CREA’s WEBForms working group holds first meeting

Part of the Canadian Real Estate Association’s (CREA’s) commitment to improving WEBForms includes a closer working relationship with their member boards. This is happening in the form of a WEBForms working group (WWG) that met for the first time in August.

The WWG is facilitated by CREA’s Manager of Industry Development Rob Reynar and includes one staff member from each board. They’ll meet quarterly at first, and more frequently as required.

The WWG’s mandate is to receive feedback and guidance from the boards to identify significant issues and areas for development and improvement, while enhancing the communication, training, and support that CREA provides.

The WWG will be augmented by a user acceptance testing (UAT) group of REALTOR® power-users that'll help catch bugs and other performance issues before they’re put into the live system.

At their August meeting, the WWG discussed four topics:

• The font size and pagination issues that members have experienced significant frustrations with. This is a priority for CREA to deal with, and the first steps towards a resolution were discussed and agreed upon by the WWG.
• A change to the workflow for adding new forms to the system. Any new form to be added to the system will be tested and approved by the submitting organization before being made available to members.
• CREA agreed to communicate any WEBForms information to the boards first, so they can inform members through their established communication channels ahead of any communications CREA sends themselves.
• Upcoming changes to the Clause Manager to be implemented in September. These include the addition of a date picker for consistent display of dates, enhancements to the clause search functionality, and the addition of a rich text editor. Look for more on these changes soon.

We’ll share more WEBForms updates as they’re available.

WEBForms resources

Join CREA’s weekly webinar or access pre-recorded webinars.

You can view the most popular tutorial videos in their quick start guide or access the full library of tutorial videos here.

Access our support resources here. Our Help Desk also remains available to help you with WEBForms issues: 604-730-3020 or support@rebgv.org.

New standard forms coming September 16, resources available now

The BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) is releasing new standard forms and clauses, alongside a collection of changes to existing forms on September 16. This includes seven new standard forms, three new clauses, and a variety of revisions to existing forms.

BCREA recently hosted an information session to help you understand these new forms and changes. For more information:

• Watch a recording of the event.
• Review the follow-up questions that were submitted after the event.
• Read a PDF of the presentation given during the event.

BCREA is also planning a follow-up session for members in October. Watch for registration information soon.

They’ve also developed a pre-launch package with copies of all of the new and revised forms along with guides for how to use them.

Meet our 2019 award recipients Rosemary Barnes and Debi Pearce!

On August 27, we announced our 2019 Professional Excellence Award recipient Rosemary Barnes and our 2019 REALTORS Care® Award recipient Debi Pearce.

2019 Professional Excellence Award – Rosemary Barnes

Rosemary Barnes (Park Georgia Realty) is in the 44th year of her career in real estate. Few people can say they’ve volunteered more of their time to their profession than Rosemary, who’s served as REBGV’s second-ever female president, the BC Real Estate Association’s first-ever female president, and the Canadian Real Estate Association’s first-ever female chair. Learn more about Rosemary’s many achievements in the video below.

Congratulations, Rosemary!

The Professional Excellence Award honours people in real estate who’ve strengthened their profession by leading, mentoring, and giving back. The winner must meet strict requirements of professionalism, ethics and community involvement over the course of their career.

Share this on your social media accounts from our public website and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

2019 REALTORS Care® Award – Debi Pearce

Last summer, Debi Pearce (Royal LePage Brookside) became an organ donor, giving one of her kidneys to Geoff Dunsire, the son of one of her clients. When she worked with the Dunsire family years ago, she didn’t initially realize how sick Geoff was. When she later learned he needed a kidney to live, she began the journey that led to her donation and a renewed lease on life for both Debi and Geoff. Learn more about their story in the video below.

Congratulations, Debi!

The REALTORS Care® Award honours Metro Vancouver REALTORS® who demonstrate a sustained commitment to charitable, fundraising, or volunteer activities that strengthen communities and support people in need.

Share this on your social media accounts from our public website and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages.

Learn more about our awards and our previous recipients.

Death by a thousand cuts

A gruesome medieval torture was to execute someone by cutting their flesh with small cuts, a thousand times. The pain inflicted must have been unimaginable. Death by exsanguination (blood loss) was the result.

Got your attention? I’ll bet I do. Today’s column is about our public reputation and how important it is to protect it in everything we do.

A recent news article highlighted some members’ advertising practices and public commentary about the real estate profession in general. It was a painful read. The pain was amplified by an uncomfortable statistic cited in the article: just 47 per cent of BC residents have a positive or slightly positive view of real estate agents.

Real Estate Council’s new ethics relicensing course mentions this same poll result. But it cites the BC number, which is at 42 per cent. Ouch. What’s weird to me is that when sellers and buyers are asked what they think of their REALTOR® after having dealt with one, their approval rating is usually much, much higher. They’ll often say, when asked by a friend who they should contact, “You should call my Realtor—they rock,” or something similar.

It’s the same with lawyers, by the way. Lawyers are not always portrayed in a flattering light in the media and movies or on television; yet, when you ask a friend to recommend one, they’ll usually have first-hand knowledge of a lawyer who’s been a great help to them.

I don’t know how we change the public-opinion channel from what some people think about us collectively, to what buyers and sellers think about us individually. But one thing for sure is this channel isn’t going to change if we continue to be the subject of unflattering stories in mainstream and social media.

We all suffer when yet another article is published or posted that plays into the meme that we, as a profession, are in it for ourselves and that we don’t care about buyers, sellers, owners, and others.

This isn’t even remotely true, in my experience. All Realtors I know care greatly about those they’re helping. There’s a lot of evidence of our commitment to societal good.

For example, from 2012 – 2017, Realtors through the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) gave a total of $131,367,261.96.

Realtors from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver gave a total of $49,389,402.82 between 2007 and 2018. (REBGV member donations make up about 37 per cent of CREA’s total).

This is a separate program from the REALTORS Care® Shelter Drive and its shelter-related charities to which you donated about $360,000.

There’s also our 25-year-old annual Blanket Drive, which brings warmth and some good cheer to our less fortunate neighbours. There’s all the volunteer work members do in the community—from sponsoring baseball teams to fundraising for hospitals. Some of this work is recognized, while some of it isn’t (and some members like it that way).

Let’s not forget our biggest societal good. Namely, helping buyers and sellers to acquire and sell shelter and investments. There’s also the benefits that the Multiple Listing System® has brought, something we created, funded, and have maintained for at least 70 years.

But all of our contributions are blown away when a negative story about what a member is said to have done surfaces in the media. When we’re seen to be ignoring the rules or not working with societal good in mind, we all suffer a reputational hit.

An example of behaviour hurting our collective reputation is a perception (or the reality) of some members being seen not to be following COVID-19 health and safety requirements when holding open houses and doing showings. Some of these rules may be open to a bit of interpretation, but what should never be in doubt is that when someone thinks a member is a scofflaw, we all suffer. I mean, if we’re seen to be playing fast and loose with COVID health and safety guidelines, what does that say about our willingness to follow other professional requirements? We must not only follow these rules, we must be seen to be following them too.

So, what must we do about this?

Since 2016, we’ve taken significant steps to change the way we do business. Credit for this has been slow in coming. I don’t think we’ll ever get up there where angels, nurses, and firefighters sing, but I do think with some determined effort, we can raise our public perception number from its basement-low 42 per cent to 50 per cent, perhaps even as high as 60 per cent.

This would be something to celebrate. Despite the steps we’ve taken during the past few years there’s more work to do. Think of it this way: everything we do creates an opinion. This includes the letters, texts, and email messages we write. It includes the tone of our conversations and the way we explain things to others. It includes the news articles written about us. All of these things influence the extent to which a client trusts we will put them first. All of these things have an impact on public opinion. Each of us has, within our daily control, the ability to affect what each and every person we work with thinks about our interactions with them.

I’ve never worked with a group who cares more about its collective reputation. And this is good, because we live and die by it in the public square. We don’t get to decide what others think; they do. So, let’s do all we can every day to leave a good impression by doing everything well all day long. Are we up to the task? Yes, absolutely. Let’s get that public approval number up. Everything we do counts. And, when we get there, maybe then we’ll be able to click on an article about real estate without being fearful about what it will say.

No one individually or collectively looks good when covered with a thousand band aids. Wouldn’t it be a fine thing to catch a break in the public square, getting the benefit of public goodwill? That’s only going to start happening when the public sees us in a different light. Each one of us, every day, has that light switch at our finger tips.

Top Tip: Resisting temptation

It can be tempting, especially when your blood is pumping and you have a red mist blurring your sight and judgment, to make a post or reply to a story about a colleague’s behaviour that has been posted on social media or is the subject of an article in the mainstream media. Resist the temptation to make a comment in reply or to make the post in the first place.

Everyone loves a good story, and someone else’s alleged misdeeds can make a very good story. If you have kids or you recall when you were one, remember how much fun it was to see your little brother or sister get punished? “Boy, he’s gonna get it from dad,” you thought. It’s the same for us. It can be very tempting to make a public comment* on what a colleague is said to have done. But don’t. All members are entitled to due process via the Board’s Professional Conduct Committee. The Board’s disciplinary process is private, and a member is not guilty until the Professional Conduct Committee says so. Let the committee do its work. If someone has done something wrong, you will read about it if the committee has something to say. When the committee does have something to say about a member’s discipline, don’t forget that the Board’s disciplinary process is private, for members’ information only. Re-posting, making public, or commenting about other members’ discipline or alleged misdeeds will put you in harm’s way. Read the Realtor Code Article 19 and Rules of Cooperation, Rule 6.08 b).

PS: A “closed forum/chat room” can be considered as “public” for the purposes of an Article 19/Rule 6.08 b) complaint.

Masks on transit, strata insurance update, and government housing data

Mandatory transit face coverings

Contagion concerns are a top priority on transit ever since Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed that COVID-19 can spread in open air and crowded spaces. To stop the spread, TransLink has made masks mandatory.

Read more.

Strata insurance – where are we at?

BC strata corporations have faced skyrocketing insurance premiums and in some cases have been unable to obtain insurance in the past year. Here’s a summary of problems and potential solutions.

Read more.

Government housing data can help you

Think of a housing question – what percentage of home buyers are first-timers? How’s the coronavirus changing the housing market? – and there’s a government survey with the answer. We’ve compiled a list.

Read more.

Council changing the Legal Update course Oct. 1: What you need to know

Starting October 1, the Real Estate Council of BC (Council) will take full control over the registration and delivery of their required Legal Update course. You’re required to complete Legal Update every two years as part of Council’s re-licensing requirements.

Here are the key highlights you need to know about this change.

Reduced class sizes

Council is reducing the size of their Legal Update classes. This means classes will fill up more quickly, which in turn means you’ll need to be more diligent in ensuring you give yourself enough time to complete Legal Update before your license expires. Don’t wait until the last minute.

No more technical support from REBGV

Since we’re no longer coordinating the delivery of Legal Update, we’ll no longer track or take transcripts for this course in your education history. We also won’t be able to help you with technical support related to this course. You'll be able to receive support from Council at education@recbc.ca or call 1-877-927-2077 and select option 2 if you need help.

Remember, Legal Update or any of Council’s other required courses no longer qualify for Professional Development Program (PDP) credit. You need to complete Council’s required courses before submitting your application to renew your licence.

If your renewal is:

Before October 1, you'll need to complete these courses: Legal Update, Rule Changes: Agency and Disclosure, and Anti-Money Laundering in Real Estate.

After October 1, you'll need to complete these courses: Legal Update, Anti-Money Laundering in Real Estate, and Ethics for the Real Estate Professional.

Visit Council’s website for more information.

Innovation Series: Housing supply and affordability with UDI

Our new Innovation Series of videos is aimed at helping REALTORS® discover new practices, tools, and knowledge.

In our latest video, we asked Urban Development Institute (UDI) CEO Anne McMullin about the trends affecting housing supply and affordability in our region, the barriers keeping us from building more affordable housing, and how COVID-19 has affected the way the development community thinks about building homes.

Watch the video below. 

Missed our other Innovation Series videos?

Past interview subjects include the Ethics Guy® Kim Spencer, BCREA Economist Brendon Ogmundson, Mortgage Broker Angela Calla, and Victoria Gray from Wasserman & Partners Advertising Inc.

Click here to watch our past Innovation Series videos.