Feb 23, 2021 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
This is an important reminder changes are coming to REALTOR.ca DDF® data feeds on April 1, 2021.
For years, REALTOR.ca DDF® has made it easier for REALTORS® to showcase listings on their personal website through data feeds.
Due to the technical nature of setting up these data feeds, most REALTORS® enlist a technology provider’s help to set up and maintain the data feeds on their website. More than 650 technology providers currently work with REALTORS® across Canada and have access to data feeds, and supporting services, with no associated fees.
To ensure CREA offers the best—and only—national data feeds to our members, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is introducing a tiered pricing model for technology providers to access feeds and supporting services. The pricing model is structured to allow technology providers of all sizes to continue to provide their services to REALTORS® without interruption. This pricing model also better aligns with current market standards for data services and will allow CREA to provide REALTOR.ca DDF® data feeds for the long term. This new fee structure for technology providers will come into effect on April 1, 20201.
By introducing new charges to technology providers, CREA understands members may be impacted through increased service prices or technology providers choosing not to provide service anymore.
In the rare case of disruptions or rate increases, they have a complete list of technology providers who can ensure your website can continue receiving listings from REALTOR.ca DDF®.
To view the list of technology providers, please click here.
Dec 7, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
The Legacy version of CREA WEBForms® will be discontinued on December 17, 2020 and members will no longer have access to it. To learn how to migrate your transactions from the Legacy version of CREA WEBForms® please watch the below video.
More information about CREA WEBForms®:
➤ Your CREA WEBForms® Questions, Answered: CREA’s Relationship Training Manager Lynn St-Germain answers your most-asked CREA WEBForms® questions.
➤ Register for a free live webinar with a CREA product expert who can walk you through using the new platform and help you become a pro.
The Member Support Team is here to help. You can reach them by phone: 1‑888‑237‑7945 or by email: support@crea.ca.
Extended Member Support Team hours for CREA WEBForms®:
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to midnight (EST)
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST)
Nov 20, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
For years, REALTOR.ca DDF® has made it easier for REALTORS® to showcase listings on their personal website through data feeds.
Due to the technical nature of setting up these data feeds, most REALTORS® enlist a technology provider’s help to set up and maintain the data feeds on their website. More than 500 technology providers currently work with REALTORS® across Canada and have access to data feeds, and supporting services, with no associated fees.
To ensure CREA continues to offer the best—and only—national data feeds to members, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is introducing a tiered pricing model for technology providers to access feeds and supporting services. The pricing model is structured to allow technology providers of all sizes to continue to provide their services to REALTORS® without interruption. This pricing model also better aligns with current market standards for data services and will allow CREA to provide REALTOR.ca DDF® data feeds for the long term. This new fee structure for technology providers will come into effect on April 1, 2021.
Please note: data feeds are still and always will be free for members. Charges will only be applied to technology providers, as per the new pricing model.
By introducing new charges to technology providers, CREA understands members may be impacted through increased service prices or technology providers choosing not to provide service anymore.
In the rare case of disruptions or rate increases, a complete list of technology providers who can ensure websites can continue receiving listings from REALTOR.ca DDF® has been provided.
**See the list of Technology Providers**
Please contact boardsupport@crea.ca with any questions.
Nov 3, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) will discontinue the Legacy version of WEBForms® as of December 17, 2020.
There are some members who use CREA WEBForms® Legacy to download or view older transactions and files. To ensure nothing is lost, CREA will communicate with members through e-mail, social media and online, encouraging them to download all the files from the Legacy version they need and migrate their kits to the new CREA WEBForms® as soon as possible.
To do so members will need to log in to CREA WEBForms®.
Members can learn how to migrate their transaction kits by watching our step by step how-to video: Migrate transactions from CREA WEBForms® Legacy. They can also register for a free CREA WEBForms® webinar with one of our experts.
The new CREA WEBForms® is a complete transaction management system offering REALTORS® the ability to do everything without leaving the platform, including sharing documents and templates with everyone in their office.
Training resources and support articles are available to all members on CREA’s Learning Hub.
CREA will send a reminder notice later this year to ensure members download or transfer all the information they need from the Legacy version before it’s discontinued.
If you have any questions, contact Member Support by phone at 1-888-237-7945 or email at support@crea.ca.
Extended Member Support team hours for CREA WEBForms®:
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to midnight (EST)
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST)
Jun 2, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
CREA is aware and investigating reports of a phishing email campaign targeting members of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).
The subject line of this fraudulent email is “Violation of Crea code of conduct” and it appears to be sent from info@crea.ca. The email states, “We hereby inform you that you have violated CREA standard code of conducts. The facts of the case before you are in the documents attached in the email.”
The email also has a zip attachment, which seems to be infected.
If you receive a similar email, please do not click on any links, open any attachments or reply to the message. Delete the email immediately. It was not sent from CREA staff.
While CREA continues to take steps to help mitigate and investigate different fraudulent activities, unfortunately, fraudulent emails remain rampant in many industries. As always, please be vigilant when opening emails. CREA recommends that you:
– Delete unsolicited emails.
– Hover over a link to confirm its legitimacy before you click to see where the email is coming from.
– Do not open attachments from an account you don’t know.
If you have received a phishing email, please contact Member Support at support@crea.ca.
May 7, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) has issued new guidance and policy interpretations REALTORS® must abide by to satisfy compliance with Regime requirements.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) continues to support REALTORS® by providing tools and resources to assist in complying to Regime obligations.
As a result, CREA has updated its FINTRAC compliance materials to reflect:
• Scanned or photocopied documentation may now be used as part of the dual process method of identification. Previously, only original documentation could be used. This change makes it easier for REALTORS® to identify their clients remotely. No in-person meetings are required. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a timely modernization reflective of CREA’s lobbying efforts in 2019.
• FINTRAC’s updated guidance on terrorist property lists.
• A new deadline for suspicious transactions as a result of a change in the law. The new deadline is “as soon as practicable” after measures have been taken to enable a REALTOR® to establish there are reasonable grounds to suspect the transaction or attempted transaction is related to the commission of a money laundering offence or a terrorist activity financing offence.
• The addition of a “wire transfer” check box in CREA’s template receipt of funds record.
• Other minor changes.
FINTRAC has committed to “a reasonable and flexible approach with respect to the implementation of recent regulatory amendments.”
Revised materials, which incorporate the changes, are now available on REALTOR Link®. Revised forms will be posted on CREA WEBForms® starting May 15, 2020.
Further to this, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, FINTRAC announced on April 23, 2020 that REALTORS® are temporarily allowed to verify their clients’ identities using government-issued photo identification over video conferencing technology where the use of the dual process method or credit file methods of identification are not available. Effective immediately, in such circumstances, a REALTOR® can ask their clients to display their driver’s licenses on video using programs such as Zoom or FaceTime, and rely on their judgement to verify the authenticity of the ID being displayed. However, REALTORS® that rely on this method should keep a record of why it was not possible to verify that client’s identity using traditional methods of identification. They should also keep a record of all clients identified using the temporary flexibility in order to re-verify their identity in accordance with the law when the physical distancing measures have been lifted by public health authorities.
As stated earlier, this is a temporary measure. Despite its temporary status, additional flexibility for identifying clients is welcome and provides REALTORS® with more options to safely meet their legal obligations. Given that the use of video conferencing technology for client verification is something CREA has advocated for years, we will continue to press the government and FINTRAC to maintain this position, once the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has subsided.
If you have any questions, please contact support@crea.ca.
Mar 3, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
OREA is seeking qualified REALTOR(S)® in Ontario to represent OREA on: the sale of the real property wherein OREA’s head office is currently located (99 Duncan Mill Road); the purchase of real property suitable for OREA’s head office given OREA’s pending downsizing from its current head office property; and, if necessary, any interim lease required to fill the gap between the sale of OREA’s current head office building and OREA’s use of the new head office location.
Interested Proponents can now visit the OREA Request for Proposal: REALTOR® Services For OREA Building Purchase and Sale (the “RFP”) web site at www.orea.com/buildingrfp. Access to this web site is limited to OREA members only.
As a precondition to submitting a response to this RFP (a “Proposal”), each Proponent must:
- Register their intent to submit a Proposal by filing the provided Notice of Intent to Respond form with OREA; and
- Sign and register the provided Confidentiality and Protection of Personal Information Agreement with OREA.
Both of these documents must be registered with OREA via email by 3 p.m. EST on March 9, 2020 as set out in section 1.4 of the RFP or as otherwise specified by OREA.
If you do not file the Notice of Intent to Respond and Confidentiality and Protection of Personal Information Agreement in full compliance with section 1.4 and 1.5 of the RFP your Proposal may be disqualified by OREA for purposes of this RFP.
The RFP Proposal submission deadline will be 3 p.m. EST on March 31, 2020.
The above dates are subject to change in OREA’s sole and absolute discretion and any date change(s) shall be communicated by OREA via e-mail. OREA may consider, not consider, deny and/or grant any request for extension of a deadline in its sole and absolute discretion.
All questions on the RFP process and related documents must be directed to the following OREA contact person:
Natasha Lemire-Blair, Vice President Membership and Technology
Email: Natasha@orea.com with copy to buildingrfp@orea.com
Feb 5, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
Please note that this message is sent on behalf of CREA. All comments will be directed to RAHB staff. To message CREA please e-mail support@crea.ca or call 1-888-237-7945
CREA and Lone Wolf Technologies, want to apologize for the inconvenience and consequent stress the WEBForms® transition has caused. CREA acknowledges the launch of WEBForms® has made the platform difficult for members to use and negatively impacted REALTORS®’ ability to conduct business.
CREA is actively working to resolve these issues and to improve this multi-faceted platform so WEBForms® becomes a product members can trust and depend on.
CREA wants to be more transparent about the status of specific fixes and adjustments they are working on. With this in mind, they have created the WEBForms® Status Hub to provide updates on the solutions and improvements in progress. This hub will also show past solutions and improvements that have been implemented already.
Click the button below to stay up to date on WEBForms® issue resolutions and upcoming improvements.
WEBForms® Status Hubs
CREA encourages you to bookmark this page as it will be updated regularly with the status of these fixes.
CREA thanks you for your patience.
Questions? Contact Member Support
If you have any questions, you can reach CREA WEBForms® support team by emailing support@crea.ca or by calling at 1-888-237-7945. The CREA WEBForms® Member Support hours have also been extended to the following times:
Monday to Friday—8 p.m. to midnight (EST)
Saturday and Sunday—8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST)
Jan 31, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
CREA, with their partner Lonewolf, has managed to resolve some issues that have been reported regarding WebForms®, and CREA is also aware of other issues that still need to be addressed. CREA is working diligently to roll out fixes to forms and enhancements to the software.
Fixes and changes that have been implemented to date:
- When users are adding clauses to certain forms, the software now accommodates the overflow text by automatically adding pages as required at the bottom of the form;
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- Some users reported receiving an error message when they entered an MLS® number, meaning certain listings weren’t being found by the system for auto-population into forms. CREA has made some programming adjustments so that members won’t be met with the same error going forward;
- The system disabled out-of-date forms within templates to protect the user from creating a transaction with an out-of-date form. Unfortunately, this meant that users had to remove the disabled form, replace it with the new version and reinsert their clauses. This functionality was changed, and new forms will now automatically replace the old versions within user templates while retaining the content the user had saved in the old version of the form;
- CREA has made hundreds of adjustments to various forms across the country with respect to both formatting and auto-population based on user feedback.
Thanks to feedback from across the country, there is a list of software enhancements that CREA is working on with Lonewolf, such as:
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- No longer automatically increasing font sizes when printing or e-mailing documents. However, when necessary, the software will continue to shrink fonts to not lose any content (Legacy WEBForms® would simply truncate the text, leaving content out of documents);
- The Form Editor will be enhanced, making it easier to insert clauses throughout your documents, and provide a more seamless flow between pages;
- Users will be able to download editable forms, and with their own editor tool they will have the ability to edit the forms offline;
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- The Clause Manager tool will be overhauled to include features such as the ability to insert date and time pickers directly into the clauses, as well as other improvements to the formatting capabilities;
- The User Interface itself will see some changes to improve the intuitiveness of the icons and the general workflow.
Please continue to let CREA know when you encounter challenges or issues with the new CREA WEBForms®. CREA’s Members Support Centre can bereached by phone at 1-888-237-7945 or by e-mailing support@crea.ca.
CREA provides WEBForms® support until Midnight EST on weekdays, and until 10 p.m. EST on weekends.
Jan 20, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
PLEASE NOTE: This message is posted by RAHB on behalf of CREA. The comments are monitored by RAHB staff and if you have any feedback for CREA you can reach them at support@crea.ca or 1-888-237-7945
CREA has two new updates about WEBForms®.
1) “Add page” function working
CREA WEBForms® experienced a technical issue last weekend with some of the new 2020 Ontario forms. When the “Add page” function was selected, the content of the form was removed when the form reloaded. This issue was resolved Monday, January 6, and content now remains when a new page is added to a form.
2) Old Ontario forms replaced
With the release of the new 2020 Ontario forms previous versions of those forms were removed from any existing templates that had been created. In the past, users would have had to manually replace any forms that have been updated and redo any content they had entered in the old version of those forms.
CREA is currently working through the revised list of forms and are automatically replacing them while retaining the previous content in your templates.
While CREA continues to prioritize forms by popularity and those requiring additional user-entered content (for example, Form 100), 20 of the most popular forms have been replaced.
CREA will continue to automatically replace the old versions of the forms within your templates over the next couple of weeks. If you find old versions of forms within your templates are no longer available when you create a transaction you can still manually add the new version of the form you require to your transaction.
Moving forward, anytime a new version of a form is released, that new version will automatically be replaced within a template and will retain any information the user had included in the previous version of the form.
CREA apologizes for the challenges this created over the last few days when working on contracts with your clients and other team members.
Thank you for your patience and ongoing support as CREA work through the growing pains of a new system. Please continue to let CREA know when you encounter challenges with the new CREA WEBForms®.
If you have any questions, CREA Member Support Team is here to help. You can reach them by email at support@crea.ca or by phone at 1-888-237-7945.
CREA WEBForms® Member Support extended hours:
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. (EST)
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST)
Jan 8, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
We have two new updates to inform you about CREA WEBForms®.
1) “Add page” function working
CREA WEBForms® experienced a technical issue last weekend with some of the new 2020 Ontario forms. When the “Add page” function was selected, the content of the form was removed when the form reloaded. This issue was resolved Monday, January 6, and content now remains when a new page is added to a form.
2) Old Ontario forms replaced
With the release of the new 2020 Ontario forms previous versions of those forms were removed from any existing templates that had been created. In the past, users would have had to manually replace any forms that have been updated and redo any content they had entered in the old version of those forms.
We’re currently working through the revised list of forms and are automatically replacing them while retaining the previous content in your templates.
While we continue to prioritize forms by popularity and those requiring additional user-entered content (for example, Form 100), 20 of the most popular forms have been replaced.
We will continue to automatically replace the old versions of the forms within your templates over the next couple of weeks. If you find old versions of forms within your templates are no longer available when you create a transaction you can still manually add the new version of the form you require to your transaction.
Moving forward, anytime a new version of a form is released, that new version will automatically be replaced within a template and will retain any information the user had included in the previous version of the form.
We apologize for the challenges this created over the last few days when working on contracts with your clients and other team members.
Thank you for your patience and ongoing support as we work through the growing pains of a new system. Please continue to let us know when you encounter challenges with the new CREA WEBForms®.
If you have any questions, our Member Support Team is here to help. You can reach them by email at support@crea.ca or by phone at 1-888-237-7945.
CREA WEBForms® Member Support extended hours:
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. (EST)
Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST)
Jan 7, 2020 | CREA/OREA/RECO News |
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is seeking experienced and skilled REALTORS® to put their names forward as candidates for the 2020-2021 Board of Directors. As part of the application, you will have an opportunity to include any additional materials you would like displayed on REALTOR Link® to support your candidacy application (eg. letters of reference, resume, photo, etc.). The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 21, 2020.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
Director-at-Large:
There are three Director-at-Large positions available (each for a two-year term).
Regional Director:
There are four Regional Director positions available (each for a two-year term)–one from each of the following regions: Alberta/Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Atlantic Region (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador).
QUALIFICATIONS OF DIRECTORS:
Persons wishing to be elected either as a Director-at-Large or a Regional Director must:
- Be a REALTOR® member;
- Have been a REALTOR® member for at least five (5) years;
- Have a minimum of three (3) years’ experience within the last ten (10) years sitting on a Board of Directors of a Canadian not-for-profit corporation or a public body;
- Otherwise not be disqualified by the Act;
- In the case of a Regional Director, be licensed in that region;
- If elected, must have completed leadership courses as set out in CREA policy within one year of being elected and
- Complete the candidacy documents in the form provided by CREA
The deadline for candidate submissions is Friday, February 21, 2020.
The Director-at-Large elections will take place at CREA’s Annual General Meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. The Regional Director elections will take place prior to the CREA AGM at a time and place to be determined.
Click here to be a part of the future of real estate in Canada!
