There was an overview on provincial government saying 'No' to municipal land transfer tax
National advertising campaign promotes the importance of a Realtor in the home-buying transaction
By
Mark Schadenberg
Annual
reports, financial statements, speakers talking about the past, present and
future happenings in the real estate industry, and awards of service were all
part of the agenda for the annual meeting on Wednesday, May 11 for the
Woodstock-Ingersoll District Real Estate Board (WIDREB).
The
Quality Inn Hotel & Suites hosted the event, which included an 8 a.m.
breakfast, but the food for thought was delivered by representatives from the
Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO)
and an update on news surrounding the on-going debate between the federal
Competition Bureau and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).
There
were many local topics of discussion such as which company local Realtors utilize
to obtain our listings and sales data from as our board’s contract is soon up
for renewal (While consumers find listings at www.realtor.ca, Realtors have another
site which includes an ability to upload listings and post conditional sales, etc),
There was a look back at charitable efforts by WIDREB including the recent food
drive, along with the audited WIDREB financial statements from the previous
fiscal year.
It
was a long meeting with four outside speakers and many reports to present.
OREA
The
OREA Western Area director Karen Cox spoke for a few minutes, and her good news
recap included the Dec. 1 announcement from MPP Ted McKeekin (municipal affairs
minister at Queen’s Park for team Kathleen Wynne), which stipulated that the
Ontario government would not pass a bill permitting municipalities from
introducing a local land transfer tax. Toronto has a local land transfer tax,
but other cities would not be granted a right to pass similar bylaws locally.
You
may recall that Realtors were most certainly lobbying against such an extra
‘closing cost’ on real estate -- and to protect the consumers -- through a
publicity campaign called: Say ‘No’ to
another home owner tax. Don’t tax my dream.
As
a home owner myself, it’s easy to see why the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario are seeking new revenue streams, but they will not receive dollars from
a home purchase.
I
recall that municipal property taxes rise as costs in education rise, and
cities and towns work hard to maintain and increase infrastructure like roads,
bridges and recreational facilities (All city services included such as
libraries and buses). Local taxes also rise as more responsibilities are
downloaded on to municipalities and counties.
Cox
also discussed the fact that home owners have incentives to conduct home energy
audits, but having an energy audit on a home just to place it on the market
will not occur – will not be mandatory.
The
OREA rep also mentioned the seamless transition to e-signatures, which I don’t
like, but that’s my thoughts, which I have noted in this blog space previously.
Another
topic was an update on the Employment Standards Act – noting that brokers continue
to be exempt from having to pay sales representatives vacation pay or overtime.
I’ve said it before, and will say it again – your hard working Realtor is an
independent contractor who must work Sunday afternoons, late evenings and all
times in between in an effort to represent you in making that most significant
purchase for your life needs. My employment is based on straight commission
with a long list of expenses, but that’s also a story (tumultuous tirade tale) for
another day.
Realtors
were also reminded that many educational webinars are available on the OREA
site.
CREA
Barb
Sukkau, who is the CREA vice president, was also present at the annual meeting
to provide an update on the nationwide advertising campaign on why a consumer
should use a Realtor in their transaction.
If
you haven’t seen the commercial, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LUc-OX01IQ
Many
testimonial emails are featured online for consumers to watch.
The
popularity of www.realtor.ca continues to explode as technology permits
more info to be available on homes on the market. Sukkau noted that in 2015 the
website had 1.4 billion page views and as consumers contacted Realtors through
the site there were 1.3 million leads created.
LINKS:
()+()+()+()+()+()+()+()+()+()+()
Mark Schadenberg, Sales Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
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