From Sunday, November 17 to Tuesday, November 19, delegates from RAHB went to Toronto for OREA’s ORP Conference to hear some dynamic speakers and meet with elected officials from within RAHB’s market area. Below are some photos from the conference, as well as information regarding the new legislation that was introduced at Queen’s Park on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.
RAHB delegates (RAHB President Bob Van de Vrande, GR Vice-Chair Dave Zalepa and GR Chair Margaret Reid) had the pleasure of meeting with NDP leader Andrea Horwath, MPP. RAHB provided Ms. Horwath with information about RAHB, as well as information regarding the modernization of REBBA, 2002.
Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2019
Personal Real Estate Corporations.
We have been fighting for them for almost a decade.
For far too long, REALTORS® have not had access to the same tax treatment as most other regulated professions in Ontario and that is finally changing.
The Government of Ontario has just introduced legislation that will modernize the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA). The Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2019, is a game-changing piece of legislation that, once passed, will allow REALTORS® to form Personal Real Estate Corporations.
This is a historic day for Ontario REALTORS® and the buyers and sellers they represent.
In addition to permitting Personal Real Estate Corporations, the Act promises to:
Fix the broken real estate disciplinary system – the provincial regulator, RECO, will have greater ability to suspend or revoke licenses and pursue investigations of the worst offenders.
Create higher education standards– implement specialty certifications for REALTORS® that will allow Ontario consumers to identify REALTORS® who have training or expertise in a particular area of real estate.
Maintain a consumer’s right to choose the REALTOR® they know and trust– continue to permit the practice of multiple representation.
The Act will bring forward a number of other key changes to reflect real estate in Ontario today. OREA will be sharing the details of all the changes with Ontario REALTORS® shortly.
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw Article 14 – Notices, Section 1.02, please find below your electronic copy of the Notice of Election Meeting for the December 4, 2019 Annual Election Meeting.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION MEETING
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre
1555 Upper Ottawa Street, Hamilton
Registration 8:30 a.m. | Meeting: 9:30 a.m.
Click the below button for the complete Notice of Meeting Package (including RAHB Proxy, Standing Rules, and Meeting Minutes for March 27, 2019).
In accordance with RAHB Bylaw Article 5, Section 7.03, the final slate of candidates for the 2020 Board of Directors was being sent to all members on November 20, 2019. Please click on the below button for the report from the Nomination Committee, including the list of six candidates:
Advance electronic voting is available November 26, 27 and 28, 2019 commencing a 12:01 a.m. on the first day and ending at 11:59 p.m. on the last day. Video presentations from the candidates and candidates’ profiles are also available on this site.
To view the candidate videos and to vote, please click the below button:
This year’s Election Meeting will feature CMHC’s Senior Analyst, Anthony Passarelli, who will be speaking on the Housing Market Outlook report that was released on October 24, and providing specific information on the Hamilton-Burlington area.
This is exclusive to RAHB members only, and is free for members who attend and participate in the election meeting. There will be a $10 + HST charge to your RAHB account:
If you pre-register for the meeting and CMHC Housing Market Outlook, but do not attend, and do not cancel prior to Wednesday, November 27, at 4:30 p.m., OR
If you attend the CMHC Housing Market Outlook only.
On the agenda:
Hot breakfast
Presentation of Scholarships in Memory of Karan Barker
On October 30 and November 8, RAHB volunteers participated in a Habitat for Humanity Halton and Hamilton Build Day, respectively.
The October 30 Build Day with Habitat for Humanity Halton was in conjunction with RAHB’s $38,763.35 donation through HOAP, which was funded by RAHB REALTORS®. The Habitat for Humanity Halton Build Day featured nine fantastic RAHB volunteers who worked together to put up drywall.
Also, RAHB was asked by Habitat for Humanity Hamilton to come back to their Waterdown Build Site to help put up a special type of fence that helps to reduce the sound coming from Highway 5. This November 8 Build Day featured seven amazing RAHB volunteers who braved weather as low as -5 degrees!
Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time in RAHB’s three Build Days to help create stable and affordable housing in Hamilton and Burlington this year.
Below are buttons with resources that you can download to give to your clients to make them feel as prepared as possible. Please click the buttons below to download a list of what to bring to the first meeting with a mortgage specialist, as well as a list of key terms that they may hear when purchasing a home:
Twenty years after it first premiered on September 30, 1999, HGTV’s House Hunters continues to offer an idealized glimpse into a far from the truth process of purchasing one’s first home.
On House Hunters we tend to see either the classic nuclear family that is looking to move onto bigger and better things compared to their first family home or the newlyweds looking to move into a house that reflects their respective parents’ homes. In summary, shows like House Hunters create an on-screen utopia that far from mimics the current housing market; as well as, perpetuates many of the classic myths about first-time home buyers.
More often than not, shows on HGTV have a first-time home buyer couple with a very modest budget accompanied by what can be imagined as a very modest income. While at the same time, this couple wants a granite counter-top, a pool in the back yard, a walk-in closet and finally, enough bedrooms for their growing family — all within their modest budget.
However, this is not the reality for most first-time home buyers today. While speaking with a mortgage specialist from TD Bank, he argued that first-time home buyers today have normalized expectations because of the stress test. Although first-time home buyers are used to living in their parents’ homes, they understand the importance of not being “mortgage poor.”
As REALTORS®, it is important to continue to de-bunk myths perpetuated by the media. A great way to accomplish this is to help your client be as prepared as possible when going to their first meeting with a mortgage specialist.
Currently, Canadians are struggling to find affordable housing options close to their workplace and family. As a result, the conversation about “affordable housing” has become a reoccurring topic for all the levels of government. As a result, it is important to ensure that when talking about affordable housing, the proper terminology is being used when speaking towards housing that is affordable vs. social housing.
According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and RAHB, spending more than 30 per cent of before tax income on housing is unaffordable. It does not solely refer to social or subsidized housing. RAHB is advocating for elected officials and governments to use the proper terminology of “affordable housing” in policies and officials documents, and when speaking to the media.
Secondary suites are an untapped market that enables homeowners to create affordable rental spaces. The creation of affordable rental units will help to stimulate the rental market, while also helping to reduce the homeowner’s expenses.
Dr. Frank Clayton, senior research fellow, Center for Urban Land Research and Development at Ryerson University, argues that secondary suites are the most cost-effective way to create rental units. Below are the estimated costs* to create a rental unit:
Secondary Suite in Existing Dwelling = $55,000
High-end Downtown Area = $425,680
Median Central (Not Downtown) = $345,746
Basic Fringe = $242,623
Non-Profit = $229,00 – $266,000
* The above costs are based on the Toronto Market Area.
A secondary suite is a great way for a first-time home buyer client to help subsidize monthly mortgage payments, while at the same time, helping to create more affordable rental units within the RAHB area.
However, to create a legal rental unit within the RAHB market area has become increasingly difficult. Thus, it is important that as REALTORS® you continue to speak about the importance of secondary suites and how they can help the RAHB market areas become more affordable not just for first-time home buyers, but for everyone.
For more information about affordable and social housing, please click the button below:
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,145 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in October 2019. October sales are up from September and August, as well as up from October 2018 by 6.4 per cent. The average price for residential properties increased by 7.1 per cent from October 2018 to $602,029.
Officially launched in September, the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive was created to help qualified first-time home buyers reduce their monthly mortgage payments. Overall, the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive was created to make owning a home for the first-time a reality.
So, how does the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive actually work?
The incentive is not interest-bearing and does not require ongoing payments. The incentive helps to create a more affordable monthly mortgage payment for the first-time home buyer. The Government of Canada will offer incentives for:
5% of a first-time buyer’s purchase of a re-sale home
5% or 10% for a first-time buyer’s purchase of a new construction
It is important to remember that the first-time home buyer will need to repay the incentive. The first-time home buyer can repay the incentive in full at any time or if the property is sold after 25 years — whichever happens first. The repayment of the incentive is based on the property’s current fair market value, multiplied by the incentive percentage amount:
If they received a 5% incentive and the value of the home increased to $300,000, the payback would be $15,000
If they received a 10% incentive and the value of the home decreased to $150,000, the payback would be $15,000
How to know if your client can actually qualify for the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive?
Are they a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a non-permanent resident who is legally authorized to work in Canada?
Do they have a maximum qualifying household income of $120,000 per year?
Is at least one borrower is a first-time home buyer?
Additionally, a first-time home buyer can come in many different forms:
Has never purchased a home before
Experiencing a breakdown of a marriage or common-law partnership
In the last four years, did not occupy a home with a current spouse or common-law partner that either owned.
Please click the button below for more information on the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive:
On Monday night, Canadians elected a Liberal minority government lead by Justin Trudeau. This is Justin Trudeau’s second consecutive term as Prime Minister with the Liberal Party; however, he will need to negotiate support from at least one other party in order to pass any legislation this time around.
Those elected to represent in the RAHB ridings are:
Hamilton Centre: Matthew Green* – NDP
Hamilton Mountain: Scott Duvall – NDP
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek: Bob Bratina – Liberal
Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas: Filomena Tassi – Liberal
Flamborough-Glanbrook: David Sweet – Conservative
Burlington: Karina Gould – Liberal
Oakville North-Burlington: Pam Damoff – Liberal
Milton: Adam van Koeverden* – Liberal
Niagara West: Dean Allison – Conservative
Haldimand-Norfolk: Diane Finley – Conservative
*These newly-elected MPs are the only new faces for the RAHB market area ridings. All the others are incumbents.
Please see below for the contact information for your Members of Parliament:
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,020 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in September 2019. September sales are down from August and July, but are up over September 2018 by 3.2 per cent. The average price for residential properties increased by 8.5 per cent from September 2018 to $609,562.
Hamilton, ON (September 3, 2019) – The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,067 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in August 2019. August sales are down from July and June of this year, as well as August of 2018; however, the 2019 year-to-date number of sales is up 10.2 per cent over 2018. The average price for residential properties increased by 6.4 per cent from August 2018 to $599,589.
Hamilton, ON (August 1, 2019) – The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,170 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in July 2019. This is a 10.3 per cent increase from July last year; however, a 2.7 per cent decrease over June 2019 and a 12.9 per cent decrease from May 2019. The average price for residential properties increased by 0.9 per cent from July 2018 to $593,702.
