Feb 5, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Microsoft will support IE 9 only on Microsoft Vista computers.
This means that Microsoft will no longer be providing updates for these versions of Internet Explorer and significant security vulnerabilities may exist for users who continue to use them. Clareity Security software solutions will still permit logins from these browser versions, but limited support may be available because of Microsoft’s actions.
If you don’t want to work with a browser that is no longer supported, we recommend you switch to Google Chrome or Firefox.
Feb 5, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
On January 19, 2016, an additional field called ‘Reserved Spaces’ was added to the Matrix system for Residential Property types. This field was added to accommodate previous listings from other MLS® systems which permitted text in the ‘Garage Spaces’ field. With text being allowed, some agents were inputting not only the number of spaces, but also the space assignment numbers (e.g “2,A123,B456” where 2 would be the number of spaces and A123/B456 would be the assigned parking spot numbers). Following the addition of the new field ‘Reserved Spaces’, the ‘Garage Spaces’ field data will be copied to the ‘Reserved Spaces’ field and then the ‘Garage Spaces’ field will be changed to a numeric entry only field. The reason for this change is to allow for a more accurate and flexible way to search for parking/garage spaces using the numeric input fields.
In summary….
Before
Driveway Parking Spaces <numeric character input>
Garage Spaces <freeform character input>
Result: no easy way to predict what might be typed in the ‘Garage Spaces’ field, making it very difficult to search.
After
Reserved Spaces <freeform character input>
Driveway Parking Spaces <numeric character input>
Garage Spaces <numeric character input>
Result: easier to search the ‘Garage Spaces’ field now that is a numeric value only.
Also new! Garage Types – New pick value
On January 19, 2016, the value ‘Oversized’ was added to accommodate oversized garages which are commonly referred to as a “1.5 Car Garage” or “One and a Half Car Garage”.
Please note these changes are only in Matrix – this does not affect your listing entry into Fusion.
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
If you list and sell properties in the Rockton/Highway 8/Cooper Road, Cambridge area, you should be aware that there is a privately-owned airport on Cooper Road from which the SOSA Gliding Club operates.
The club has three tow planes flying out of the airport daily, year-round, to take gliders to a safe altitude. Because take-off is dictated by wind conditions, flight patterns change daily. All flights are in accordance with Transport Canada regulations as well as in compliance with municipal and provincial regulations.
Why is this important?
If you have buyers who are interested in this area, they should know there may be small planes flying over their properties, and those small planes may be noisy.
If you or your buyers have concerns about the flights or the noise, the SOSA Gliding Club has offered to work with you, at no cost to you, to provide overflight data, flight directions and flight frequency, so there are no surprises for the buyers. The club’s experience is that when buyers know what to expect, they have no issue with the flights or the club.
To get in touch with a representative of the SOSA Gliding Club, contact John Brennan at the SOSA Gliding Club, Box 81, Rockton, ON LOR 1XO or call the club at 519.740.9328.
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
Effective February 1, 2016, REAL Services Photography Inc. increased the cost for the photographer to take a front photo. The fee is now $20.
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
(reprint from email to all members in December, 2015)
RAHB’s monthly service fee (“Flat Fee”) is assessed on a cost recovery basis and is subject to revision according to the increase or decrease in costs incurred by RAHB to provide MLS® and MLS®-related services to members.
As per policy, [at the end of last year] the Finance Committee completed a review of expenses related to the monthly service fee for 2016 and recommended a two dollar increase, primarily due to:
• increases in the cost of services provided by Teranet
• pressure from the weak Canadian dollar for services billed in US dollars
As a result of these factors, the Board of Directors approved that the monthly service fee be increased from $42 to $44 per month, effective January 1, 2016. [The fee increase appeared on the January invoice you received on February 1.]
Please note this increase is only for your monthly service fee and not for your RAHB membership dues (“RAHB Quarterly Dues”), which will remain the same in 2016.
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington extends a warm welcome to its newest members (December 12 to January 21).
James Barclay
Thomas Brown
Ambitious Realty Advisors Inc., Brokerage
Roberta Reid
Apex Results Realty Inc., Brokerage
Marco Visocchi
Cirrius Realty Inc., Brokerage
Matthew Christie
City Brokerage
Dana Eddy
Coldwell Banker Community Real Estate Inc., Brokerage
Nina Toma
Wendy Breen
Homelife Professionals Realty Inc., Brokerage
Jay Patel
Debbie Macaskill
IPRO Realty Ltd., Brokerage
Margaret Cameron
Le To
Keller Williams Complete Realty Inc., Brokerage
Lindsay Russell
Lydia De Santis
Colleen Lobo
Keller Williams Edge Realty Inc., Brokerage
Lori Birbari
Judy Marsales Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage
Timothy Goodwin
Jim Pauls Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage
Laura Rodstrom
Realty Network: 100 Inc., Brokerage
Mitchell Ryan
Lisa Marie Sandhar
Matthew Presz
John Van Doorn
Jason Hughes
Clinton Howell
RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage
Rose Martinho
RE/MAX Escarpment Golfi Realty Inc., Brokerage
Laura Neher
Tiffany Funke
Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage
Daria Rostkowska
Josh Coulter
Naida Bastedo
Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre Inc., Brokerage
Konstantinos Violaris
Michelle Shivbarran
Natalie Michalski
Royal LePage State Realty Inc., Brokerage
Bassant Ali
Sutton Group About Town Realty Inc., Brokerage
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
- RAHB members were recognized for the time they devoted to serving
on RAHB committees and task forces in 2015 and for long-time membership at the Annual Appreciation Gala
on Saturday, January 23, 2016.
- RAHB President Kim Alvarez thanked committee, task force and Board members for their service, and noted that RAHB is “fortunate to have both veterans and newcomers who take time away from their businesses and personal lives to serve the wider interests of their fellow members and our association.”
- (left to right) RAHB CEO George O’ Neill presented certificates to outgoing directors Tim Mattioli, Gloria Payton, Dave Nichols,
Heidi Van Der Marel, Sean Morrison and Hank Balfoort while RAHB President Kim Alvarez thanked them for their contributions and dedication in advancing the interests of the association
- Gloria Payton (L. Piriano Real Estate) received the Award of Merit
- Nancie Mleczko (Coldwell Banker Community Real Estate) received the Outstanding Community Service Award
- Mike Cusano (RE/MAX Escarpment Realty) receive the Honorary Life Award
- Long service pins were presented to the newest members of the Long Service Club. 50 members reached the 25-year milestone in 2015, 14 members reached the 40-year milestone, one member – Ron Hewitt – reached the 50-year milestone and one member – T. Glen Chambers – logged 65 years as a RAHB member.
- Musical entertainment was provided by Kim & Company
RAHB Awards
Congratulations to the following RAHB Award recipients!
(photo left to right) Nancie Mlezcko, Mike Cusano and Gloria Payton
Outstanding Community Service – Nancie Mlezcko
Nancie Mlezcko (Coldwell Banker Community Real Estate) was presented with the Outstanding Community Service Award, which recognizes a member who has shown outstanding dedication to the real estate profession and exceptional volunteer service to her community.
Nancie has served on numerous RAHB committees and task forces over the last 25 years. She is highly respected in the real estate profession and is known to be available to share her expertise with others. She is co-founder of a franchise network which provides training as well as business and social networking opportunities to others in the organization.
Nancie has a long history of being involved in community and charitable organizations, and serves as mentor, committee member, tutor, volunteer for events, backstage manager, volunteer coordinator and sponsor, among other roles. She has sat on numerous volunteer boards of directors and committees, has been active in election campaigns and served as volunteer supervisor of event services for the recent Pan Am Games. Nancie received the Hometown Hero award for volunteerism and dedication to the community.
Honorary Life Membership – Mike Cusano
Mike Cusano (RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc.) was presented with the Honorary Life Award, which recognizes an individual who has rendered outstanding service to the real estate industry and/or the Association.
Mike is known as a leader in the real estate profession who always leads with a strong ethical example. He has served on numerous RAHB committees and on the Board of Directors; he was RAHB President in 2007. Mike has also served on various committees and the Board of the Ontario Real Estate Association and as a Director of the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). Mike is a Fellow of the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation and was recently re-elected as a RECO Director.
Award of Merit – Gloria Payton
Gloria Payton (L. Piriano Real Estate) was presented with the Award of Merit, which recognizes a member who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and service to RAHB.
Gloria has served twice on the RAHB Board of Directors and on numerous committees and task forces. She is a known professional with the highest regards for ethical behaviour, who shows dedication to the profession by sharing her time and expertise with other members. Gloria was a long-time instructor of RAHB’s new member orientation program, and she continues to mentor new members and others.
Long Service Award recipients
65 Year Recipient
Kim Alvarez, 2016 RAHB President
and T. G. Chambers
50 Year Recipient
Ron Hewitt
40 Year Recipients
(first row l-r) Michel Desrochers, Erna Willem, Donna Gallo,
Elsie Anderson, Lino Colangelo
(back row l-r) Jamie Edwards, John Bucalo, Brian Lee, Mark Boyak
25 Year Recipients
(first row l-r) Amy Gallant, Val Dalgetty-Righton, Debora Agro,
Margaret DeGroot
(back row l-r) Deborah Coles, Dominic Almonte, Laura Doucette
(first row l-r) Oscar Simoes, Kimberly Ehler, Dean Spencer
(back row l-r) Paulo Ribeiro, Brian Miller, David Howitt,
J. Michael Ricottone
(first row l-r) George Vergadis, David Stasuik,
(back row l-r) Frank Salvatore, John Schlett
(first row l-r) Debby Murphy, Kim Hummell, Sue DePaulo, Janice Hinkley
(back row l-r) Kiet Le, John Petis, Bill Chow
Feb 5, 2016 | RAHB News |
MATRIX MLS® System UPDATE
I know you have been wondering when RAHB is going to change over to fully use the new Regional Matrix MLS® System … we’ve certainly been talking about it, and working on it, for a long time. The reality is there are two major interdependent projects, underway simultaneously. The first is upgrading our Fusion MLS® system to Matrix. The second is defining and putting into place an acceptable working arrangement amongst eight regional real estate associations to manage a common MLS® system providing listings data across the eight association areas, a system I think you agree is critical to the business success of each and every one of you.
We are getting very close to providing a transition date from Fusion to Matrix. Remember you can currently access in Matrix all active and sold listings within the regional areas of all eight participating real estate associations which includes Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, Oakville/Milton, Niagara, Simcoe, Brantford and, of course Hamilton-Burlington. But until we go fully live on the new Matrix system, you must continue to load into our existing Fusion MLS® system new listings as well as any amendments or status changes. Those listings, and any subsequent changes, are automatically uploaded to Matrix every 15 minutes. So although you can use Matrix today to both view and search all listings, you cannot use Matrix yet to load new listings. I know this is not ideal, but I believe it is better than rushing the system into production while ignoring issues that would affect your livelihood.
Since the time we started in September to perform Matrix quality and functional assurance reviews from the perspective of RAHB members’ anticipated usage, 392 test cases identified issues our testing team and I felt would not be acceptable to you. The good news now is that the vast majority of those issues have been resolved, with only around a dozen outstanding. The remaining items fall into three broad categories: items RAHB identified and the other regional associations now all agree need fixing and we are working to resolve; items RAHB identified and not all of the regional associations currently agree they need changing and so we are trying to negotiate a common acceptable solution; and governance/business-model related concerns, meaning how we, as eight associations of varying sizes and market experiences, will operate together to manage and share the same business system that is so critical to you, our members. Working together as a group of eight means each and every system change, from a simple rewording of a pick menu item, to more substantial business and MLS® rules and how listings data are displayed, must be negotiated until we have agreement from all of the eight associations. One significant outstanding issue is updating and then accepting the current Regional MLS® Rules document – the same rules must apply and be adopted by all eight associations in order for the regional Matrix system to function effectively.
Upgrading to the new Matrix MLS® system, coupled with implementing an effective MLS® governance/business-model across eight real estate associations, is not a task to be underestimated, because it impacts the ability of each and every one of you to make a living. The single driver for me to continue to make this happen is the expected benefit accruing to all of you, our members, who choose to take advantage of access to a broader pool of listings across the Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, Oakville/Milton, Niagara, Simcoe, Brantford and, of course Hamilton-Burlington areas. Enabling you to be more effective in your chosen market is what your association is all about.
In February I hope to be able to announce the exact date we will fully go live with Matrix. Please watch your e-mail, and thank you for your patience as we try to get this system and the regional working arrangement right for you.
HAPPY 95th RAHB!
You may already be aware that just a few days ago, on January 26, we celebrated RAHB’s 95th anniversary. That’s quite a milestone! If you were at our Gala this year on January 23, you have already heard a bit about this special occasion.
To put the date into perspective, in 1921 King George V was on the throne, and William Lyon McKenzie King was Prime Minister. Canadians Banting and Best discovered insulin and Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize in physics. Canadian women were finally allowed to vote and run for office, and the first woman, Agnes MacPhail from Ontario, was elected to Parliament. The Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series, and to this day we remember the name Shoeless Joe.
A lot has changed in our world since these events. RAHB has grown and changed as well to become the modern association of members it is today. Our association is the third largest real association in Ontario with about 2890 members – around 100 members fewer than the second largest association in Ottawa.
What hasn’t changed over time is our association’s and members’ commitment to establish high standards of real estate practice, encourage cooperation among members, foster civic action and provide education and training programs. RAHB’s founders had a vision that is timeless, and we today reap the rewards of what began in 1921.
Congratulations on our 95th anniversary! I hope this is your best year ever, and your association is here to help you make that happen. Let me know what more we can do to help. I can be reached directly via email at George.ONeill@RAHB.ca or via phone at 905.529.8101 ext. 230.
Sincerely,
George
Jan 23, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
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January 23, 2016
By now you’ll have heard that RAHB is participating in the development of a regional MLS® system and “shift”ing to a new MLS® platform – Matrix. To help you prepare for The Shift, we will be emailing regular updates with news, training information, links to helpful website and more. Watch your email inbox for future issues of The Shift!
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Contents
Matrix requires new password
As of Wednesday, January 6, 2016, users of the Regional Matrix system have been required to change their passwords.
If you haven’t logged into the Matrix since January 6, you will find that when you log in, you will be redirected by Clareity Security to the “Change Password” page, where you will change your password. Your new password must contain a minimum of six letters and at least one number; your entire password must be between six and 10 characters.
In addition to choosing a new password, you will be asked to answer three security questions.
If this sounds familiar, this is the same process you went through to choose your Fusion password when RAHB began using Clareity Security three years ago.
Please note: This new password is only for Matrix. You will continue to use your current password to access Fusion.
Internet Explorer Users!
Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. Microsoft will support IE 9 only on Microsoft Vista computers.
This means that Microsoft will no longer be providing updates for these versions of Internet Explorer and significant security vulnerabilities may exist for users who continue to use them. Clareity Security software solutions will still permit logins from these browser versions, but limited support may be available because of Microsoft’s actions.
If you don’t want to work with a browser that is no longer supported, we recommend you switch to Google Chrome or Firefox.
Preparing for Matrix
Special Keys
There are some special keys that will help you when you use Matrix:
- The plus symbol + or minus – symbol will indicate “greater than” or “less than” values. Example: 10+ for more than 10 and 10- for less than 10. (Enter 10 for exactly 10.)
- If you are looking for a range, enter it as 10-50 (as an example)
- The asterisk * is a wildcard. Example: enter p* in the Street Name search field to get all the streets beginning with the letter P that meet all the criteria you have entered (region, city, etc)
- The question mark ? can be used with a letter or number as a length delimiter. Exampe: p?? will return pow, pwr, pan, pic, pro, pub.
- The exclamation mark ! means “not”.Example: !3 in a field will give you all responses except those that equal 3.
- To select more than one item, hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard while clicking on the desired items with your mouse.
- To remove a selected item, hold down the CTRL key on the keyboard while clicking with your mouse and the item will deselect.
New Picks in Matrix
Addition of ‘Reserved Spaces Field’
On January 19, 2016, an additional field called ‘Reserved Spaces’ was added to the Matrix system for Residential Property types. This field was added to accommodate previous listings from other MLS® systems which permitted text in the ‘Garage Spaces’ field. With text being allowed, some agents were inputting not only the number of spaces, but also the space assignment numbers (e.g. “2,A123,B456” where 2 would be the number of spaces and A123/B456 would be the assigned parking spot numbers). Following the addition of the new field “Reserved Spaces”, the ‘Garage Spaces’ field data will be copied to the ‘Reserved Spaces’ field and then the ‘Garage Spaces’ field will be changed to a numeric entry only field. The reason for this change is to allow for a more accurate and flexible way to search for parking/garage spaces using the numeric input fields.
In summary….
Before
Driveway Parking Spaces <numeric character input>
Garage Spaces <freeform character input>
Result: no easy way to predict what might be typed in the ‘Garage Spaces’ field, making it very difficult to search.
After
Reserved Spaces <freeform character input>
Driveway Parking Spaces <numeric character input>
Garage Spaces <numeric character input>
Result: easier to search the ‘Garage Spaces’ field now that is a numeric value only.
Also new! Garage Types – New pick value
On January 19, 2016, the value ‘Oversized’ was added to accommodate oversized garages which are commonly referred to as a “1.5 Car Garage or a One and a Half Car Garage”.
Please note these changes are only in Matrix – this does not affect your listing entry into Fusion.
Listing Displays in Matrix
In Fusion, you are used to looking at listing details on “Reports”. In Matrix they are referred to as “Displays”. Here are the displays available to you in Matrix:
- Member Single Line – allows you to print MLS® number, status, Property type, address, municipality, neighbourhood, city, sqft, beds, baths, DOM, list date
- Member Thumbnail – allows you to print MLS® number, address, city, property type, age, DOM, sqft, price, beds, baths, lot size, taxes, municipality, neighbourhood, heat, water, sellers, listing salesperson, listing brokerage, REALTOR® remarks
- Member Full – allows you to print with or without header and footer, as well as listing information, rooms, open house dates, listing history and photos
- Member Full with signature – allows you to enter listing directly into Matrix and print off report to have the Sellers sign. Using this option allows the member to avoid double entry of manually filling in in the listing form AND input in Matrix (available only once we cut over to Matrix)
- Member Full One Page with tabs – same as Member full, but also includes the selection of room sizes in imperial and metric
- Member Full One Page – allows you to print valuable listing details, excludes rooms and sizes on a one page report
- Client Thumbnail – allows you to print address, city, MLS® number, property style/type, heat, water, beds, baths, garage, sqft, age, pool, neighbourhood, listing brokerage, status
- Client Full – allows you to print listing details not in conflict with privacy laws
- Hotsheet – allows you to print change date, changed info, MLS® number, address, price, city, Property sub type, style, beds, baths, sqft, DOM, listing brokerage
Please note: personal reports you have created in Fusion will not be migrated over to Matrix.
Important links
Matrix – http://matrix.onregional.ca
Matrix Transition Guide – http://www.rahb.ca/email/TransitiontoMatrix.pdf
CoreLogic’s Matrix 6.12 Quick Start Guide – http://www.marketlinx.com/download/pdf/Matrix_6.12_Quick_Start_Guide_CAN.pdf
New Regional Residential Data Input Form – http://www.rahb.ca/email/ORTIS_RES_EXPLAIN.pdf
New Regional Commercial Data Input Form – http://www.rahb.ca/email/ORTIS_COM_EXPLAIN.pdf
** Remember – do not use the new Regional Data Input Forms until you are able to broker load in Matrix ** |
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Please note: the development of the regional MLS® system is a work in progress. All information provided in the issue of The Shift is correct as of January 23, 2016.
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Jan 11, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
Jan 11, 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
Jan 11, 2016 | MLS®, Stats & Technology |
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 802 sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in December of 2015. Sales were 1.3 per cent higher than the same month the previous year, 17.6 per cent higher than the 10-year average, and were a new record for the month of December. This is the fifth month in a row where the record for monthly sales has been broken.
“It has clearly been another exceptional month for real estate sales in the RAHB market area,” said RAHB CEO George O’Neill. “December sales are always among the lowest of the year because of the holidays and the weather, but this year’s sales were the highest ever for the month. It seems an appropriate way to end a year which saw so many previous sales records fall.”
There were 679 properties listed in December, a decrease of 3.4 per cent compared to December of the previous year.
Seasonally adjusted* sales of residential properties were 2.8 per cent higher than the same month of the previous year, with the average sale price up 9.1 per cent for the month. Seasonally adjusted numbers of new listings were virtually the same as the same month the year before.
Seasonally adjusted data for residential properties for the month of December, 2015:
Actual overall residential sales of 752 units were 1.9 per cent higher than the same month the year previous. Residential freehold sales were 3.2 per cent higher than the previous December while sales in the condominium market decreased by 3.4 per cent.
The average price of freehold properties showed an increase of 7.3 per cent compared to the same month the previous year; the average sale price in the condominium market increased by 18.8 per cent when compared to the same period.
The average sale price is based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold by RAHB members. Average sale price information 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 45 to 41 days in the freehold market and from 53 to 36 days in the condominium market when compared to the same month the previous year.
Every community in RAHB’s market area has its own localized residential market. Please refer to the accompanying chart.
*Seasonal adjustment removes normal seasonal variations, enabling analysis of monthly changes and fundamental trends in the data.
Established in 1921, the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) represents more than 2,800 real estate brokers and sales representatives from Hamilton, Burlington and outlying areas. Members of the association may use the REALTOR® trademark, which identifies them as real estate professionals who subscribe to a strict code of ethics. The association operates the local Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) and provides ongoing professional education courses for its members. In addition, RAHB is an active participant in the Home Ownership Affordability Partnership (HOAP) and holds an annual auction in support of local charities. Advertisements of local MLS® property listings and information about the services provided by a REALTOR® can be found at www.REALTOR.ca. More information about RAHB is available at www.rahb.ca.
