHB or to RECO, depending on what occurred.

What’s the difference?

RAHB can deal only with complaints that are violations of RAHB’s MLS® Rules and Regulations or Policies, or those parts of the REALTOR® Code which do not have counterparts in REBBA 2002. If another member’s actions violate any regulation of REBBA 2002 or the Code of Ethics found in REBBA 2002, then only RECO can proceed with the complaint.

Why make a formal complaint?

Unlike just talking about what happened to you and/or your clients and customers over the water cooler and being upset about it, making a formal complaint can actually accomplish something. If it is a matter RAHB’s Professional Standards Committee can investigate, the member who violated rules and regulations, policies or the REALTOR® Code can be disciplined for his or her actions. In addition to the pain of paying a fine, there is also a lesson learned about what is appropriate – or not appropriate – behaviour. It is the same with complaints to RECO for violations of REBBA 2002 and the Code of Ethics – the member can be ordered to pay a fine or take additional courses that are relevant to the infraction. Everyone benefits when members’ improper behaviour is formally reported to RAHB or RECO: when unethical behaviour is not tolerated, it makes REALTORS® look that much better to buyers and sellers, and you get to better serve your buyers and sellers when everyone is playing by the same rules.

What’s involved in making a complaint to RAHB?

If you wish to make a complaint about another member, you will have to do it in writing by completing the Professional Standards Complaint Form (found under Member Services in REALTOR Link® or at http://rahb.ca/realtorlink/memberservices /2017/PSComplaintForm2016.pdf). When you fill out the form, you will have to name the person you believe violated one of the rules, policies or the REALTOR® Code and explain the situation. The Professional Standards Committee will review your complaint to determine whose jurisdiction the complaint falls under: RAHB’s or RECO’s. If the complaint falls under RAHB’s jurisdiction, a file will be opened. Researchers will be assigned to the case and will interview both you and the member accused of improper behaviour. As a member of RAHB, you can make use of this valuable member service to improve your working conditions with your clients and customers, and to make sure they see you and all REALTORS® as the professionals you are.

LINKS TO: REBBA 2002 and the Code of Ethics http://www.reco.on.ca/about/resources/rebba-2002-regulations-code-conduct RAHB MLS® Rules and Regulations http://rahb.ca/ByLaw/2016/09152016RAHBRulesRegulations.pdf RAHB MLS® Policies http://rahb.ca/MLS/2016/December2016MLSPolicies.pdf REALTOR® Code http://www.realtorlink.ca/content/realtorlink/crea/en_CA/about/realtor--code-of-ethics/articles.html

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

OREA/RECO/CREA NEWS

Do you understand the real estate forms you are using? OREA has developed a library of video tutorials to help you understand and use OREA’s standard forms. The tutorials are short, easy-to-follow guides designed to provide crucial information when you need it. You can find OREA’s growing list of tutorials at any time via the webinar and tutorial archive on OREA’s website (orea.com – log in as a member, then choose “Standard Forms” from the menu on the left). As well, OREA staff are on hand to help you navigate the tutorials – you can reach them at standardforms@orea.com.

Multiple offers and pre-emptive offers: new Registrar’s Bulletin RECO has issued a new Registrar’s Bulletin that outlines the steps you need to take before you receive any written direction from your client about “no offers until” and then how to deal with pre-emptive (or “bully”) offers. The main takeaways for members: 1. You must act in strict accordance with the instructions you are given by your client, so it is very important that the written direction from the seller is detailed and very clear. As well, you must make sure the seller understands the implications of holding offers. 2. After giving instructions to hold offers until a particular date, your seller may change his or her mind and wish to view one or more offers. If this happens, you will require new written directions from the seller to override the previous instructions. For what happens next, the Registrar’s instructions are very clear: “First, you must change the notes to any listing for the property, to accurately reflect the new offer process. “Second, you are expected to notify, in writing, anyone who has expressed an interest in the property of the change to the offer process. An expression of interest includes parties that have booked viewing appointments, have viewed the property, have informed the brokerage or the listing representative that they will be submitting an offer on the property, or have submitted an offer or an offer summary sheet on the property. In addition to traditional forms of written notice, text message and email are also acceptable.” (excerpt from Registrar’s Bulletin #2017-1, February 21, 2017) Read the full Registrar’s Bulletin here: http://www.reco.on.ca/registrars-bulletin/written-directions-multiple-offers.

MARCH | APRIL

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News and Resource for Members

Introducing REALTOR.ca smart leads

2016 was a busy year for REALTOR.ca with over 240 million visitor sessions and over 300,000 REALTOR.ca accounts created. This means REALTORS® were sent over 1.9 million email leads throughout the year. Since February, of this year, REALTOR.ca has been making sure you get the most out of your leads with the launch of smart leads. These emails, which are generated when a visitor to your REALTOR.ca listings or profile sends you a lead, will provide you with more information than ever before. REALTOR.ca smart leads give you more insight into your leads with the addition of the following information:  Real

estate persona: Are they a first time buyer, residential investor, repeat buyer?  Where they are from: Is your lead local, from out of town or even international?  Do they have representation: Want to know if they are already working with a REALTOR®? Find out before you even talk to them. REALTOR.ca smart leads provide additional information to help you build stronger, smarter connections with potential clients. If you have any questions please contact CREA Member Support. Note: Users have the option to choose to not share certain types of information when sending an email to a REALTOR®.

MARCH | APRIL

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2017

News and Resource for Members

MARK YOUR CALENDAR Held at RAHB – 505 York Blvd. Lower level room: C – Chambers M – McCullough First floor room: T – Thompson P – Purnell

Computer 

New Member Computer Training Level 1

Thursday, March 30 – C, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 6 – C, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 20 – C, 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4 – C, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 18 – C, 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

with angelam@rahb.ca.

Board of Directors, Committee and Task Force Meetings 

Governance & Bylaw

RAHB President Lou Piriano heading a new Professional Development session, Spot the Mortgage Fraud, at RAHB.

Wednesday, April 5 – T, 9:30 a.m. 

Board of Directors

Thursday, April 13 – T, 9 a.m. 

Government Relations

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, April 18 – T, 9 a.m. 

Finance



Thursday, April 20 – T, 9:30 a.m.

Professional Development

RAHB Charity Golf Tournament

Thursday May 18, 2017 Beverly Golf and Country CLub 1211 2nd Concession Rd. W., Copetown Register at events@rahb.ca.

See page 5 for a list of courses.

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2017

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