Dear fellow RAHB members,
I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful summer. It’s been a few weeks since my last update, so I thought I would highlight a few things happening at RAHB and within the real estate profession.
RECO & REBBA, 2002
You may have recently read about a broker in Cambridge who conducted their business unethically, and the resulting repercussions from the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). Since it is important for our clients and the general public to understand that we do not tolerate such behaviour, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Hamilton Spectator stating that we believe individuals who are found guilty of severe ethical violations and illegal business activity have no place in the real estate profession. I also reiterated the significance of three recommendations made by OREA to modernize the 17-year-old legislation that governs REBBA (the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act of 2002). For the entire letter to the editor, please click the below button.
CEO SELECTION
Our CEO Selection Committee is working on schedule, with the final candidate evaluation and assessment expected to be completed by the end of August.
I would like to again thank the interim CEOs – Kim and Carolyn – for providing great leadership during this time of transition. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would also like to extend our thanks to our very dedicated RAHB staff, who have been working diligently to ensure there is no gap in service to RAHB members.
DATA SHARING
Your Board of Directors is spending a considerable amount of time investigating options that will enable RAHB to provide more MLS® data to our members. This work requires careful consideration, thorough research, and confidential discussions with other real estate organizations.
I would like to emphasize again that our Board is committed to not only maintaining existing data-sharing relationships but also to evaluating and further enhancing data-sharing opportunities. It is vital to all of us at RAHB and it remains our current primary focus.
On a related matter, we’ve heard comments and questions on why all REALTORS® are not required to inter-board onto the MLS® of the board or association where their listing is geographically located. I agree that this would be beneficial; however, RAHB cannot:
- force non-members to list/inter-board on our MLS®,
- force non-members to abide by our rules, regulations or policy, or
- dictate to REALTORS® how or how not to conduct their business.
Unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation and not something RAHB can act on unilaterally. As a result, we are looking at other options to achieve the same objective of comprehensive gap-free data.
Thank you again for your feedback through the TREB Data Survey, as well as informally at RAHB events. Your input is valuable and we appreciate your willingness to get involved by expressing your comments and ideas.
Bob Van de Vrande, B.Comm., M.B.A., B.Ed.
2019 RAHB President
REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington