It has been brought to our attention that the listing data for several boards within Connect (accessed through my.rahb.ca) are either not available or not correct. After looking into the issue, we confirmed that several boards no longer upload their listing information into the Connect system.
As such, in order to ensure our members receive correct information, we will be removing the inactive icons/links from Connect on Friday, July 13, 2018. We are disabling these currently outdated links to ensure our members are not accessing incorrect listing data.
The remaining participating boards that members will continue to have access to include:
Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB)
Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB)
Brantford Regional Real Estate Association (BRREA)*
Cambridge Association of REALTORS® (CAOR)*
Guelph and District Association of REALTORS® (GDAR)*
Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® (KWAR)*
Niagara Association of REALTORS® (NAR)*
The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB)*
Simcoe and District Real Estate Board (SDREB)*
Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® (BDAR)*
Huron Perth Association of REALTORS® (HPAR)*
Mississauga Real Estate Board (MREB)*
*The MLS® systems of these boards are managed by ORTIS.
Note that members of the participating boards/associations will continue to have access to all RAHB listings via Connect.
Boards and associations that have participated in the Connect data share each made their own decision to do so. Please note we are in on-going discussions with each of those no longer participating to try to ensure an alternative method is put in place as soon as possible to continue sharing across the province.
If you would like to access listing data for any of the areas not remaining current in Connect, we recommend:
Searching through REALTOR.ca, or
Contacting those boards directly
Below is a link to the contact information for the boards that will be removed as of Friday, July 13, 2018 from RAHB’s Connect page.
CREA will be discontinuing their WEBForms® Classic version as of Wednesday, August 8, 2018.
To prepare for the change to the new version of WEBForms®, why not begin using it now? It’s easy to find the new site: when you go to WEBForms® Classic, you will see the notice shown below – just click on the red button that says Try the new version of CREA WEBFORMS® now! and you will be redirected to the site.
Note: This article was updated on July 18 to reflect the new date of August 8 for the discontinuation of WEBForms® “Classic”.
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 1,257 sales were processed through the RAHB Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in June, 14.2 per cent fewer than the same month last year and 19.2 per cent fewer than the 10-year average for the month.
You may occasionally find it necessary to send a listing to someone who is not your client – this could be a mortgage broker or a non-RAHB REALTOR® who would like to submit an offer on your seller’s property. These parties would require the REALTOR® Full report, but all of the functionality of the client portal would be unnecessary to them. There is a way to give them exactly what they need, without you having to set them up as a client.
Here is what you do…
1. Bring up the listing. Go to My Matrix > My Listings, select My Active Listings from the Show: drop down menu, and click on the MLS® number.
2. Click on the MLS® number for the listing in question. This will bring up REALTOR® Full. Click Print.
3. Click E-Mail PDF. Make sure that all appropriate tabs are checked off. This is how you will ensure that the recipient has all required information.
4. Complete the e-mail form, and click Send.
That’s all there is to it! This will send a link to your recipient which, when clicked, will start a download of the listing. This way, they have all of the information they need, without taking up space in your client list.
Please feel free to contact the RAHB MLS® Department with any questions – 905.667.4650 or support@rahb.ca.
ShowingTime has recently added instant messaging to their program. This will allow you to send and receive messages to and from any RAHB member. This is similar to many online messaging platforms – Facebook, for example – and is available both from the desktop site and from the app.
From the desktop view, you can access the message centre in two ways.
From the main menu
From the message inbox
To access your messages from the mobile app, click the icon in the upper right corner.
Here you will see a list of all the messages you are involved in. You can search for a particular message by name if you want.
Responding to a message is done in real time. The person you are chatting with will be able to respond to your conversation right away.
Creating a Message
To create a new message, click on the + sign.
You can choose to search for a fellow RAHB member::
Or search by listing:
If you send a message to a listing and there is a co-listing agent assigned to the listing, your message will automatically be sent to them as well.
Can I send a message before I schedule?
Yes. Once you pull up the scheduling screen you can send a message to the listing salesperson or broker.
This will open a pop-up window on your desktop. Please make sure you allow pop-up windows in your browser’s settings.
Please contact the RAHB MLS® Department with any questions – 905.667.4650 or support@rahb.ca.
RAHB MLS® Committee members shed some light on the processes for a sales change and when a sale falls through, in this episode of Provisions of the Profession.
Provisions of the Profession is a new RAHB video series that will explore important information, issues, questions and practices of the profession.
A new column header titled EscCl (“Escape Clause”) has been added to the REALTOR® Single Line view for all property types.
This will allow you to see if Active CS properties have an escape clause. Previously, you would have had to open a REALTOR® Full display to see this additional information.
If you have any questions regarding this addition, please call the MLS® Department at 905.667.4650.
When you search for townhomes, select the picks TownhouseandAttached/Row to obtain the best results. If you select only Townhouse or only Attached/Row, you may be missing some listing results.
What’s the difference? Here are the descriptions for both these picks:
Rowhouses are freehold, residential properties that are attached on one or two sides, often found in older neighbourhoods. These units do not have a condo corporation, therefore no condo fees are associated with this property; the owner is responsible for the maintenance inside and outside of their property.
Townhouses are residential properties having two or more floors and attached to other similar units via common walls. They can also be “two on a lot” homes without subdividing the land nor attaching the houses, as there are many townhomes that are not built “all in a row” but rather as four or six around a centre courtyard. Townhouses are often used in both planned unit developments and condominium developments. A townhouse may or may not be a condo, and have associated fees.
Updated Property Information Forms (PIFs) for commercial and residential listings are now available in the Realty Shoppe! You can begin using the forms right away.
We have been advised that the updated forms will be available in WEBForms® in early July – stay tuned for more details.
Check out what’s new and different on each of the forms!
If you do not use ShowingTime to book showings on your listings, it is recommended that you change your personal default so that any new listing that you place on the system does not automatically have ShowingTime enabled.
If your office opted in to using ShowingTime, you also opted in by default. This means that other REALTORS® can request showings via ShowingTime for your listings. If you personally are not using ShowingTime and you ignore these requests, it can lead to frustration and lost opportunities!
If you wish to have ShowingTime turned off for your listings, please take the following steps:
In ShowingTime, Click on My Agent Setup from the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
Scroll down to Showing Agent Preferences. Set Allow Agents To Request Appointments Online to
Going forward, none of your new listings will have ShowingTime available by default.
You can enable ShowingTime for a single listing (or, if you are using ShowingTime, you can disable ShowingTime for a single listing) by completing the following steps:
In ShowingTime, Click on Listing Setup from the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
Choose the listing to be updated from the Search for a Listing tool.
In the ShowingTime for the MLS® menu (at top of page), set Allow Agents to Request Appts Online to whichever applies (Yes or No). If No, then the ShowingTime option will not be available for that listing. This will not, however, carry over to other listings you may have.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the MLS® Department at 905. 667.4650 or support@rahb.ca.
A recently-published Registrar’s Bulletin addressed the proper use of lockboxes on listed properties, the permissions required from sellers, the expectations for protection of the seller’s property when a lockbox is in use and the importance of keeping up to date on technological advances and best practices when using lockboxes.
Be sure you are complying with the rules – read the full Registrar’s Bulletinhere
Note:
RAHB’s also has rules and policies on the use of lockboxes and seller’s keys. They are found in the Rules & Regulations, Section 2 MLS® Listings, Subsection 2.17; Section 12 Trading Procedures, Subsection 12.07, and in MLS® Policies – Miscellaneous #16, as follows:
Section 2 MLS® Listings
2.17 Members shall ensure that lock boxes provided for the purposes of access to the property which is the subject of an MLS® Listing are set with a unique code for the security of their Seller’s property. Further, Members shall change the lock box combinations, as required during the course of the Listing to maintain reasonable security, and not use any preset manufacturers’ codes.
Section 12 Trading Procedures
12.07 With the knowledge and authority of the Listing Brokerage, keys or other entry systems may only be used by Members for the purpose of inspecting properties or showing properties. The making of duplicate keys from the one obtained, the action of failing to return the key to the Listing Brokerage within a reasonable time, or the turning over of the key or information on the entry system to any Person not authorized by the Listing Brokerage, is an unauthorized use. The member conducting the showing or inspection will remain on the premises during the entire period of access unless permission in writing has been obtained from the Listing Brokerage and will ensure that all security precautions are taken.
12.07a) Keys shall be re-deposited in a lockbox immediately upon exiting the property and the lockbox shall be properly secured.
12.07b) The member conducting the showing or inspection is solely responsible to ensure that all security precautions are taken prior to departing the property.
MLS® Policies – Miscellaneous
16. Any member found to be in breach of Rules and Regulations, Section 2 – MLS® Listings sub-section 2.17 (lock box code) will be fined $50 for the first offence, and $200 for the second and any subsequent offence.
