Sep 1, 2016 | RAHB News |
The REALTORS Association of Hamilton-Burlington extends a warm welcome to its newest members from July 23 to August 19.
Naseem Isaac
Apex Results Realty Inc.
Melissa DeMartino
Mickee Singh
Century 21 New Age Realty Inc.
David McCreath
Stephanie Doan-Lynds
Joseph Crespo
Kamila Rose
Sharon Adye-White
ComFree Commonsense Network
Rupinder Klair
Homelife Professionals Realty Inc.
Omar Khan
IPRO Realty Ltd.
Ryan Colantino
Arro Hossain
Jason McKnight
Keller Williams Complete Realty Inc.
Damian Baker
Tanya Idzanovic
Keller Williams Edge Realty Inc.
Susan Lancaster
Christy D’Oliveira
Keller Williams Realty Solutions Inc.
Mayson Sukru
Leedex Realty Inc.
Gina Kiriakopoulos
PC275 Realty Inc.
Mike Thibodeau
Realty Network: 100 Inc.
Brian DosRamos
Dorothy Heaslip
Rochelle Decker
Catherine Kosyk
RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc.
Muhammad Akmal
Right At Home Realty Inc.
Angela MacLeod
Justin Johnson
Royal LePage State Realty Inc., Brokerage
Sep 1, 2016 | RAHB News |
The quarterly RAHB dues have been billed and e-mailed to you as part of your August monthly invoice. Please note that dues are payable no later than September 30, 2016.
Acceptable methods of Payment are:
In Person: Visa, MasterCard, Interac, cash or cheque
By Phone: Visa or MasterCard
Online through Fusion: Visa, MasterCard or AMEX
Online: CIBC/PC Financial, Royal Bank, Scotia Bank, TD Canada Trust – for assistance in set-up, please contact Karin at 905.529.8101 x258.
Pre-Authorized payment subscribers will be processed on Wednesday September 21, 2016.
*To meet the Senior Membership criteria, you must be 65 years of age and a 25-year RAHB member. If you meet the criteria, please contact Camryn in the Membership Department with proof of age (e.g. driver’s license) – camrynh@rahb.ca or by fax to 905.529.4349.
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.)
Sep 1, 2016 | RAHB News |
Now that September has rolled around, we at RAHB are getting ready for a busy fall season, as I am sure you are as well.
First on the agenda are Open Forum meetings scheduled for three communities in our market area – Grimsby (September 28), Dunnville (October 4) and Caledonia (October 11). These are informal meetings where you tell us what you would like to talk about, and we will discuss what’s going on at RAHB. RAHB’s Member Engagement Committee is planning and hosting these meetings, and hopes that you will be there to share information and for the opportunity to network with your fellow RAHB members. Look for further details in this issue of REALINFO. You might want to know that I have heard something about door prizes – one more reason to attend!
Professional Development Days are next up, occurring from October 12-14. This is a great opportunity to take courses on topics that will help you both personally and professionally. There is more information about the PD days in this issue of REALINFO. Be sure to register early so you get in on the free registration; the cut-off date is September 23.
RAHB’s Annual REALTORS®4Kids Charity Auction is taking place on Thursday, November 17. This is an event that truly shows the charitable spirit of RAHB members, and it’s also an evening of entertainment, friendly rivalry in bidding for amazing auction items, and networking. I have seen some of the live auction items and I can assure you it will be another great event.
RAHB’s Annual Election Meeting is coming up on Wednesday, November 30. The election is your opportunity to have a say in how your association is governed. By now, you should have received the first announcement about the upcoming election including the schedule for all activities around nominations, hearing from and meeting the candidates, and voting. You will receive more information in the coming weeks. I hope you will take the opportunity to nominate a candidate as a Director (maybe you!), watch videos made by the candidates, come out and meet the candidates, and vote. And make sure you plan to attend the Annual Election Meeting to hear the results of the election and watch the new Board being sworn in. We have some other business on the agenda as well, so I hope you will be there.
The fall is also the time for you to consider who of the REALTORS® you know would be suitable nominees for RAHB’s three service awards – the Award of Merit, Volunteer of the Year and Outstanding Community Service. These awards are all about members recognizing other members for their achievements and service to RAHB, the real estate profession and the community. There is more information about these prestigious awards in the Services Spotlight column of this issue of REALINFO, and you will be hearing more about them in the weeks ahead.
While you work in your busy fall real estate market, please make time to take in the activities that RAHB offers for you. Thanks for being a member of RAHB!
Best regards,
George
Aug 23, 2016 | REALTORS Care® |
RAHB Annual Charity Auction
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Michelangelo Event & Conference Centre
1555 Upper Ottawa, Hamilton
$60/ticket $600/table of 10
To purchase your ticket(s) or for more information contact Sheila
at sheilas@rahb.ca, 905.529.8101 x234
Aug 23, 2016 | Member Services |
Mark your Calendars!
Friday, December 2, 2016
Scottish Rite Club
4 Queen St. S., Hamilton
with speaker Jason Thorne, General Manager
of Planning and Economic Development,
City of Hamilton
Stay tuned for further details!
Aug 5, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,487 sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in July. Sales were 8.3 per cent lower than the same month last year.
There were 1,703 properties listed in July, a decrease of 13.9 per cent compared to July of last year.
“The numbers of sales are lower than last July’s, but the hot real estate market in the Greater Hamilton-Burlington area continues,” said RAHB CEO George O’Neill. “Sales are 13.2 per cent higher than the 10-year average, while listings are 7.5 per cent lower than the average, indicating a continued undersupply of available properties to meet demand.”
Seasonally adjusted* sales of residential properties were 1.6 per cent lower than the same month last year, with the average sale price up 12.7 per cent for the month. Seasonally adjusted numbers of new listings were 9.2 per cent lower than July of 2015.
Actual overall residential sales of 1,438 units were 7.9 per cent lower than the same month last year. Residential freehold sales were 6.9 per cent lower than July of 2015 while sales in the condominium market decreased by 12.1 per cent.
The median price of freehold properties increased by 11.3 per cent over the same month last year while the median price for condominium properties increased by 10.2 per cent compared to the same period.
The average price of freehold properties showed an increase of 13.2 per cent compared to July of last year; the average sale price in the condominium market increased by 8.7 per cent when compared to the same period.
Average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold through the RAHB MLS® System. Average sale price can be useful in establishing long term trends, but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. Contact a REALTOR® for information about your area or property.
The average days on market decreased from 33 to 24 days in the freehold market and from 30 to 27 days in the condominium market, compared to July of last year.
“It is a tight market right now,” noted RAHB President Kim Alvarez. “With just a little over a month of residential listing inventory, it can be challenging for buyers to find the home that’s right for them. Hiring a REALTOR® is always the best strategy when you are buying or selling, and is especially important in this type of market.”
Every community in RAHB’s market area has its own localized market. Please refer to the accompanying chart, and contact a REALTOR® for more information.
*Seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal variations, enabling analysis of monthly changes and fundamental trends in the data.
Aug 5, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
Aug 5, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
RAHB Average Price by District – (#) Residential Unit Sales
Hamilton
Hamilton West, 10 – 12
Hamilton East, 23, 24, 27 – 29
Hamilton Centre, 13, 14, 20 – 22
Hamilton Mountain, 15 – 18, 25 & 26
Burlington, 30 – 36, 38
Outlying
Flamborough, 40, 43 – 45
Dundas, 41
Ancaster, 42
Waterdown, 46
Stoney Creek, 50 – 52
Glanbrook, 53
Grimsby, 54 -55
West Lincoln, 56
Smithville, 57
Dunnville, 61
Cayuga, 62
Calendonia/Hagersville, 63 & 70
Onieda/Seneca, 71 & 64
Rainham, 65
Canborough/Dunn, 60
Aug 5, 2016 | Member Services |
Aug 4, 2016 | Member Services |
Held at RAHB – 505 York Blvd.
Lower Level: C – Chambers Room M – McCullough Room
First floor: T – Thompson Room P – Purnell Room
Computer
- New Member Computer Training Level 1
Thursday, August 11: C, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, August 18: C, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Professional Development
- Staging Sells – FREE
Wednesday, August 24: M, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Price Indexing
Wednesday, October 26: M, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Top Ten Tax Traps a Real Estate Professional Should Avoid – FREE
Thursday, October 27: M, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Certification/Designation Courses
- e-PRO® Day 1 – NEW
Thursday, August 18: M, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Note: Day 2 is completed online)
- REIC: 2280 – Legal Issues
Tuesday, October 18 & Wednesday, October 19: M,
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. both days
- SRS – Seller Representative Specialist
Monday, October 24 & Tuesday, October 25: M,
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. both days
OREA Articling Course
- Real Property Law
Wednesday August 3 to Friday August 5 and
Wednesday August 10 to Friday August 12: M,
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Board of Directors, Committee and Task Force Meetings
- Government Relations
Tuesday, August 9: T, 9:30 a.m.
- Auction
Wednesday, August 10: T, 11:30 a.m.
Upcoming Events
- REALTORS®4Kids — Annual Charity Auction
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre
1555 Upper Ottawa St., Hamilton
(Tickets must be purchased in advance)
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Office Closure
The RAHB office will be closed
Monday, September 5 – Labour Day
Aug 4, 2016 | Member Services |
Aug 4, 2016 | RAHB News |
Last month I took a look back at what had been accomplished at RAHB in the first half of this year. Now I’d like to focus on the second half of the year and, of course, the regional MLS® System is still the big story as we are approaching completion.
At their June 30 meeting, the RAHB Board of Directors decided that, instead of giving up management of our MLS® System by fully cutting over to the regional Matrix system, RAHB would instead upgrade our Fusion system to our own Matrix system. This system will be compatible with the regional one – and put in place listing sharing with all regional boards/associations. This approach will still achieve the original goal of the regional initiative but in a way that mitigates risks for RAHB members. The goal is for RAHB and all regional REALTORS® to be able to access active and sold listing information from across the region. The Directors came to this decision after comparing the benefits of continuing with our own MLS® system for RAHB against the risks of adopting the governance of ORTIS, the governing body of the regional system. Our Board’s decision was on the side of protecting RAHB members; therefore we have now entered Phase 2 of sharing regional MLS® data.
We understand that there has been some inaccurate information distributed about this approach, and I want to be very clear about what has and has not transpired.
First, what has NOT transpired:
RAHB has NOT left the Regional MLS® System. We are still uploading MLS® listing information from Fusion to the regional Matrix system every 15 minutes and RAHB members can still access all listing information in that Matrix system. We intend to continue working with ORTIS and the regional boards and associations going-forward.
RAHB has NOT taken this route because we want to “control” ORTIS and the Regional MLS® System. In fact, RAHB has gone to great pains to attempt to bring more equitable decision-making to the ORTIS organization so that no one board or association can be disadvantaged by majority decisions that do not suit their association or cannot be afforded by their association.
What HAS transpired:
The original goal of sharing MLS® active listing and sold data among the regional real estate boards and associations has been met in the current regional Matrix system. We are now considering this to be Phase 1, and it’s a major achievement benefiting RAHB and all regional REALTORS®.
RAHB’s Directors had concerns about the risks posed by the business and financial models developing at ORTIS, the body that manages the Regional MLS® System. RAHB attempted on several occasions to discuss the risks and suggest changes that would reduce the risks for all boards and associations involved, but those discussions failed to reach mutually beneficial outcomes. The only viable option available that would still maintain the benefits of a shared MLS® System for RAHB members and regional REALTORS® was to proceed in an alternate way to achieve the same goal of shared information. That has led to Phase 2 of regional MLS® data sharing.
RAHB’s Matrix system will be launched before the spring market in 2017. It will be compatible with the regional Matrix MLS® System so that active and sold listing information can flow freely between systems.
RAHB remains committed to sharing MLS® listing information with the boards and associations participating in the Regional MLS® System. RAHB’s Board of Directors has every confidence that the real estate boards and associations participating in the Regional MLS® System have the same goal we do: that their members benefit from access to the widest compilation of listing data in the region. That was the original goal when this project started, and it remains the goal today.
On July 18, RAHB President Kim Alvarez and I sent a letter to each member explaining Phase 2 – a synopsis of that letter is on page 5 in this issue of REALINFO. We have also compiled questions and answers we have received through our webinars, Facebook and other sources; there is a link to the most up-to-date version posted on the same page.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to get in touch with us – you can post your question on RAHB’s Facebook group, email your question to mls@rahb.ca, or call me at 905.529.8101 x230.
Next month I’ll talk more about what else is coming up between now and the end of the year.
Regards,
George
