Dear member,
Last month the Association sent out a side-by-side comparison of our current MLS® Rules and Regulations and the draft Regional MLS® Rules. The communication wasn’t clear that the rules were still just a draft, and as a result there have been some concerns raised by members about these rules.
In the weeks since, your Board of Directors has been busy gathering feedback and information to ensure that all concerns are addressed before the final regional MLS® Rules are adopted. This has included:
- Seeking input from the membership as a whole
- Review by the MLS® Committee
- Review by OREA’s legal counsel
- Review by CREA’s competition counsel
- Special Board meeting to discuss the Regional project
- Sending correspondence to the Ontario Regional Technology & Information Services (ORTIS) advising that RAHB has concerns regarding certain provisions within the draft Rules before they are finalized, as well as for clarification on the process for providing input
- Appointing a task force of RAHB members to review the Rules and draft recommendations to the Board of Directors
In addition to these measures, I met with the Presidents of the other seven associations on May 25 and the concerns raised by RAHB were common to all. I have no doubt that by the time the Regional MLS® Rules are adopted they will be better than the Rules we currently have in place.
On June 24, we are holding a General Membership Meeting to amend the RAHB Bylaw to separate the MLS® Rules. This serves to continue RAHB’s move towards good governance practices, and also serves to clear our final commitment to joining the Regional MLS® system. I need to be clear that this separation is a contractual requirement for our participation, and if we fail to amend the Bylaw, the other seven associations will continue without RAHB.
What this means is:
- RAHB would remain on Fusion
- We would lose our existing relationship with the STARRS group (Niagara, Brantford and Simcoe)
Your Board of Directors is committed to moving forward with the Regional project and we need your support to continue.
There have been rumours that members will see their fees increase when we move to the new MLS® system, however, thanks to the purchasing power of 7000+ REALTORS® your dollar will go farther! We’re happy to say that there is no fee increase projected despite a number of additional services being built in to the new system.
- Integration of Teranet will provide seamless field population
- ShowingTime, an integrated scheduling system, will connect appointments directly to the MLS® listings, and via its mobile app
- Integrated statistics capabilities
- Full accessibility on all devices and platforms
The Regional MLS® system and Matrix are being created to meet the needs of REALTORS® in southern Ontario. The regional system will offer you access to MLS® data from seven other real estate associations and more, as others come on board.
- Matrix will give you fast access to the information you need, on any device, to better serve your clients.
- Matrix will integrate programs and information you already use so it’s all at your fingertips.
The Regional MLS® System and Matrix are the future of real estate and your Board of Directors is committed to being part of that future.
I said earlier that the Board needs your support in order to continue to be part of the Regional MLS® system. Here’s how you can help:
Come out to the General Membership Meeting on June 24 and ratify the Bylaw changes that will remove the current MLS® Rules and Regulations from the RAHB Bylaw. This is a contractual requirement for our continued participation in the Regional MLS® System; it is also good governance and something we would be asking you to do anyway.
Please do not assume that the Regional MLS® System is a done deal. It is not. If members do not approve the Bylaw changes at this meeting, RAHB will not be part of the regional system. It is important that if you are looking forward to the regional system, you be at that meeting and cast your vote to allow RAHB to continue moving forward.
Please feel free to contact CEO Ross Godsoe or myself if you have questions or concerns about the Regional MLS® System and Matrix.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting on June 24!
Meeting Details:
Burlington Holiday Inn, 3063 South Service Road
9:30 a.m. – Registration
10 a.m. – Meeting
ShowingTime presentation following the meeting
If you cannot make it to the meeting, you can give your proxy vote to someone who will be attending. The form will be sent on June 12 with the official Notice of Meeting.
Best regards,
Donna Bacher
2015 RAHB President