Featured News
REBGV's 2020 annual general meeting happening remotely on May 7
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on large gatherings in our province, we’ve had to shift this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) to a virtual event.
In accordance with REBGV’s bylaws, this year’s AGM will be held remotely by webinar technology on Thursday, May 7 at 10 a.m. Active members will be able to participate and, where applicable, vote on motions and resolutions at the meeting.
We’ll send you the link to access the meeting no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting.
Here are the meeting details:
Meeting package
Click here to download the full AGM package.This document includes:
- Notice of Annual General Meeting
- Annual General Meeting Agenda
- Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on March 13, 2019
- Proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws
- REBGV AGM meeting rules (2020)
- Financial statements for the year ending on December 31, 2019
Meeting start time
The AGM will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 7.
Who can participate?
All active REBGV members can participate. We'll send you a link in advance of the meeting.
To take part in the AGM on May 7, members must click on the supplied link, prior to or during the 10 a.m. meeting, and sign in using their REBGV member number and password.
No proxy voting
While proxy voting is usually permitted at an AGM, Article 6.8.5 (e) of the Board’s Bylaws reads: “proxy votes may only be cast by individuals entitled to hold a proxy and physically present at the applicable meeting of the members. For greater certainty, a proxy vote cannot be cast by an individual entitled to vote who is not physically present at the meeting.” As this is a virtual meeting with no physical attendance, use of a proxy is not permitted.
What you’re voting on
Special Resolution 1
Would give Board staff the autonomy to update different administrative forms, like membership forms, without requiring approval from the Board of Directors.
Special Resolution 2
Would clarify wording in our professional conduct appeal procedures that may be considered ambiguous.
Special Resolution 3
Would change the title of the REBGV president to “chair.” This change is in line with governance best practices and is consistent with changes happening at different real estate boards around the country and throughout the not-for-profit sector.
COVID-19 info and resources for you, your employees, and your clients
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives and the way we do business.
To help, we’ve compiled information and resources to help you understand how to operate in today’s market and what government assistance is available for you, your employees, and your clients.
REALTOR® resources
Errors and Omissions Insurance (E&O) Learn more
Conveyancing during COVID-19 Learn more
Provincial government's rental support measures, landlord restrictions, and eviction moratorium rules Learn more
Realtors are an essential service Learn more
REBGV strongly recommends no Open Houses Learn more
MLS® rule change for showings Learn more
COVID-19 FAQ: Dealing with contracts and disclosure requirements Learn more
COVID-19 and the housing market Learn more
Social media updates
For the latest information on COVID-19 and how it's affecting Board operations, the profession, and the market, follow us on social media.
Client resources
We’ve created an article to help buyers and sellers understand what to expect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.
REBGV strongly recommends no open houses
We've issued a news release that strongly recommends REALTORS® and their clients refrain from holding open houses at this time. Learn more.
Government financial support programs
The federal government has announced a series of measures to help support small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more.
Federal programs for Realtors and brokerages
Provincial programs for Realtors and brokerages
Provincial programs for clients
Add your livestream showing links to Paragon
You can now add a link to your livestream showing or open houses in Paragon.
The links you add in Paragon will flow through to REALTOR.ca. If you want to add or change a livestream open house link that you’ve posted on REALTOR.ca, you’ll need to do so in Paragon.
You’ll soon be able to add this information to your VOWs and MLS® Reciprocity websites.
Livestreaming provides a virtual opportunity to show a home to clients and potential buyers through a live video feed.
How to add a livestreamed open house to your listing
Click here for a guide that shows you how to add your livestreamed open house to your listing. Click here for a guide on searching for livestreamed open houses.
Need help? Call the Help Desk at 604-730-3020 or email support@rebgv.org.
Cookies, coffee, and other temptations: The trials and tribulations of working from home
I’m learning that this business of working from home requires discipline. Things seem busier than ever. As I survey line after line of email messages from all and sundry, I’m beginning to forget who I’ve replied to, sometimes answering them twice (but not, I hope, with different information).
Self-discipline, it appears, is an important ingredient in successfully working from home. For me, self-discipline has never been one of my strengths. That’s why the real estate business seemed an attractive place to hang my hat after I gave up substitute teaching English and history to grade 8 students. I still break out in a cold sweat thinking about that experience—and I did it all for the princely sum of $25 per day.
“With no boss of me if I become a REALTOR®, what’s not to like?” I thought. But soon I discovered someone or something is always going to step in to fill the boss role if there’s a void. “The boss” can take all sorts of forms. For example, your spouse. Or your work boss. Or Mr. Overdraft, the mortgage-monster, and the like. In other words, there’s always someone to report to. It’s good to bear that in mind when working from home.
With an eye to keeping disciplined, I resolved on the first day of working from home to “not change a thing.” I vowed to get up at precisely the same time each morning and follow exactly the same routine as when I was in the office: I’d put on slacks, loafers, a collared shirt, the usual sweater-vest, and stick to my usual refuelling regimen. The wheels started coming off this particular trailer full of resolve at about 11 a.m. that first day. At the Board office, I rarely drink coffee or even water, or eat unless it’s lunchtime. Office coffee, no matter how good, isn’t a favourite of mine. Ditto for water. And for snacks. So I promised myself that now, having to work from home, I wouldn’t succumb to the siren call of the kitchen. I would stick to the routine of NOT eating lunch before noon, no matter how hungry I was.
I failed, miserably.
“What an idiot,” you’re probably thinking. “Such attempts at self-discipline just set you up for failure.” But sometimes, pointless self-discipline can make you feel as if you’re in control, which is something, sadly, that is lacking for many of us right now. Small victories, even dubious ones, can make an otherwise bleak day worthwhile. I encourage you to seek them out and take the pleasure hit.
Self-discipline was a favourite practice of an ancient relative of mine. I’m told he used to sit in front of a bowl of whipped cream, resisting the temptation to try some. Ten minutes later, having proven his iron discipline to all, he’d eat the lot with a spoon. Way to go, great-grandad! You really proved something by doing that!
Sadly, for me, self-discipline isn’t easy when I’m at home. The fridge beckons. The cookie tin calls. The coffee machine says, “Come hither.” Soon, I’ll be as big as the houses you all sell.
But it’s not just the lure of the fridge. Many other distractions get in the way, if I let them. For example, there’s a certain canine around here who’s absolutely thrilled there’s a human home all the time. She’s so very tickled about this she’s sprained her tail wagging it so much. While I’m pounding away on my laptop, she regularly interrupts me, demanding a biscuit or a pat—or both. When I’m “Zooming” around town attending brokerage sales meetings, she often erupts with frantic barking. Who knew this was her daily routine? How many years has she been angrily barking at all the cats, dogs, birds, and humans coming into view? Standing beside her, balanced on the back of the chair by the window, I see she’s sprayed dog saliva all over the front window. Dear me. Get the Windex out; washing something other than my hands is now a pleasure.
Then there’s the daily technology battle. The keys on this laptop are so small I need an electron microscope to see them. A PDF document beckons, begging to be opened. Too bad I can’t. It’s something to do with it not talking to a DCE server? Who knows? I’d know more if I could read the cryptic little dialogue box in the middle of my screen. But I’d need glasses for that and I can’t find them. No problem, I’ll phone our IT guru, Tommy, yet again. Later, I watch with wonder as he takes control of my computer from afar, and with just six clicks, he fixes whatever the issue was. Bless him.
The PDF opened. Goodie. But wait—after finally reading what an unhappy complainant had to say, I wish I’d not been able to open it after all. “Unhappy” is an understatement: he’s positively enraged. It’s the COVID-19 talking, I think. It seems to have taken over his body and mind.
I knew my response was going to take some careful consideration. “Be kind; he’s under stress,” said the angel on my shoulder. But the devil on my other shoulder whispered that it would be more fun to be rude. Who'd win? Since I like my job and would miss this crazy business, you don’t have to guess. I took the high road, coming up with something suitable, even though I fear that nothing will appease this person short of a public beheading.
Next, a bewildering conversation with my accountant intruded. It is, after all, tax time—even with the deadlines now extended. Mine was going on about something to do with the consulting company I set up. Whatever is he talking about, I wondered. Dividends, income, first taxation year filing dates, GST Quick Method, T4s, and the statutory deductions necessary if I want to pay myself. Huh? Of course, I want to pay myself! I thought I had an accountant to figure out all this stuff, sending me a bill when the job’s been done. Quarterly CRA payments? Annual CRA payments? What on earth? It’s disquieting. Back to that column; the deadline is looming.
Oh, but wait, there’s a Zoom meeting on tap. It’s a good thing I’ve exercised some discipline by putting on my work attire. One has to keep up appearances. You just have to feel better about staring into an unblinking webcam when you’re dressed for work.
Meeting over, it’s back to the grind. Like poor old Sisyphus, I have never-ending email and phone traffic pouring down on me. Fortunately, I know my fate won’t be eternal.
Top Tip
With all the hubbub about strata insurance, I suggest you have a conversation with your strata sellers and buyers to acquaint them with what’s going on in the insurance market. There'll be some sellers, perhaps absentee owners or those who don’t read their property manager’s messages, who won’t understand the paradigm shift in thinking about strata ownership caused by massive insurance premium and deductible increases. I try not to be alarmist, but you’ve got to think there are going to be some consequences to all of this. How will the strata market be affected? What new policies and costs will stratas impose on unit owners, for example, aggressive re-piping, bigger budgets addressing deferred maintenance and the commissioning of property depreciation reports put off, perhaps, for years. What will owning a strata look like in 2022 and beyond? Think about this if you’re working with buyers – do they understand, as Donald Rumsfeld so eloquently put it, “there are known unknowns” and possibly, “unknown unknowns,” that may affect strata owners?
Obviously, we’re not insurance agents. Our job is to identify known strata insurance issues like the new potential for big premium increases, larger deductibles and more aggressive maintenance costs, and to suggest our buyers get advice about this from professional insurance agents, lawyers and the like. If your buyers are on a tight budget, they should consider leaving a bit of leeway in their cash-flow projections to deal with increased strata fees next year, and the year after that. And, for the foreseeable future, we should think about inserting the strata insurance approval clause into our contracts unless, of course, our buyers specifically instruct otherwise, in which case, we’re going to make sure we keep a record of these instructions on file.
Work with me here. Maybe there’s a silver lining to all of this. Insurance agents tell me there are a lot of older buildings with deferred maintenance. And, they don’t have depreciation reports. There’s been no re-piping, re-caulking, painting or rain-screening. Painting hasn’t been done. And the roof and boiler are old. This is not good for anyone. Sure, the strata fees have been low – because only the barest minimum of maintenance has been done. This kind of building maintenance regime will have to change – strata insurance underwriters will see to this. And, maybe this is a good thing. A well-maintained building is a lower risk to buyers, sellers and our own sweet selves. Sure, it’ll be expensive to deal with deferred maintenance. What’s the benefit? Better housing stock, more robust depreciation reports, fewer insurance claims, lower premiums and most important, confidence in a product at least 60% of BC home owners like to buy.
How Greater Vancouver municipalities are coping with COVID-19
Throughout Greater Vancouver, many services and facilities are closed. With everyone home, key revenues are down - from transit, parking tickets and meters, to building permits, DCCs, and even dog licences. Here’s how municipalities are coping.
Other News
What learning opportunities qualify for self-directed PDP hours?
Since the new PDP has come into effect, many members have enjoyed earning PDP hours through self-directed learning opportunities. You can fulfill up to six of your required 18 PDP hours in your two-year cycle with self-directed learning.
There’s no list of specific learning opportunities that count toward self-directed PDP hours. Before completing any self-directed learning that you want to qualify as PDP hours, please make sure it meets the following criteria:
- It enhances your professional practice by increasing your professionalism and knowledge base.
- It helps you better understand and decrease liabilities in your practice.
- It’s verifiable and auditable via a completion letter, certificate, or transcript.
- It’s a minimum of one hour in duration.
If you’re participating in a live webinar, ask the organizer if they can provide a certificate or letter of completion. Registration or invitation emails do not qualify as proof of completion for webinars.
We’ve compiled websites and links of third-party providers that offer some self-directed learning opportunities that may qualify:
- ProDio audiobooks (click here for the first one). This audiobook features the Ethics Guy® Kim Spencer and other expert guests.
- Check out the webinar courses on the CREA Training Hub.
- Coursera offers free courses such as Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator. (Note that Coursera charges a fee for completion certificates for their free courses.)
- Lynda.com offers a few real estate specific courses, and many more general ones on business, marketing, etc.
- The CCIM Institute offers some courses which may qualify.
- The Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA) also provides some online courses that may qualify.
The following cannot be used toward your self-directed PDP hours:
- professional development that can’t be verified or audited, like reading or listening to a podcast or a pre-recorded video or pre-recorded webinar;
- Real Estate Council of BC’s regulatory education requirements;
- professional development that does not enhance your professional practice;
- education taken for disciplinary purposes, either as a result of disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Board or the Real Estate Council of BC;
- duplicate courses taken within the same licensing cycle;
- networking and volunteering; and
- office and sales meetings.
Training programs for coaching, mentoring, and/or governance can count toward self-directed learning, but any out-of-class time spent doing these activities won’t.
To report your self-directed learning opportunity, complete our self-directed form and attach proof of completion.
You don’t need to submit hours for any accredited or self-directed courses you take through REBGV. We’ll track this for you.
Questions? Visit PDP Requirements on www.rebgv.ca or email education@rebgv.org.
REALTORS Care®: Share your stories!
In these difficult times, it’s heart-warming to see our communities come together to help one another. Whether it’s fund-raising for a great cause or helping people find much-needed health supplies, our members are stepping up.
The Chinese Real Estate Professional Association recently donated $2,000 to the Richmond Hospital Foundation’s call-out for donations to buy COVID-19 related equipment.
Royal Pacific Realty donated more than 60,000 masks to local hospitals thanks to Sing and Patricia Yeo, and Allan Ge. The Yeo’s donated 5,000 masks, and Allan secured 56,000 masks for Vancouver Coastal Health’s hospital network!
Denise Salmon and the RE/MAX Masters Realty group of offices are dedicated supporters of Backpack Buddies, a charity that feeds children on weekends to supplement school meal programs. When schools closed due to COVID-19, Denise and her team topped up donations to make sure children wouldn’t go without. Click here to learn more and to donate.
As a director of the West Vancouver Foundation, Mark Ballard is helping lead the organisation’s fundraising drive to provide grants to charities on the North Shore that are at the forefront of supporting the area’s most vulnerable residents. The goal is to raise and distribute $500,000. Before Easter, $130,000 had been donated and $50,000 of that has been allocated to charities such as the Harvest Project (a REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive recipient). Click here to donate.
Do you know of a Realtor who’s helping others during this time? If so, we’d like to know more.
You can either share a post on social media, using #RealtorsCare, or email us at fyouatt@rebgv.org.
Keep up the good work!
Enjoy these Medallion Club Awards Gala photos and video
On March 10, before the current physical distancing orders were in place, we celebrated our 2019 Medallion Club Awards winners at our circus-themed gala.
You can find photos and video of the event here:
Thanks to everyone who attended!
Share our Market Insights newsletter with your clients
We recently published the first edition of our new public newsletter called Market Insights. We created this monthly newsletter to ensure the public has the latest real estate market news and information.
Please share our Market Insights newsletter with your clients and let them know that anyone can sign up to receive it through this link.
Chamber of Commerce pulse-check survey on COVID-19
The BC Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Vancouver Board of Trade, the BC Business Council, and others to survey how businesses are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll share the results with government to help inform future programs and services.
Click here to share your feedback. The survey closes on April 17.