New Policy on Out-of-Province Listings on REALTOR.ca
Effective October 27, 2013, CREA’s Board of Directors put into place a policy to remove from REALTOR.ca out-of-province listings which do not comply with provincial regulatory requirements.
Nine out of ten provincial legislators (except B.C.) have indicated that if an agent lists a property located in their province, then the listing agent should also be licensed in their province. As the operator of REALTOR.ca, CREA has adopted this new policy to help prevent misuse of REALTOR.ca to contravene provincial regulatory requirements. This new policy will help protect consumers as well as the integrity and reputation of REALTOR.ca.
Removal of listings will be undertaken upon receipt of a complaint (to CREA) and after consultation with the appropriate regulatory authorities.
.REALTOR domain names coming soon!
CREA and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) are inviting REALTORS® from both countries to sign-up for a list that will give priority registration for a .REALTOR domain name. In other words, a day will come when REALTOR® website addresses will look like this: johnsmith.REALTOR.
Members of CREA can sign-up (http://listserv.realtorlink.ca/t/139875/979370/46262/0/) for the priority list now. By providing their name and email, members will be sent an invitation to register a .REALTOR domain 24 hours before REALTORS® who have not pre-registered – sometime in 2014.
Domains in the new .REALTOR extension will be available for registration to REALTOR® members, as well as Boards and Associations. More information about the registration rules for both members and Boards/Associations will be shared as soon as they become available.
Why are CREA and the NAR pursuing a TLD for real estate?
In a few words – to make it easier for home buyers, sellers and investors to locate a trusted source of real estate information, resources and services online. The .REALTOR top level domain (TLD) will be used as an alternative to .com, .ca, .org. etc.
REALTORS® are the most trusted, valued source for real estate related information, and the .REALTOR TLD will extend that trust on-line. In the United States the same will be true for NAR members and the NAR Code of Ethics.
The top-level domain will also deliver additional branding and marketing value to REALTOR® members and Boards/Associations.
CREA has entered into agreement with NAR to make .REALTOR available to all REALTOR® Members in Canada, making .REALTOR truly North American in scope.
When will the .REALTOR domain become available?
Final approval from ICANN for the new top-level domain is anticipated sometime in Q1, 2014. Once approved, CREA and NAR will communicate how and when .REALTOR domains will be made available.
Who will be eligible to register?
Domains in the new extension will be available for registration exclusively to REALTOR® Members; local and provincial/state boards/associations; associations operating MLS® Systems in the United States; and other NAR-approved licensees.
How much will they cost?
CREA is planning to provide its first 10,000 members who register a .REALTOR domain name with a complimentary first year subscription to one domain name. Members will be able to secure a .REALTOR domain using their name on a first come first served basis.
Will .REALTOR domain registrations be available through a service such as GoDaddy?
Domain sellers such as GoDaddy are beginning to promote a list of top level domains which will become available, including .REALTOR. These domain sellers have no relationship with CREA and the NAR or the sale of .REALTOR domains.
CREA members should not pre-register or pay money to an outside company for a .REALTOR domain because only NAR (on behalf of CREA) will oversee registrations for .REALTOR when it is approved by ICANN. Only CREA members are eligible for a .REALTOR domain name in Canada and membership will be verified via a unique identifier at registration.
Further details, including pricing for additional domains and registration rules will be announced at a later date.
ICX® Console to be retired
CREA reviewed usage of the ICX® Console and their research indicated the Console is considered to be of low importance to commercial practitioners. As a result, the MLS® and Technology Council (MTC) recommended the retirement of the ICX® Console, and the recommendation that was approved by the CREA Board of Directors on September 4, 2013 as part of the overall 2014 plan and budget.
By retiring the ICX® Console, CREA will be in a position to redirect more efforts to supporting highly valued technology products for commercial practitioners, such as WEBForms® and ICX.ca, mobile and REALTOR Link®.
The ICX® Console, including the Wants & Mandates function, will no longer be available as of Wednesday, December 11, 2013.
NOTE: The public website ICX.ca is still active and will continue to advertise commercial listings to the public.