Category: Uncategorized

As most REALTORS^® are aware, January 5 marked the official transition date to the new MPAC propertyline™ e-store. With the legacy (former) propertyline™ and BREB’s Public Records switching to a records only view until June 30, we want to ensure that users are familiar with the new interface and know how to access MPAC data through the new single-sign on process integrated directly with GeoWarehouse™ and possibly your Board’s MLS provider.

To help with user transition, MPAC has scheduled a special training webinar that it will continue to run weekly on the new propertyline™. See below for the more information, as well as upcoming dates and registration details.

Special training webinar – new propertyline™ e-store

Enhanced Assessment Data, REALTOR® Insights, and Bundle Savings –A look at the new data in GeoWarehouse and our new propertyline™ e-store

Join MPAC’s Real Estate Team for an in-depth walkthrough of the new data and propertyline™ e-store, where you will learn about:

• Enhanced data points now included with GeoWarehouse, such as new phase in and assessment details as well as site area and year built
• Our modernized interface, now integrated with a direct link in GeoWarehouse, to improve the purchasing experience
• The increased functionality of our property search module, making it easier to find specific properties, save details and search through comparable properties
• Updated reporting styles and formatting, with the addition of our free Assessment Details Report, available and included with every property
• Report Bundling that allows members to choose from a variety of bulk reporting packages and offers significant savings on the retail price for our most popular reports
• New REALTORS^® Insights to keep you informed with the latest property market data, resources, personalized support and training materials.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 1 to 1:30 p.m. EDT Register now	Wednesday, April 19, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 1 to 1:30 p.m. EDT Register now	Thursday, April 27, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now

APRIL 2023 SCHEDULE

Factors Affecting Residential Property Value   This webinar is a continuation of our MPAC Assessment 101 webinar series. We take a more detailed look at the top 5 factors affecting real property value when using mass appraisal techniques.   Participants will also learn about other property features that can significantly affect property value. These include elements of primary and secondary structures, site details and locational influences.   Join us for a more thorough look at MPAC’s valuation process.	Upcoming Factors Affecting Residential Property Value webinars   Thursday, April 6, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now   Tuesday, April 18, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now
Automated Valuation Models (AVM) for REALTORS®   This webinar provides an overview of our real-time market value estimates, used for listing presentations, setting the listing price, supporting an offer, or simply as a second unbiased opinion of value.	Upcoming Automated Valuation Models (AVM) for REALTORS® webinars   Wednesday, April 12, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now   Wednesday, April 26, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now
Assessment 101 for REALTORS®   MPAC Assessment 101 webinar has been customized for Ontario REALTORS®.   Training provides an overview of how MPAC collects data, measures properties, and instructions on calculating property taxes. We show REALTORS® how to access Assessment, Site, Structural, and Sales Data and provide an overview of our Automated Valuation Model (AVM) products customized for REALTORS®.	Upcoming Assessment 101 for REALTORS® webinars   Thursday, April 13, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now   Tuesday, April 25, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now
Assessment 101 for Commercial REALTORS®   This webinar provides an overview of our methods for valuing commercial, multi-res and industrial properties. We will also take a detailed view at the data offered in sample reports. Participants will learn about assessment basics as well.   Join us for a more thorough look at MPAC’s Commercial and Industrial data products.	Upcoming Assessment 101 for Commercial REALTORS® webinars   Wednesday, April 5, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now   Thursday, April 20, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now

Earlier yesterday, the Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, announced Ontario’s 2023 Budget titled Building a Strong Ontario. The budget focuses heavily on strengthening Ontario’s economy and ensuring the province is investing in infrastructure to support future growth.

The government used today’s budget to introduce new policy related to mental health funding, economic success and to reiterate the action being taken through More Homes Built Faster. In this year’s budget, Ontario’s 2022-23 deficit is projected to be $2.2 billion, and the government is looking at a $1.3 billion deficit in 2023-24. OREA has summarized other highlights from Budget 2023 below:

Homelessness

• The government pledged an additional $202 million to support community organizations that are delivering supportive housing and homelessness programs, with an emphasis on Indigenous communities.

Senior Supports

• The government plans to introduce legislation that would expand the number of seniors eligible for Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) payments (these payments provide seniors with monthly payments to qualifying pensioners and are on top of the federal Old Age Security pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement payments).

HST Relief for New Housing Projects

• Ontario will be pushing the federal government to consider a proposal on potential HST relief for new housing projects through the form of rebates, exemptions, or deferrals in payments to encourage the construction of new rental units in the province.

Immigration:

• Ontario will be enhancing the Immigrant Nominee Program, with a $25 million investment over three years to attract more skilled workers and tradespeople to the province.

Mental Health Supports: The government will be providing an additional $425 million over three years to connect more people to mental health and addictions services, including a five per cent increase in the base funding of community-based mental health and addictions services.

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More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

As many of our leaders are aware, the Ontario Government released their latest piece of housing legislation in 2022 (the More Homes Built Faster Act).

Some of the highlights of the Act included:

• Addressing the Housing Affordability Task Force’s recommendation to build 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years in Ontario (there were 96,000 housing starts in 2022; this is 30% higher than the annual average for the past 20 years)
• Reduce government-imposed costs on new rental projects and affordable housing (OREA recommendation)
• Explore affordable homeownership programs, like rent-to-own or co-ownership models (OREA recommendation)
• Strengthening consumer protections for purchasers of new homes by doubling fines and extending building license suspensions to address unethical conduct by developers (OREA recommendation)
• Pushing back on NIMBY forces by limiting the influence of groups that oppose new housing to streamline planning approvals and get houses built faster (OREA recommendation)

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OREA Analysis

The 2023 budget predicts that housing starts are projected to decline from 96,000 to 80,300 this year, dropping further to 79,300 in 2024. Accordingly, OREA will continue to work diligently and lobby on key issues to ensure there is enough housing supply to meet current and upcoming demand, including:

• Leveraging Ontario’s public lands to increase affordable housing supply.

• Encouraging the government to revisit successful housing policy, such as the Home Ownership Made Easy (HOME) plan.
  • In the 1960s, the HOME plan saw the province purchase land across Ontario and lease it to homebuyers, allowing them to own the home (but not the land) that it was on.
  • This greatly reduced down payments and resulted in getting more people into the market.
  • After five years, the homeowner could buy the land from the government, assuming full ownership.

• Going further to end exclusionary zoning province-wide
  • Under the current Act, a single-family home can be converted into a multi-unit dwelling but must conform with local zoning bylaws, meaning many conversions will still need special approvals.
  • OREA is encouraging the government to go one step further by rolling back exclusionary zoning for single-family lots to allow for the building of multiple units as-of-right.

• Continue to strengthen consumer protection in real estate with the passing of the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA) and introduction of supporting regulations, specifically related to increasing professional training standards for REALTORS® through specialty certifications and penalizing bad actors by giving the regulator the ability to use Administrative Monetary Penalties for minor infractions.

These individuals will be appointed as industry directors by ordinary resolution at RECO’s annual general meeting on Thursday, May 25, 2023.

In the case of region 1, the winning candidate will serve a three-year term, where the candidate in second place will serve the remaining two years of a vacated position.

Region 1 (Central Ontario)

Successful nominee (three-year term):
John Lusink
Right at Home Realty

2nd place nominee (two-year term):
Katie Steinfeld
On the Block Realty Inc.

Region 2 (Western & Southern Ontario)

Successful nominee (three-year term):
Brent King
RORE

Region 3 (Eastern, Northeastern & Northern Ontario)

Successful nominee (three-year term):
Sandra Lee Marques
Keller Williams Integrity Realty, Brokerage

Here is the complete list of voting results.

The TRESA Explained page is available on RECO’s website. Information about the key changes, and bulletins on a variety of TRESA-related topics will be posted on this page as they become available. TRESA videos can be found there too.

Also, a TRESA mandatory continuing education (MCE) course is being developed.

If you have questions, please contact us at information@reco.on.ca. Include “TRESA Question” in the subject line.

Your new Member benefit, SkySlope Forms, is here.

SkySlope makes it easy to find, fill, and sign real estate forms with auto-populating data fields and embedded e-signatures. Best of all, this new tool is included in your membership dues, and it is easily accessible on the TRREB Home Page, REALM™, Stratus, and Matrix.

How to Get Started

Your first step is to set-up your profile, then confirm your email address in SkySlope. This is a mandatory step for all salespeople, administrators and unlicensed assistants.

To confirm your email, follow these steps:

1. Click on your name in the upper right corner of the SkySlope menu bar.

2. From the drop down menu, click User Profile.

3. Confirm the email address in your profile is correct. If not, enter your correct email address and click save at the bottom of the page.

Unlicensed Assistants

If you are a Member with an unlicensed assistant, contact SkySlope to link your profile to your assistant.

Transform How You Handle Forms

A Centralized Forms Library

Easily locate and access the forms in the SkySlope portal.

Data Entry Simplified

Automatically pull in property data from the MLS^® System with auto-populate technology that pre-fills matching data fields in the forms.

Built-in Electronic Signature

Get your forms signed quickly with DigiSign, the embedded e-signature tool that auto-formats the forms for digital signature.

Sign Up for Training

Learn how to get started with SkySlope, including how to navigate the dashboard with free webinars. Save your spot for the free weekly training sessions. Or, watch this training video now.

You can also visit SkySlope support to explore more tips.

OREA is excited to announce that we are officially launching a new home for REALTORS® at our 2023 AGM.

On March 2^nd, a new and improved OREA.com will become publicly available. We are thrilled to provide our Members with a site that works for them and prioritizes the OREA products and services they value most. OREA Standard Forms and guidance, advocacy, professional development, and Member discounts will be at the forefront of the site and will be more easily accessible to Members than ever before.

Some new features we’d like to highlight ahead of the launch are:

1. Personalization 
   The new OREA.com will allow Members to identify the topics that interest them most so that we can make sure they see relevant content first. Members will also be able to save content (including Standard Forms) so they can easily return to it at a later date.
2. MyAcademy
   We are very excited to also be launching MyAcademy, a professional development hub for Ontario REALTORS®. MyAcademy will house courses, webinars, tutorials, and open learning content like episodes of The Standard, YPN Master Series and REALiTY+ panel recordings.​​​​​​
3. Easy Access to the Board Portal
   We’ve also made accessing the REB Portal easier for leaders across the province. Simply login to OREA.com, select “My Account” and a link to the Board Portal will be there in the dropdown menu.

We understand that this new site is a big change from the current OREA.com so if you’d like to set up a virtual walkthrough for your members, please reach out to Samantha Morneau at samantham@orea.com.

Wishing you a great rest of your week.

Stacey Evoy
OREA President

The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA.

REALM™ is better than ever thanks to the latest enhancements.

Now, there are five more Search Layouts, so you can quickly find residential and commercial properties. The new search layouts include:

1. Consumer
2. Map + Card
3. Map + Table
4. Table
5. Map

Simply select the Layout button in the top left menu to customize what you want to see.

Your selected Search Layout is saved per session, no matter if you are accessing REALM™ on your desktop or tablet. If you want to change your Search Layout default settings, simply update the search view in your account.

In the Table View, you can also reorder the columns using a drag and drop feature. Plus, use the Add to Likes and Add to List functions to keep track of listings you want to share with your clients.

You can also easily identify if there are easements and how many are on a property in the Land Registry section.

Become a REALM™ Pro

Don’t forget to sign up for the free training sessions. There are virtual courses available.

The HoodQ Homebuyer Hub is here. This is a one-stop homebuying research platform available to both you and your clients.

All BREB Members, no matter which MLS® System you use, can visit your personalized HoodQ Homebuyer Hub and simply click on the tiles that interest you, including access to neighbourhood and school reports. 

The Hub is accessible directly from this link as well as on the Toronto MLS® Home Page. The link will be added to Stratus, REALM™ and Matrix by the end of the day.

HoodQ Homebuyer Hub Highlights:

• Detailed guides and maps for every neighbourhood in the GTA. That’s over 450 Neighbourhood Guides covering 6.7 million people in 25 municipalities. Each guide profiles the demographics of people, families, transit options and the size of homes that make up the neighbourhood.
  
  
• School information like never before. The School Locator tool allows you and your clients to quickly find which GTA neighbourhoods match their criteria for school type, grade level, school score and special programs. Neighbourhood School Guides feature all GTA schools and available catchments, each with a link to a more in-depth school profile page.
  
  
• A personalized recommendation engine you need to see to believe. Using a first-of-its-kind technology, neighbourhood recommendations will be provided to your clients based on all of their wish list criteria. It’s done through a short quiz and provides invaluable insights.

• HoodQ Reports for as many GTA addresses as you like. That’s 2,591,351 unique address report packages that highlight each property’s best neighbourhood features.

Check it out now, then share your personalized Hub with clients in an email or a social media post.

Any questions? Reach out to the Help Desk at helpdesk@trreb.ca, 416-443-8111 or via live chat.

You can also read the handy FAQs.

Factors Affecting Residential Property Value   This webinar is a continuation of our MPAC Assessment 101 webinar series. We take a more detailed look at the top 5 factors affecting real property value when using mass appraisal techniques.   Participants will also learn about other property features that can significantly affect property value. These include elements of primary and secondary structures, site details and locational influences.   Join us for a more thorough look at MPAC’s valuation process.	Upcoming Factors Affecting Residential Property Value webinars   Thursday, March 9, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now   Monday, March 20, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now
Automated Valuation Models (AVM) for REALTORS®   This webinar provides an overview of our real-time market value estimates, used for listing presentations, setting the listing price, supporting an offer, or simply as a second unbiased opinion of value.	Upcoming Automated Valuation Models (AVM) for REALTORS® webinars   Monday, March 13, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now   Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now
Assessment 101 for REALTORS®   MPAC Assessment 101 webinar has been customized for Ontario REALTORS®.   Training provides an overview of how MPAC collects data, measures properties, and instructions on calculating property taxes. We show REALTORS® how to access Assessment, Site, Structural, and Sales Data and provide an overview of our Automated Valuation Model (AVM) products customized for REALTORS®.	Upcoming Assessment 101 for REALTORS® webinars   Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now   Thursday, March 16, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. EDT Register now   Monday, March 27, 2023 1 to 2 p.m. EDT Register now
Assessment 101 for Commercial REALTORS®   This webinar provides an overview of our methods for valuing commercial, multi-res and industrial properties. We will also take a detailed view at the data offered in sample reports. Participants will learn about assessment basics as well.   Join us for a more thorough look at MPAC’s Commercial and Industrial data products.	Upcoming Assessment 101 for Commercial REALTORS® webinars   Tuesday, March 7, 2023 1 to 1:30 p.m. EDT Register now   Wednesday, March 22, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now

As most REALTORS^® are aware, January 5 marked the official transition date to the new MPAC propertyline™ e-store. With the legacy (former) propertyline™ and TRREB’s Public Records switching to a records only view until June 30, we want to ensure that users are familiar with the new interface and know how to access MPAC data through the new single-sign on process integrated directly with GeoWarehouse™ and possibly your Board’s MLS provider.

To help with user transition, MPAC has scheduled a special training webinar that it will continue to run weekly on the new propertyline™. See below for the more information, as well as upcoming dates and registration details.

Special training webinar – new propertyline™ e-store

Enhanced Assessment Data, REALTOR® Insights, and Bundle Savings – A look at the new data in GeoWarehouse and our new propertyline™ e-store

Join MPAC’s Real Estate Team for an in-depth walkthrough of the new data and propertyline™ e-store, where you will learn about:     

• Enhanced data points now included with GeoWarehouse, such as new phase in and assessment details as well as site area and year built
• Our modernized interface, now integrated with a direct link in GeoWarehouse, to improve the purchasing experience
• The increased functionality of our property search module, making it easier to find specific properties, save details and search through comparable properties
• Updated reporting styles and formatting, with the addition of our free Assessment Details Report, available and included with every property
• Report Bundling that allows members to choose from a variety of bulk reporting packages and offers significant savings on the retail price for our most popular reports
• New REALTORS^® Insights to keep you informed with the latest property market data, resources, personalized support and training materials.

Upcoming dates:

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 10 to 10:30 a.m. EDT Register now

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 1 to 1:30 p.m. EDT Register now