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CREA launched their Futures Planning initiative at Leadership Day 2011 – embarking on a journey to collectively and collaboratively identify what the consumer wants in the next 5 to 10 years, and how that will impact REALTORS® and organized real estate.

CREA then took the show on the road, asking members across the country to provide input on the future of organized real estate.  RAHB hosted a session on October 4.  View the video that kicked off the session (scroll down to the title “You asked for it, you got it”).  What do you think the future holds for the real estate profession? Add your comments.

If you would like to explore the Futures Project more, visit the dedicated site at futuresdiscussions.realtorlink.ca.

For more information and to register online, go to www.rahb.ca/events  or
contact Sheila, 905.529.8101 x234 or by email at sheilas@rahb.ca

From reading through your resume, volunteering is obviously a big part of your life.  What drives you to volunteer at RAHB and in your community?

To volunteer is a responsibility and the right thing to do. I am not really unique in doing so; last year 100 members volunteered with RAHB. Most of those members likely gave time to other community groups as well. Giving to organizations which support you in your work or life is natural to me, as from a very early age my parents encouraged me to volunteer. I remember helping my father fold church bulletins when I was just a child…it was “volunteer child labour” at its best…and it taught me the lesson of giving.  And then throughout my life, a friend or colleague would invite me to contribute to a cause, and perhaps because of the natural inclination bred into me, it was hard to say ‘no’. It is true that as you do these things, and see the positive impact on the everyday lives of others, you are rewarded many times over.

With the REALTORS^® Association of Hamilton-Burlington there is some difference, because as a professional group it needs member involvement to direct its activities. When asked by your peers to take on a leadership role, encouraged by the trust that this implies, it is the honourable thing to volunteer.  Of course, the exciting part is meeting new friends and the opportunity to give back to your industry. Being President is a great privilege of course, and the responsibility may seem daunting; however the real reason for volunteering is the pleasure of giving to others.

Governance ideas were front and centre for the Board of Directors recently and will be in the new year.  Why the focus on governance?

Governance directly affects how an organization serves its membership.  While it does not always seem obvious, the primary goal of good governance is to ensure the best service possible for all concerned.  RAHB’s mission is Empowering REALTORS^® to Succeed, and true to this goal, the way we govern must be aligned with supporting our members’ success.  That requires listening constructively and authentically to member input, from as many members and in as many ways as are possible.  RAHB’s governance is focused on three basics:  listening, assessing the overall needs, and finding solutions to help REALTORS^® succeed.

Every year brings unique challenges to the real estate industry and the members.  What do you see as the biggest challenge for organized real estate in the year ahead?

Members have identified their challenges: technology, market share and leadership.  The Board of Directors in its own independent thinking identified the same challenges. Our goal is to provide services, policies and programs in support of a REALTOR’S^® ability to prosper. When change is rampant and the human condition includes avoiding change, it is even more important to offer a level of comfort which enables members to accept inevitable change.

A key element of being in service to members is to understand the effect the fast paced, changing environment has upon them.  Directors help members by ensuring RAHB is financially sound and provides timely and valued services from a member’s perspective.   We position REALTORS^® Association of Hamilton-Burlington as a place for good idea generation in the eyes of other organizations so that we can influence their work in service to the members, too. By other organizations I mean principally local government, other Ontario real estate associations, OREA, CREA^® and RECO.  We may need to influence the decisions of these groups and can only do that from a position of mutual respect.

If you could accomplish only one thing this year, what would that be.

Ensuring the REALTORS^® Association of Hamilton-Burlington advances toward the goal line, getting the necessary yardage to support REALTORS^®’ success.  As President, one has very little power, really.  The position does offer an opportunity to influence some things, such as helping Directors remain focused on the organization’s goals and not those of any one Director, including those of the President.

Leading means ensuring the Board of Directors have all of the members’ ideas front and centre when decisions are made.  Essentially, my role in that process is to listen to all members and then work with the Board to be sure we heard those ideas clearly, then to develop goals and strategies aimed at achieving benefit for all.

Years ago, as CEO of a local organization, a volunteer president asked me what their primary job was.  My answer is the same one I give myself now as an elected association president: to be the lead caretaker for the association. In the case of RAHB it means doing everything possible to support the REALTOR’S^® success above my own through the success of RAHB.

You have a varied background and have been involved in the construction industry for many years.  What made you choose real estate as the next step in your career?

We want to believe that we choose our careers.  I hesitate offering this answer because my decision  was not all that strategic.  After a number of successful years serving the not for profit and private sector construction industry in Hamilton-Burlington and while operating a consulting practice, it became apparent my wife, a successful REALTOR^®, could use some support.  It seemed reasonable for me to obtain my license and provide trusted help. We both were pleasantly surprised that many previous colleagues, friends and relatives would see my experience and knowledge as beneficial to them in their real estate transactions.  Business grew to the point where my other work was taking a back seat.  So the career, more or less, chose me!   I am so grateful for all of the opportunities of working with REALTORS^® and clients who gave us their trust and now feel very privileged to be involved with giving back to this service industry.

You will be working with a new Board of Directors with five new people on the Board.  How will that affect the work of the Directors?

It is an exciting prospect to have new ideas and fresh perspectives in the boardroom.  We can never really know if these contribute to different results, for although discussion will prove interesting and the dialogue may vary from the previous years, the process is unchanged by personalities.  Doing right by the membership requires the same rigour – seeking member input, researching the factors affecting the members’ needs, seeking further member input on the core ideas that arise and then deciding.  No decision pleases everyone equally. Perceived or real dissatisfaction with Directors is rarely about an actual decision; it is almost always about how the decision was made.

The exciting news for members is the 2012 Directors are committed to excellence in their decision making processes.  Good process almost always reflects understanding membership needs and the critical factors affecting these needs, then taking care to make decisions that serve the majority while being considerate of the minority view.

If there was one thought you have for the membership to consider, what would that be?

In a RAHB LinkedIn discussion, a member gave this advice to the Board of Directors:  “Ask more, pontificate less.”  Great advice for the Directors!  For members perhaps the message is “Take up the opportunities to offer perspective, information and ideas”.

 

Cameron Nolan, President
An eight-year member, Cameron is a Broker with RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage.  Entering his fifth year as a Director, Cameron has served as served as Chair of Finance, Governance, MLS^® & IT, Communications and Bylaw committees, and as a member of Governance Task Force, CEO Performance Review Task Force, Government Relations, Finance, Building Task Force, Statistics Ad Hoc Committee, MLS^® Open House Ad Hoc Committee, Honourary Life Committee and Honourary Life Task Force.

Cameron served on several significant local Boards including the Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton Entertainment & Convention Facilities Inc., Hamilton-Wentworth Housing Authority Chair and Canadian Mental Health Association (Hamilton-Wentworth). He volunteers extensively with diverse community organizations such as Alexander Park Baseball, Hamilton & District Baseball and United Way, and prepares, presents and does the voice work for the Hamilton-Halton Construction Hall of Fame award.  Cameron was a one-time candidate for municipal office.

Bruce Moran, President Elect
Bruce is the Broker of Record of Chase Realty Inc., Brokerage and has been a member of RAHB since 1986.  He has served as a member on the Communications Committee as well as on the Awards, MLS^® Futures, Branding and Revenue vs Expense task forces.  Bruce chaired the MLS^® & IT Committee and the Quality of Life task force.  Bruce was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award in 2003.

Bruce feels that volunteering in the association has allowed him to fully participate in the real estate industry and has given him a better understanding of how our association works; it also allows him to keep a closer eye on where the industry is going. Bruce enjoys ski trips with his family during the winter and time spent on his sail boat at Fifty Point in the summer.

Tim Mattioli, Vice President
Tim is a Salesperson with RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage and has been a member since 1987.  Tim has served on the Regional Commercial Council and has been a member of the Charity Auction, Honorary Life, Lease Review and Quality of Life task forces.  He also chaired the Government Relations Committee and was the RCC appointee to the Board of Directors.  Tim sat as a member of the Hamilton Business Leaders in 2010 and 2011 and the Hamilton Round Table on Grow Ops.

Volunteering is important to Tim; he realized that it is important to give back and found that helping others becomes addictive.  He believes that the association will only be as strong as the people who step up to keep it moving forward.  Tim enjoys spending time with this three grown sons and new grandson.  He has tried sky diving and whitewater rafting and last year became an avid motorcyclist, touring around the province with friends and other REALTORS^®.

Ann Forbes Arndt, Past President
Ann has been a REALTOR^® for 21 years and is a Broker with Homelife Macro Realty Inc., Brokerage.  She has served as a member of the Professional Standards, Bylaw, Finance and MARC committees and as Chair of MARC and Finance.  She has also been a member of the Governance, Honorary Life, Director Recognition and Community Bike Ride task forces.  In 2005, Ann was named Volunteer of the Year.

Ann is a member of the Coaching Association of Canada and the Ontario Coaches Association, and has a Level 3 in the National Coaching Certification program.

Donna Bacher
Donna joined RAHB in 1983 and is a Broker with Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.  Donna has been a member of the Sales Division, Professional Standards, Discipline, Arbitration and Government Relations committees.

Donna served as a director for the Ontario Goat Breeders Association and as a Founding Members’ Association Rep to the Toronto Livestock Land Development Board from 2001-2003. She is a supporter/sponsor for the Hamilton Hornets Ladies’ Rugby team and a volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Hamilton.  An active aviator, Donna holds a Canadian Private Pilots license and is currently completing Canadian Commercial Pilots license requirements.

Dan Gies
Dan has been a RAHB member since 1984 and is Broker of Record of Ken Gies Real Estate Limited, Brokerage.  This is Dan’s second time as a Director; he served on the Board of Directors from 1998 to 2004 and as RAHB President in 2003.  Dan has been a member of the MLS^® & IT, Bylaw, Professional Standards, Legislation, Professional Development, Finance and Communications committees, chaired the Finance Committee, Awards Task Force and Statistics Subcommittee and has participated on many task forces and subcommittees.  Dan received the Award of Merit in 2009.

Dan sat on CREA’s Board of Directors from 2008-2010 and has been a director on CREA’s MLS^® and Technology Council since 2004.  He has been volunteering for over 20 years and still enjoys it as much today as when he sat on his first committee.  Dan says “there are some great people in this profession across the country and volunteering is a great way to get together with them and share ideas.”

Bill Lawson
Bill is no stranger to the RAHB Board of Directors as he served as a Director from 1997-98 and is now in his second term on his second time around.  He has been a RAHB member since 1978 and was awarded a long service award in 2002.  Bill has served as a member on the Burlington Council and on the Election, Information Technology, Building and MLS^® & IT committees; the Purchaser Agency, MLS^® Interconnectivity, Christmas Auction, RECO and Quality of Life task forces; as well as on the MLS^® Open House and Statistics ad hoc committees.  Bill chaired the Bylaw Committee and the RECO and Agency task forces.

Brenda McKinley
A member since 2001, Brenda is Broker of Record of Keller Williams Edge Realty, Brokerage.  She has been a member of the Finance, Professional Development, Professional Standards and Bylaw committees, the Buyer Registry and Quality of Life task forces and the Residential Forms ad hoc committee.  Brenda chaired the Burlington Council.

Brenda says that it is important to her to volunteer because she gains insight into the operations of the association and “best practices” of other members, and they have helped her to do a better job as a REALTOR^®.  She enjoys travelling to Florida with her husband and spending time with her two grown sons, who live nearby.

Sean Morrison
Sean has been a member of RAHB since 2006 and works with Royal LePage State Realty, Brokerage.  During his time with RAHB, he served on both the Professional Development and Bylaw committees prior to being elected to the Board of Directors.

In addition to his work in real estate, Sean volunteers with the Rotary Club of Burlington and serves on another board of directors for R.A.S.A.R, a local charity. Giving back to the community and to the real estate industry is important to him.  Sean has a sincere hope to help to improve  two-way communication with the membership, explore and expand on new ideas brought forward and help empower every REALTOR^® in RAHB to succeed in 2012.  Outside the office, Sean loves sports and has been involved with rugby most of his adult life, having played for 18 years on five teams in three countries.

Gloria Payton
Gloria is another of our Directors who has previously served on the Board of Directors (1995-2000).  In her 26 years of membership, Gloria has been a part of the Bylaw, Finance, MARC, Discipline, Professional Standards, Professional Development, Public Relations, Computer, Law Liaison, MLS^® and Member Services committees and chaired the Arbitration Committee and Sales Division.  She has served on numerous task forces and ad hoc committees and chaired the RECO and Agency task forces.

Gloria has especially enjoyed teaching the RAHB New Members’ Orientation course for over 15 years.  She feels that we are “arguably one of the finest boards in all of Canada” and is proud to call our Board home.

Jenny Pearce
Jenny has been a member of the association since 2004 and is a Salesperson member with Judy Marsales Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage.  She has been a member of RAHB’s Regional Commercial Council since 2008, served as Chair-elect in 2011, and is the RCC appointee to the 2012 Board of Directors.

Jenny’s extensive business and financial background working in organizations as diverse as ScotiaMcLeod, Opera Hamilton, Theatre Aquarius and the Chemical Bank have given her a strong basis for the commercial real estate field.   Jenny’s hobbies include playing piano, reading, tennis, swimming and snowboarding.

Bob Van de Vrande
Bob is the Broker of Record of Sutton Group Results Realty Inc., Brokerage and has been a RAHB member since 1988.  Bob has served on the MLS^® and Discipline committees and the Charity Give Back, Report Solds and Lonnie Bushey task forces.

Beyond real estate sales and investment, Bob enjoys attending karate and hockey games and travelling, particularly to tropical destinations, with his son Nicholas and Nicholas’s brother Tyler.  Bob has a passion for education, having earned Bachelor of Commerce and M.B.A. degrees from McMaster University and more recently a Bachelor of Education from Brock University.  He was elected as a trustee of Halton Catholic District School Board for 10 years and has previously served as Chair of the board.  Bob’s special interest is gifted education and he has worked to promote educational options in this area.  Bob has been an active member of St. Patrick parish in Burlington for more than 40 years and is President of Project Maranatha for Youth, a charity promoting youth leadership and pro-life issues within the Catholic and broader community.  Bob’s hobbies include reading, swimming, travelling and stamp collecting.

 

 

The real estate market in the Greater Hamilton, Burlington and outlying areas* saw an increase in the number of listings and a small decrease in the number of sales and average sale price when compared to the same month last year, according to Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) statistics released by the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB).
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Budget 2012 provides the opportunity to remove a major obstacle preventing income property reinvestment by allowing owners to defer previously written-off depreciation [Capital Cost Allowance (CCA)] when they sell in order to reinvest. Income property investors face taxation on CCA when they sell, and are often left with insufficient funds after tax to acquire a property of similar value.   Consequently, many hold on to properties instead of reinvesting in the community.
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The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest members.

Valentina Pasquini
Cirrius Realty Inc., Brokerage 

Shawn Bailey
Colliers Macaulay Nicolls Inc., Brokerage

Lynda Nixon
Halton Heritage Realty Inc., Brokerage

Honor Hughes
Homelife Professionals Realty Inc., Brokerage

Ian Davies
Realty Network: 100 Inc., Brokerage

Julianna Hozjan
RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage

Tanya Brannon
RE/MAX Garden City Realty Inc., Brokerage

John Perl
Sutton Group Results Realty Inc., Brokerage

Broker loading – Important Message

When you broker load listings, please ensure you select the proper user ID when using the Member Look Up.  If a salesperson is a member of both RAHB and NAR, the Look Up option will display both the RAHB member code and Niagara member code.  Codes that contain letters and numbers are Niagara member codes (e.g. John Doe NR2851).  If you select a NAR member code, your listing will be rejected when it is sent to CREA to appear on REALTOR®.ca as Niagara codes are not recognized as belonging to a RAHB member; consequently, the listing will not appear on REALTOR.ca.
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The OREA Standard Forms Committee works continually to make sure its forms are relevant and current. The 2012 OREA Standard forms (pdf format) are now available. Form 141 – Assignment of Agreement of Purchase and Sale – Condominiums is new, and several forms have been revised. To see a complete list of all the Standard Forms updates for 2012, download the 2012 Standard Forms Summary of Changes, from the OREA Website. WEBForms™ and NCR forms will be available in January 2012.

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