Two Additions to Photo Policies

The RAHB Board of Directors recently approved the addition of two new policies to the RAHB MLS® Policies for photos.

The additions and attendant revisions to the (now) Photos/Images policy are noted in bold text below.

Current Photos Policy Approved Amended Policy
PHOTOS

  1. RAHB will only accept a single clear, quality image for all photo slots.
  2. If a photo/sketch attached or photo to follow has been selected in the photo field and no photo/ sketch is attached or uploaded for any MLS® listing, within 48 hours of receiving an MLS® number, a $50 fine will be levied to the member.
    Furthermore, if a photo is not uploaded within twenty four (24) hours of receiving the initial $50 photo fine, an additional $100 fine will apply and be charged to the member.
    If a member does not upload a photo within 24 hours of receiving the $100 fine, the listing will be removed from the MLS® system
  3. If a member is using another members’ previous listing photo on a listing without written permission, the photos will be removed, the status will be changed to information withheld until a new photo is provided, and a $50 fine will be levied to the member.
  4. Photos submitted with any overlay of text will not be accepted; with the exception of sketches.
  5. Photos with people and/or their direct image will be subject to review by the MLS® Department; and may be refused or removed. This includes, but is not limited to, photo slots or other media; and or attachments.
  6. RAHB will no longer upload auxiliary photos on behalf of the members.

PHOTOS/ IMAGES

  1. Photo/ image means a photograph or sketch relating to a listed property uploaded onto RAHB’s MLS® system.
  2. RAHB will only accept a single clear, quality image for all photo slots.
  3. If a photo/ sketch attached or photo to follow has been selected in the photo field and no photo/ sketch is attached or uploaded for any MLS® listing, within 48 hours of receiving an MLS® number, a $50 fine will be levied to the member.
    Furthermore, if a photo is not uploaded within twenty four (24) hours of receiving the initial $50 photo fine, an additional $100 fine will apply and be charged to the member.
    If a member does not upload a photo within 24 hours of receiving the $100 fine, the listing will be removed from the MLS® system
  4. If a member is using another members’ previous listing photo on a listing without written permission, the photos will be removed, the status will be changed to information withheld until a new photo is provided, and a $50 fine will be levied to the member.
  5. Photos/ images submitted with any overlay of text will not be accepted; with the exception of sketches.
  6. Photos with people and/or their direct image will be subject to review by the MLS® Department; and may be refused or removed. This includes, but is not limited to, photo slots or other media; and or attachments.
  7. RAHB will no longer upload auxiliary photos on behalf of the members.
  8. Photos/ images uploaded to RAHB’s MLS® system will not be accepted if they include embellishments, including but not limited to advertising, marketing as related to the salesperson, broker, or brokerage.

RAHB REALTORS® Release October Statistics

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington reported 1,035 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in October, 2018.

Please click here to read the full report.

Follow the links below for:

Burlington

Halidmand

Hamilton

Niagara North

RAHB REALTORS® Release September Statistics

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington reported 948 sales were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS) System within the RAHB market area in September, 2018.

Please click here to read the full report.

Follow the links below for:

Burlington

Halidmand

Hamilton

Niagara North

Reminders: MLS® Rules and Regulations for Immediate Showings

When you place a listing on RAHB’s MLS® System, the property must be available for showings immediately, as per RAHB rule Section 2 – 2.10 (i) and 2.14:

2.10 No Member shall Broker Load or submit an MLS® Listing that contravenes these Rules, the Bylaws of the Association or the code of ethics of RECO. The Association may, in its sole discretion, deem any such MLS® Listing to be invalid. The Association may either remove an MLS® Listing from the Association’s MLS® System or refuse to publish such MLS® Listing, and without limiting the generality of the other provisions contained in these Rules, a Listing shall not be accepted by the Association as an MLS® Listing:

 (i) if it excludes any Member(s) from showing or inspecting the property;

2.14 No MLS® Listing shall appear on the Association’s MLS® System that is not immediately available for inspections, showings and, subject to the provisions of Subsection 2.15, the registration of Offers.

RAHB REALTORS® Release August Statistics

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,089 residential sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in August, 2018, less than one per cent more than the same month last year and 2.9 per cent fewer than the 10-year average for the month.

Please click here to read the full report.

Follow the links below for:

New Enhancements to OpenHouses.ca!

RAHB is pleased to announce the following enhancements being made to OpenHouses.ca effective Wednesday, September 26:

  • All active listings will be displayed on OpenHouses.ca
  • User account creation, which will allow users (members of the public) to receive notifications of upcoming open houses and give you access to analytics/demographic data related to your listings
  • Favourites section has been updated to show more listings on your screen

These updates have been made to enhance user experience, and to provide you with an additional analytics tool to better understand the local market.

Below are the details of the enhancements:

All Active Listings Displayed on OpenHouses.ca

Previously, OpenHouses.ca displayed only listings with scheduled public open houses.  As open houses are typically held only on weekends, they frequently would not be entered into the system until late in the week.  Often, the site would not display updated content until close to the weekend and so users may not see value in visiting OpenHouses.ca for much of the week.  Adding all listings to OpenHouses.ca changes this.  With all active listings displayed, OpenHouses.ca will always have updated content, and you will benefit from increased visibility of your listings.

Listings with scheduled open houses are differentiated from listings without, and are given priority.

User Account Creation/Open House Notifications

Users of the site will be able to create an OpenHouses.ca account using their Google, Facebook or Twitter account.  With an OpenHouses.ca account, the user will receive notifications of any upcoming open houses on listings they have saved as favourites.  Public users will be able to access and update their notification security settings on an individualized basis.

Analytics/Demographic Data

Every week, OpenHouses.ca will e-mail you a report detailing information regarding users who have saved your listing as a favourite, as well as general performance of your listings on the site.

Below is what will show up in your inbox:

When you click though to the full report, below is what you will see:

Favourites Section Updated

The Favourites section of OpenHouses.ca will be updated to show more listings on your screen.  Favourites will be sorted so listings with upcoming open houses will take priority at the top of the list.  Users will be able to generate driving directions, based on their favourite listings. Directions are plotted on a map, and show the quickest route from one destination to another.

This is how the Favourites section currently appears:

This is how the Favourites section will appear after the update:

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 905.667.4650 or support@rahb.ca.

New RAHB Stats Package Coming Soon!

RAHB’s monthly stats package will soon have a new look! Thanks to the feedback we received from the RAHB Statistics Survey and the work of the Statistics Task Force, we will be offering members an updated, comprehensive package of statistical information that will include the most-used features of our current package plus additional information and new area breakdowns.

One of the additions will be CREA’s Home Price Index, or HPI. This new tool shows long-term trends for different housing types and will provide valuable data down to the neighbourhood level.

Learn more about the HPI by viewing CREA’s video and watch for more information about the new statistics package in the coming weeks.

 


The name of the winner of the $25 Tim Horton’s gift card has been drawn, and we will soon announce the members name.

 

New RAHB Statistics Packages and CREA Home Price Index (HPI)

Thank you to members for your participation in our statistics survey! We gained wonderful and useful insight into what works well and what needs improvement for our monthly statistics release.

We are planning some changes based on the feedback from the survey, as well as from the Statistics Task Force, for the stats release in September (for August statistics). Be sure to stay tuned for more information on the upcoming changes and addition of helpful resources. The winner of the draw from the Statistics Survey will be announced next week

RAHB REALTORS® Release July Statistics

The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,072 residential sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in July 2018, 4.7 per cent fewer than the same month last year and 16.3 per cent fewer than the 10-year average for the month.

Please click here to read the full report.

Follow the links below for:

Listings Made Simple – Signing Reports In Matrix

Did you know you can generate a Property Information Form (PIF) from data loaded into Matrix? This eliminates the need to fill out a standard RAHB MLS® Property Information Form.

Please note, however, that this replaces only the Property Information Form. All other necessary forms (OREA Form 200 Listing Agreement, OREA Form 810 Working With A REALTOR®, etc.) will still be required.

To get a Matrix-generated PIF, you will use a report called REALTOR® Full with Tabs and Signature.  Here’s how:

1. Use the Matrix Input function to enter all listing data as you normally would. If you do not have Broker Load access, your office will need to do this for you.

(Here is a video tutorial on how to enter listings in Matrix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeP8xJIngvk)

 

2. Once all listing data has been entered, save the listing as incomplete by clicking on the Save as Incomplete button, located at the bottom left corner of the screen. This will save the listing with Incoming status. Do not submit the listing at this point!

 

 

 

 

3. If you are printing the PIF immediately after saving the incomplete listing, click on the MLS® number on the Input Succeeded screen, which appears immediately after you click Save as Incomplete.

If you are returning to Matrix, the incomplete listing can be retrieved by going to My Matrix > My Listings, and selecting My Incomplete Listings from the Show Click on the MLS® number to open the listing.

 

4. With the listing open, select REALTOR® Full with Signature from the Display menu.

5. This will generate a report that can be signed by your seller, in lieu of a standard Property Information Form. Click Print to display the list of print options. Be sure to select all tabs that apply to your listing, as your seller will need to sign all of them.  From here, you can click on either Print, Print to PDF, or Email PDF, depending upon your preference.

Each tab will have a signature and date lines at the bottom, which are to be signed by your seller prior to activating the listing.

After your seller signs the forms, return to your incomplete listings and activate the listing.  Click the Edit button, and submit the listing from the familiar data entry screen.

Please feel free to contact the RAHB MLS® Department with any questions – 905.667.4650 or support@rahb.ca.

RAHB Stats Survey

This message was e-mailed to all members on Monday, July 23, 2018.

 

We are in the process of re-evaluating the statistics packages we provide to RAHB members and the media/public. Your input is greatly appreciated as we move forward with this project.

We ask that you participate in our Statistics Survey that should take no longer than 3-5 minutes of your time. Please click on the below button to access the Statistics Survey.

Stats Survey

Your participation will enable us to make improvements to the current statistics package, prepare members for any upcoming changes to the statistics package, develop educational materials for our members and the public, and ultimately empower our REALTORS® to succeed.

The survey is available for a week and will close on Monday, July 30, 2018.

As a thank you, we will make a draw for a $25 Tim Horton’s gift card once the survey closes.

If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Stewart at 905.529.8101 x 295 or via e-mail at wendys@rahb.ca.