RAHB’s Latest Updates
2019 Provincial Budget
The 2019 Ontario Provincial Budget was released on April 11, 2019. Please click below to access the entire budget.
Below are links several areas that specifically relate to Hamilton, housing and real estate.
- Metrolinx Project & Initiatives (Hamilton LRT)
- Protecting New Homeowners
- Respecting Ontario Property Taxpayers
- Lowering the Cost of Energy
- Increasing the Housing Supply in Ontario
The President of the Treasury Board, Peter Bethlenfalvy, was in Hamilton on April 12 to provide a brief overview of the budget and answer questions. RAHB asked, “How will the Ontario Government, through the 2019 Budget, help Ontarians to afford a home (both rent and own) comfortably?” Mr. Bethlenfalvy’s answer is in the below video.
Image Upload Certification
Corelogic has recently added a disclaimer to the photo upload screen on Matrix. This forces the user to certify that they are the owner of the photos, or have permission from the owner to use the photos. It is a violation of RAHB’s MLS® policies to use another member’s photos without their written permission, and this certification reinforces this. From the RAHB MLS® Policies:
PHOTOS/IMAGES #4
“If a member is using another members’ previous listing photo on a listing without written permission, the photos will be removed, the status will be changed to information withheld until a new photo is provided, and a $50 fine will be levied to the member.”
From a functional standpoint, the photo upload does not function any differently than before the upgrade. The button that previously read “Save” now reads “Certify and Save”. Clicking on this button (located below the disclaimer) will save the photos to the listing.
If you are an administrative assistant uploading the images on behalf of a REALTOR®, this could create some confusion as you may not be familiar with the photos that you are uploading. It is RAHB’s recommendation that should you be unsure as to whether or not the listing REALTOR® has the right to use the photos, that you verify this with them before uploading.
As always, please feel free to contact RAHB MLS® staff with any questions. We can be reached at (905)667-4650, or support@rahb.ca.
New CREA WEBForms® 2019
On April 23, 2019, Members in Ontario will have the option to use the new WEBForms® 2019, or WEBForms® Legacy (the current WEBForms). WEBForms® Legacy will remain available to Members until December 2019. CREA will be sending out a pre-launch email to all Ontario WEBForms® users a week prior to launch letting them know it’s coming. On launch day CREA will send out an e-mail to all Ontario users letting them know it is available to try and will include a link to a WEBForms® Training Hub.
What is being migrated from the current to the new WEBForms® you ask?
- All (Personal and Office) templates
- **Members will have to re-insert any clauses and/or entered information into their templates**
- All clauses (Provincial, Board, Office and Personal)
- All Forms (CREA, Provincial, Board and Office)
What is NOT being migrated?
- Existing transaction kits will not be automatically migrated
- If a Member wishes to keep one or more of their old transaction kits, they can individually migrate them to WEBForms® 2019, where they will be imported as non-editable PDFs (READ ONLY) into their new document management
- 3rd Party links. All existing 3rd Party ADDons (Docusign, etc.) will be available in WEBForms® 2019, but users will need to re-link them
What is staying the same?
- Form auto-population – All existing form auto-population functions will continue as they do with Legacy
New Look
WEBForms® now has a public facing landing page. Previously, if you went to webforms.ca you were presented with the NAF log in screen, which didn’t provide any information about the application and was confusing to those not familiar with NAF. Now a user has an opportunity to learn more about WEBForms® or to sign in and use the application. If a user is already logged into NAF, they won’t need to sign in again.
Legacy View
Once CREA has rolled out the new WEBForms 2019, members going to WEBForms® Legacy will be presented with a pop up advertising that WEBForms® 2019 is available, giving them an opportunity to go and try the new version, or to remain in Legacy.
Switching Views
Through until the end of 2019 Members will have the ability to switch from the Legacy to 2019 via a pop up or via a link in the top banner of the screen.
New WEBForms Training
Watch for CREA to send out a communication offering online help in addition to in-class training, training webinars you can register for, or view online training videos. In the link below watch CREA’s Relationship Training Manager Lynn St. Germain show an overview of WEBForms® 2019 https://vimeo.com/322945829/99463d75d4
Should you have any questions regarding the new 2019 WEBforms, please contact the Help Desk at 905-667-4650 or email support@rahb.ca
RECO/TICO & Short-Term Rentals
On Friday, April 12, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) and Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) affirmed the right of real estate brokerages to transact short-term rental properties.
The affirmation comes in the form of bulletins from both regulators that clarify the rights of Ontario real estate brokerages under REBBA to transact short-term rental properties.
Thanks to this ruling, members will not have to register as travel agents in order to transact vacation properties provided they do it through their brokerage – saving members thousands of dollars in costs and dozens of hours taking courses/passing exams.
This issue was brought to OREA’s attention by the Southern Georgian Bay Association of REALTORS® and The Lakelands Association of REALTORS® whose local members were receiving compliance letters from TICO asking them to register as travel agents.
Through some quick action, OREA was able to get TICO to stop their double registration compliance campaign. TICO and RECO then set about creating a short-term solution to the problem which was announced today in the form of the below bulletins.
Going forward, OREA will be working with Minister Bill Walker and his team to address the issue for the long-term as part of the Province’s updates to REBBA.
This is another great example of what a united and strong REALTOR® voice can do to protect its members from unnecessary red tape and costs.
A Message From Your RAHB President
At a meeting of the Board of Directors on April 15, 2019, the resignation of Past-President Jack Loft was accepted. We thank Jack for his years of service to RAHB as a President, Director, and as a member and Chair of various committees.
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw 3.03, the Board of Directors has appointed Lou Piriano to fill the existing Director and Immediate Past-President vacancy on the Board until December 31, 2019.
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw 10.01, on March 25, 2019, the Board of Directors appointed Kathy Della-Nebbia to fill the vacant President-Elect position. Below is a complete list of your 2019 RAHB Board of Directors:
President – Bob Van de Vrande of Apex Results Realty Inc
President-Elect – Kathy Della-Nebbia of Royal LePage State Realty
Immediate Past-President – Lou Piriano of L. Piriano Real Estate Brokerage
Donna Bacher of PureRealty
Hank Balfoort of Right At Home Realty
Jacqueline Norton of Realty Network: 100 Inc.
Stephanie Pinet of RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc.
Andrew Robertson of Keller Williams Complete Realty
Julie Sergi of Royal LePage Burloak Real Estate Services
Brian Shaw of Royal LePage State Realty
Nicolas von Bredow of Royal LePage Macro Realty
Your Board of Directors certainly understands there may be questions regarding recent changes with respect to the Board and CEO, and some have suggested we hold a meeting of the membership. We respectfully request your understanding of the fact that more detailed information cannot be provided at this time as it concerns a personnel matter, which involves both privacy laws and legal implications. The same constraints would exist at a membership meeting and, apart from the significant cost of holding such a meeting, we would still be unable to present more detailed information regarding the CEO.
Your Board of Directors very much appreciates the calls and messages of support we have received to-date, as well as the trust and confidence many of you have conveyed. We have received similar support from other Boards and Associations. RAHB staff and the Board of Directors are working tirelessly to ensure that day-to-day operations, pending projects, future projects and protection of the Association are being handled in a timely manner.
RAHB has a robust and detailed Succession Plan for hiring a CEO that was put into motion by the Board of Directors and RAHB staff. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the hiring consultant was approved today, and last week you received an e-mail invitation to participate on the Selection Committee. Please click the below button for this invitation. We will keep you up-to-date as progress continues on the selection process.
RAHB CEO Selection Committee Information
In terms of day-to-day operations, we have every confidence in our excellent staff who will continue to keep the Association running and meeting your needs on a daily basis. We are truly fortunate to have such amazing staff who understand and respect their roles and the requirements of our members.
Please be assured that, as reported at our recent AGM, your Board remains committed to maintaining and further enhancing data-sharing agreements for the benefit of our members. This work is also well underway and we look forward to reporting further news to you soon.
The Board of Directors and staff of RAHB continue to work on behalf of the Association in order to “Empower REALTORS® to Succeed”.
Bob Van de Vrande, B.Comm., M.B.A., B.Ed.
2019 RAHB President
REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington
RAHB CEO Selection Committee
The Board of Directors is seeking three (3) RAHB members-at-large to participate on the CEO Selection Committee.
The committee’s Terms of Reference, as outlined in RAHB Governance Policy & Practices Manual, is as follows:
Selection Committee Membership
The Selection Committee will be comprised of the President of the Board, President Elect, one (1) Board of Director member, and three (3) members-at-large. The Committee may call upon resources as required.
Support
- Corporate Services Manager
- External Legal Counsel
- Recruitment Firm Committee
Membership Criteria
- Understands and is committed to the organization’s principles and plan for CEO succession, recruitment and selection
- Credibility and confidence of the Board of Directors in their ability to execute the Board of Directors’ approved plan and objectively consider potential candidates
- Understands the current organizational context, strategy and plan
- Availability for expected time commitment of meetings
Responsibilities of the Committee
- Review and understand the succession, recruitment and selection strategy and process
- Review the CEO position requirements and the current context of emerging trends and patterns affecting the requirements
- Implement the approved recruitment and selection process
- Objectively identify the best possible CEO candidate based on the selection criteria and process
Objectives
- The objective of the Selection Committee is to oversee the Board of Directors’ approved succession process and to recruit and select the best possible CEO successor
Accountability
- The Selection Committee is accountable to the Board of Directors
Selection
Following are the key activities required to assist in the selection of the best candidate:
Selection Committee
The Board of Directors has approved the delegation of the shortlist interviews, identification of the preferred candidate and contracting of the new CEO to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will seek full Board of Directors endorsement of the preferred candidate prior to entering into the contracting phase of their work. The Committee shall call upon three (3) advisors, for example, RAHB Auditor, Corporate Legal Counsel, and Consultant. The Committee will oversee the selection process and will draw upon other resources as required to fulfill their terms of reference.
The Selection Committee will assemble an interview panel to conduct the short list interviews. The interview panel will be comprised of the Selection Committee members plus other non-board members, as deemed appropriate by the Selection Committee (e.g. senior staff and external advisors).
Interviews will be conducted with all shortlist candidates using the Board of Directors’ approved interview questions and candidate evaluation form.
Based on the interviews and evaluations, the Selection Committee will identify the preferred successor candidate and will enter into an offer for employment following full Board of Directors endorsement.
If you wish to apply, please provide a resume outlining your experience in the following areas:
- HR Experience familiar with recruitment process in the corporate / nonprofit environment
- Experience with Senior Executive hiring
- Any other information that would be helpful for the Board of Directors’ consideration
Selection Committee participants must have no affiliation or conflict with members of the Board of Directors or possible candidates.
The Board of Directors will confirm the Selection Committee appointments by Friday, May 10, 2019. All participants will be required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement.
Please provide your submission in confidence to Kim Sanders (kims@rahb.ca) no later than Friday, April 26, 2019.
City of Hamilton Mayor’s Breakfast
On Wednesday, April 10 the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Mayor’s Breakfast. A table of RAHB representatives attended and a question was asked on behalf of the association about affordable housing.
Mayor Eisenberger mentioned that they will be looking into secondary or accessory suites to increase rental stocks, as well as lane way housing.
Matrix Upgrade – 8.3.8
On Wednesday, April 10 at midnight, Matrix will upgrade to 8.3.8 which will cause 15 minutes of downtime to the system.
New features will include:
- Drag and drop search results reordering
- Results will display listings in same order as entered in speed bar
- Print Listing notes option
- Multiple carts can be created for a single contact
Other enhancements include:
- Criteria tab is enabled after using Refine–>Narrow tool
- Client portal remembers user’s last mode
- Various widget enhancements
- Driving directions now available in concierge approval screen and My Listings
- Photograph upload certification
Welcome New Members!
We extend warm welcome to RAHB’s newest members who joined our Association between March 1, 2019 and March 31, 2019!
Nicole Kaoum
Bridgecan Realty Corp.
Gagan Gill
Harjot Khatra
Zarmina Razavi
Century 21 Heritage Group Ltd.
Monroe Orleans
Coldwell Banker Momentum Realty
Nicole Smith
Vince Esposito
Keller Williams Complete Realty
Karin Vierhuis
Claire Stavro
Adrian Hiscox
Keller Williams Edge Realty
Karly Tennier
Purplebricks
Krisztina Balint
RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc.
Joshua White
RE/MAX Escarpment Team Logue Realty Inc.
Helene Blake
RE/MAX Escarpment Frank Realty
Inas Murad
Angela Chiaravalle
Royal LePage Macro Realty
Krystal Dixon
Three Pillars Realty Inc.
Jacqueline Rebecca Warner
Zoocasa Realty Inc.
Realty Shoppe Update
Brokerage Messages via Matrix
Attention Brokers of Record: did you know you can send messages within your Brokerage through Matrix? This even includes office administrative staff!
If you would like to utilize this feature, simply follow these instructions:
- Log into Matrix
- Hover over the blue Admin tab
- Under News and Calendar click Manage News
- To add a news item to your Brokerage, click Add
- Enter the Start Date
- Enter the Subject
- Enter the Expires date
- Select the Priority
- Type in the message you want. You may adjust the font size, style and colour
- Click Add to make the message live
If you have any questions regarding this feature, please contact the MLS® Support Desk at 905.667.4650
RAHB REALTORS® release March 2019 Statistics
Hamilton, ON (April 1, 2019) – The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,032 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in March, 2019. This is a 1.2 per cent drop from March last year; however, a 40 per cent increase over February 2019 and a 74 per cent increase over January 2019. The average price was up from March 2018 by 4.9 per cent to $575,099.
Please click here to read the full release.
Follow the links below for:
- Residential Market Activity for RAHB Area
- All RAHB Residential Market Activity and HPI Report (17 pages)
- RAHB Residential Market at a Glance
- Social Media Stats Kit
- Stats Map for Entire RAHB Area
- RAHB Commercial Activity
- Historical Chart
Burlington
- Residential Real Estate Market Activity Table for Burlington
- Burlington Market Activity and HPI Report (72 pages)
- Burlington Area Map
Halidmand
- Residential Real Estate Market Activity Table for Haldimand
- Haldimand Market Activity and HPI Report (62 pages)
- Haldimand Area Map
Hamilton
- Residential Real Estate Market Activity Table for Hamilton
- Hamilton Market Activity and HPI Report (199 pages)
- Hamilton Area Map
Niagara North
- Residential Real Estate Market Activity Table for Niagara North
- Niagara North Market Activity and HPI Report (31 pages)
- Niagara North Area Map
CIty of Hamilton Development Charges Update
On February 19 and March 25, the City of Hamilton Development Charges Stakeholder Sub-Committee met to review the proposal for exemptions and changes to the current development charges, and vote as to which changes/exemptions would be put forward for public consultation. RAHB participates within this sub-committee.
There will be a public meeting held on April 18 starting at 9:30 a.m., then recessed until 7 p.m. to ensure members of the public are able to attend and present their delegations.
If you have any objections to the below report or items carried, we encourage you to attend the meeting and provide a delegation with your argument. In order to present a delegation, please visit the City of Hamilton website at https://www.hamilton.ca/council-committee/council-committee-meetings/request-speak-committee-council and complete the required forms.
Below is the link to the full 630 page Development Charges Background Study:
2019 Development Charges Background Study – Full 630 pages
Below is the summary of the report that was presented to the sub-committee:
2019 Development Charges Background Study Summary
Below are the items voted upon and carried:
The Committee considered the staff recommendations and alternative recommendations for the following Development Charges exemption policies:
(i) Parking Structures
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide an exemption for commercial parking.
(ii) Covered Sports Field
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide an exemption for covered sports fields.
(iii) Small Industrial Rate
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide a lower rate for small industrial developments.
(iv) Academic – Post Secondary / Not-for-Profit / Elementary/Secondary
That the 2019 Development Charge By-law continue to charge only the Transit component of the Development Charges for postsecondary academic space.
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide an Academic Space exemption; and,
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law require documentation from developers to support the mandatory exemption as a Crown agent.
(v) Affordable Housing
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide an exemption for affordable housing.
(Note – the removal of the exemption was because the file was moved to another funding agent.)
(vi) Places of Worship
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law provide an exemption for Places of Worship, with clarification that revenue generating space is not exempt.
(vii) Public Hospitals
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide exemptions for public hospitals.
(viii) Downtown Public Art Reserve Voluntary Contributions
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the current exemption for Downtown Public Art Reserve Voluntary Contributions, with an annual limit of $250,000 on the contributions that will be accepted by the City under this program.
(ix) Heritage Buildings
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the current exemption within the existing building envelope except for sections that are not covered by the Heritage designation.
(x) Redevelopment for Residential Facility
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the exemption for Redevelopment for Residential Facility.
(xi) Industrial Rate
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the current exemption, and continue with a 39% reduction, by charging 100% of the water and wastewater charges, and adjusting the percentage charged for services related to a highway component to achieve a combined reduction of 39%.
(xii) Expansion of an Existing Industrial Development
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the 50% Industrial expansion exemption as written in the 2014 Development Charges By-law, as amended.
(xiii) Transition Policy
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the Transition Policy tied to building permit applications.
(xiv) Student Residences
That the exemption for Student Residences be maintained in the 2019 Development Charges By-law until June 30, 2020.
(xv) Agriculture
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law redefine the agriculture definition to exclude cannabis growing and processing, and charge the industrial Development Charge rate.
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide an exemption for farm help houses; and
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law require proof of a farm business registration number to receive the agriculture Development Charge exemption.
(xvi) New Non-Industrial (Commercial/Institutional) Stepped Rates
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law continue stepped rates for office, excluding medical office; continue stepped rates within the City’s CIPA (Community Improvement Plan Areas) and BIA’s (Business Improvement Areas); and, remove stepped rates for all other development.
(xvii) Expansion of Existing Non-Industrial (Commercial/Institutional)
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law only provide a 5,000 square feet exemption for office, excluding medical office; and, remove the exemption for all other non-industrial development.
(xviii) Downtown Hamilton CIPA
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law continue to provide a 70% CIPA exemption for major office developments (Class A – greater than 20,000 square feet gross floor area), whether or not the development is a standalone office;
- That for other development within the Downtown Hamilton
CIPA:
July 6, 2019 – July 5, 2020 60% exemption
July 6, 2020 – July 5, 2021 50% exemption
July 6, 2021 – July 5, 2022 40% exemption
July 6, 2022 – July 5, 2023 40% exemption
July 6, 2023 – July 5, 2024 40% exemption
(iii) That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the same height limits on exemption use; and,
(iv) That the 2019 Development Charges By-law add clarity that the Downtown Hamilton CIPA exemption cannot be combined/stacked with other Development Charge exemptions and that the Downtown Hamilton CIPA exemption will not be applied if other exemptions result in a lower amount payable.
(xix) Laneway Housing
That the 2019 Development Charges By-law exempt laneway housing.
(xx) Non-industrial Uses Charged Industrial Rate
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law not provide the industrial rate for self-storage facilities or hotels; and,
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law provide the industrial rate for film, production and artists’ studios.
(xxi) Other Development Charges Policies
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law maintain the ability to offset Development Charges with an ERASE (Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement Redevelopment Program) grant, and require security through a Development Charge Deferral Agreement; and,
- That the 2019 Development Charges By-law, respecting Deferral Agreements, maintain the existing policy and add:
- That staff be authorized to negotiate extensions of Development Charges Deferral Agreements of up to two years;
- That staff be authorized to enter into Development Charges Deferral Agreements related to Podium Developments to delay timing and applicable rate of Development Charge payment to the issuance of each structure permit (no time limit); and,
- That staff be authorized to enter into zero interest Development Charge Deferral Agreements where a developer is applying their ERASE grant to offset the Development Charges (no time limit).
If you have any questions, please contact Wendy in the RAHB office at wendys@rahb.ca or via phone at 905.529.8101 x295.
RAHB dues deadline March 31
RAHB dues deadline March 31, 2019
The second quarter for 2019 RAHB dues have been billed and e-mailed to you as part of your February monthly invoice. Please note that dues are payable no later than March 31, 2019.
Full Member
$125.00 – RAHB dues (April – June 2019)
$28.75 – OREA dues (April – June 2019)
$77.50 – CREA dues (April to June 2019)
$30.06 – HST
$261.31 – Total
Acceptable methods of Payment are:
In Person: Visa, MasterCard, Interac, cash or cheque
By Phone: Visa or MasterCard
Online through Matrix: Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Visa Debit http://my.rahb.ca
Online: CIBC/PC Financial, Royal Bank, Scotia Bank, TD Canada Trust – for assistance to set-up, please contact Karin at 905.529.8101 x 258 or karinc@rahb.ca
A reminder about notifying RAHB of terminations in your office
Brokerages are responsible for notifying RAHB when members in their office resign or otherwise 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.)
To learn how to pay your invoice online, please watch the video below.
Burlington Heritage Properties Information
It is now possible to check the heritage status of a property online to confirm if it is designated under the Heritage Act and/or listed on the city’s Heritage Register. REALTORS® and members of the public can view an up-to-date list of properties with heritage protection and/or learn about the implications of being a protected (listed and/or designated) property.
There is also information about financial support and incentives for owners of designated heritage properties, including property tax rebates and restoration grants. To view the information, click the button below.
Federal Budget 2019
On March 19, the Federal Government presented the 2019 Budget. Some highlights are below:
An Affordable Place to Call Home
- Make homeownership more affordable for first-time buyers by implementing a First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, a shared equity mortgage program that would reduce the mortgage payments required to own a home; and by providing greater access to their Registered Retirement Savings Plan savings to buy a home.
- Increasing housing supply through partnerships and targeted investments.
- Strengthening Rules and Compliance in Canada’s Housing Market.
- For more information on the above three items, please visit https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/themes/housing-logement-en.html#improving-affordability-today-support-for-first-time-home-buyers.
The Canada Training Benefit
- A new, non-taxable Canada Training Credit to help Canadians with the cost of training fees.
- A new Employment Insurance Training Support Benefit to provide workers with up to four weeks of income support through the Employment Insurance (EI) system.
- New leave provisions to protect workers’ ability to take time away from work to pursue training.
- For more information on the above three items, please visit https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/themes/good-jobs-de-bons-emplois-en.html
A Secure and Dignified Retirement for Canadians
- Improving the economic security of low-income seniors by enhancing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) earning exemption.
- Additional funding for the New Horizons for Seniors Program
- Making sure eligible Canadians receive their pension benefits.
- For information on the above three items, please visit https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/themes/seniors-aines-en.html
Moving Forward on Implementing National Pharmacare
- Introducing the Canadian Drug Agency
- A new national formulary of prescribed drugs
- Making high-cost drugs for rare diseases more accessible
- For more information on the above three items, please visit https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/themes/pharmacare-assurance-medicaments-en.html
For an overview of the entire 2019 Budget, please click below for more information:
Notice to RAHB Members Conducting Business in Oakville
There have been some recent changes to the sign by-laws in Oakville.
The *NEW* Oakville Sign By-Law pertaining to real estate directional signs came into effect on January 1, 2019.
The Sign By-Law permits the placement of up to five (5) real estate signs between 9 .a.m and 9 p.m. If an officer finds that there are more than five (5) open house signs directing traffic to a specific home, then all signs would be retrieved. On occasion, the sign owners may become aware of the retrieval if they personally see the officer retrieve the signs, and will try discuss the situation on-site. If the officer does not come into contact with the sign owner on that day, then the process is undertaken to contact the sign owner. This is done the next business day after the sign pick up, where the officer will provide an explanation about the enforcement that has taken place as well as the pick-up process.
The pick-up process is as follows: appointments can be made with the Town of Oakville on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. The cost to retrieve the signs is set at $59 per sign, as set out in the Rates and Fees Schedule, under the section of Retrieval of Unauthorized Items and Signs. An appointment to retrieve the signs along with the associated payment must be made within seven (7) days of the sign retrieval date. If an appointment and payment is not made during this time, then the sign owner is blacklisted and is not permitted to advertise in the Town of Oakville until all signs are picked up and all associated fees and/or fines are paid. If signs are found on the road after the 8th day, the sign owner would be subject to additional escalating fines associated with contravening the Sign By-Law.
To avoid fees, here are some easy “best practices” when posting Open House signage in the Town of Oakville:
- REALTORS® are allowed up to FIVE (5) signs per Open House.
- Signage can only be displayed between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on the day of your Open House.
- Signage must not block main traffic arteries or be distracting to drivers on the road.
- For Sale signs must be on private property ONLY and must be removed FOURTEEN (14) days after the sale of a property.
Bank of Canada Announcement and Hamilton Event
On Wednesday, March 6, the Bank of Canada announced that it will hold its key interest rate steady at 1.75 percent. The corresponding prime rate at all five of Canada’s big banks is currently sitting at 3.95 percent.
At an event hosted by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, March 7 at the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton, Lynne Patterson, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, provided additional reasoning on the key interest rate hold.
Recent data suggest that the slowdown in the global economy has been more pronounced and widespread than the Bank had forecast in its January Monetary Policy Report.
As a result, Canada will see a weaker first half than was projected by the bank in January. In particular, the following factors were more unsteady than expected:
- Exports and business investment within the energy sector
- Consumer spending
- The housing market
The central bank is projecting total CPI inflation to remain slightly under their target of 2 per cent throughout the entirety of 2019.
To view Lynne Patterson’s full speech from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce event, please click the below button:
Matrix Listing Load – Seller Instructions
If you’ve ever needed a better understanding as to what the seller instructions are for the Martix Listing Load, below are clear instructions.
A Message From Your RAHB President
Dear Member of the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington,
On March 7, 2019 the Board of Directors of RAHB accepted with regret the resignation of Nikola Bucalo as a Director of the Association. We thank Nik for his years of service to RAHB and its members – as a Director, Committee Chair and most recently as President-Elect. We wish him continued success and all the best for him and his family.
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw 3.03, the Board of Directors has appointed Donna Bacher to fill the existing Director vacancy on the Board until December 31, 2019.
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw 10.01, on March 25, 2019, the Board of Directors will be appointing or electing one of the Directors to fill the vacant President-Elect position.
The Board of Directors of RAHB continues to work on behalf of the Association in order to “Empower REALTORS® to Succeed”.
Bob Van de Vrande, B.Comm., M.B.A., B.Ed.
2019 RAHB President
REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington