http://anotherobstacle.ca

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Table of Contents

OREA & CREA Electronic Invoice Page 3

TREB-Hosted Grow Your Business with BDC Session a Great Success

Page 3

Market Year in Review & Outlook Report 2017 Page 4

In the Loop – Your Board of Directors at Work

Page 5

REALTOR® QUEST Page 6

Send a Message: Don’t Hike the LTT! Page 7

Let Us Show You The Personal Touch Advantage

Page 7

The Educated Professional Page 8

Member Focus Groups: Help Shape Your Association

Page 9

What’s in Your REALTOR® Toolkit? Page 9

Eleventh Annual Past President’s Scholarship Awards

Page 9

Members for Members – Thank You for Your Service! Page 10

Privacy Reminder to Members Page 10

Nominations for TREB Community Service Award

Page 10

© Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

OREA & CREA Electronic Invoice

TREB handles the issuing and payment processing on behalf of the Ontario Real Estate Association and the Canadian Real Estate Association as a service to Members to keep collection and processing costs at a minimum. All amounts collected are remitted to OREA & CREA.

2017 OREA and CREA Electronic InvoicingYour 2017 OREA & CREA Dues invoice notice was sent directly to your email on December 15, 2016. Click on the link in the email to be directed to TREB's safe and secure e-Commerce website. You will need your TREB Membership Number, PIN, and Authenticator Password to sign on.We recommend that you add trebinvoice@trebnet.com and webmaster@trebnet.com to your safe senders list or email contact list to prevent it from being blocked as spam.

Payment due date is January 31, 2017.Please note the following:• Payment of 2017 OREA & CREA annual dues by January

31, 2017 will confirm a Member's intention to renew his/her membership with TREB.

• If payment is not received by January 31, 2017 then a Member's membership is deemed not to have been renewed and membership privileges will cease immediately without further notice.

• A $100 reinstatement fee (plus HST) will apply for any Member reinstating his/her membership after January 31, 2017.

The following payment methods are available:

e-Commerce: Click here to be directed to the e-Commerce site to pay by:• Major Credit Card• INTERAC Online – Internet banking enabled

through TD Canada Trust, RBC, Scotiabank and BMO

• Visa Debit Card

Cheque: Payable to TREB• Cheque must be received at TREB offices by Tuesday,

January 31, 2017.

On Tuesday, December 13, TREB hosted the first session in its new Learn to Earn series.

Grow Your Business with BDC featured a presentation by Terri Mann, Vice President of Consulting Business Development at the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Terri shared proven strategies that could help REALTORS® craft a compelling business story to achieve meaningful and measurable results in growing their business.

Following the presentation, representatives from BDC stuck around for a question and answer session with attendees.

To learn more about TREB’s Learn to Earn series, or BDC, click here.

TREB-Hosted Grow Your Business with BDC Session a Great Success

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1400 Don Mills Road 416.443.8100 TREBhome.com

On January 31, 2017, TREB will launch its second an-nual Market Year in Review & Outlook Report.

This year's report shines the spotlight on "Connecting to Affordability." Affordable home ownership is a priority issue for TREB, and this year's report breaks down the question of housing affordability with the use of empirical-based evidence.

The report contains several key sections:

• Market Year in Review: The Market in 2016

• Market Outlook: Looking to 2017

• Transit Infrastructure & Housing Affordability

• Commercial Report

• Housing Affordability: Understanding Supply

Be sure to check your Inbox, Stratus, Social Media and TREBhome.com for the report starting January 31, 2017.

January 31, 2017

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L pIn the

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT WORK

This regular feature of Across The Board highlights the work done by TREB’s various committees and task forces chaired by members of the Board of Directors.

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Arbitration and Professional Standards Steering Committee

Arbitration October 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 Total Claims Received ...................................33 Hearings Held ................................................13 Mediations Settled ...........................................7 Appeals Received .............................................3

Professional Standards October 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 Total Complaints ......................................... 241 Total Retained by TREB ............................. 219 Special Administrative Fees Issued ............. 15 Hearings Held ................................................ 14 Appeals Received ............................................ 4 Appeals Hearings Held ................................... 0 Michelle Makos, Chair; Paul Etherington, Vice Chair

Commercial Committee

A Commercial Market Watch dashboard is being developed which will allow Members to monitor and measure performance and metrics from their mobile device or desktop, visualize and analyze data, and focus on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from Market Watch. Peter Burdon, Chair

Condominium Committee

The Committee will provide input on the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (CMSA). The CMSA regulates and provides for the licensing of condominium managers and condominium management providers in Ontario. Dick Briscoe, Chair

Consumer Relations Committee

TREB’s “Homeownership is a Great Investment” campaign continues with TV and radio appearances. TREB media mentions averaging 6 a day and social media 72 mentions a day. Twitter continues to be our most active social media platform with 20.9 million views in Q4 2016. Michael Collins, Chair

Finance Committee

The Committee meets monthly to discuss TREB’s financial health, to review the monthly financial statements, and to make recommendations to the Board of Directors on various items. Garry Bhaura, Chair; John Lusink, Vice Chair

Government Relations Committee

The Committee is working on a number of issues, including changes to Land Transfer Taxes. After much lobbying, the province recently doubled the first-time buyer LTT rebate. GRC presented TREB’s position against a possible municipal LTT hike, especially on first-time home buyers, during City Hall’s Budget public hearings. Take a stand against #AnotherObstacle to home ownership by visiting anotherobstacle.ca and easily email your councillor. Tim Syrianos, Chair; Don Kottick, Vice Chair

Member Communications Committee

Across The Board’s readership continued to grow last month with 76.8% of Members having opened the newsletter (surpassing the previous record by 30%). The three most popular non-MLS® System sites Members visited from within Stratus were Public Records, REALTOR Link®, and Connect. The majority of you used Chrome to access Stratus (63%) on a computer with a Windows operating system (77%). Michael Collins, Chair

Member Services Committee

The Committee continues to explore ways to enhance the TREB Member Experience. Projects on the go include possible enhancements to the 25 & 50 Year Member Dinner, improved recognition for TREB Committee volunteers, and new discounts for Members, e.g., Royal Ontario Museum and Ripley’s Aquarium. Check out current available Member discounts on Stratus under Products and Services. Howard Drukarsh, Chair

MLS®, Technology & Related Services Committee

The latest technology initiative of the Committee has been the implementation of Google Maps in all Stratus applications, Connect Unified Search and MPAC propertyline™ (Public Records). The base Google Maps platform on Stratus will be enhanced to include Street View and 3D View in the first quarter of 2017. Mark McLean, Chair

Professional Development Committee

The Committee is examining ways to incentivize Member participation in pro-fessional development courses and increase the accessibility of the Brokerage Outreach Program to offices outside of the GTA. December/January marked the soft launch of a new Best Practices course series. Dates are already available through e-Commerce for the two newest courses in the series: Best Practices: Everyday Compliance & Best Practices: Everyday Use of Forms. Ron Abraham, Chair

Young Professionals Network Committee

TREB has grown its YPN membership to 1,844 with conversation among its members discussing Habitat Builds, TREB’s Annual Meeting, referrals for services, e-signatures, MLS®, B.R.A., and the impact of highway tolls on REALTORS®. Lisa Patel, Chair

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TREB has launched anotherobstacle.ca to shed light on pro-posed changes to the City of Toronto’s Land Transfer Tax. If you’re not a fan of this tax, take a few minutes to easily use

anotherobstacle.ca to trigger an email to your councillor or post on social media.

If you or your clients disagree with the changes that City Hall is pro-posing, please help us send a message.

Your voice really can make a difference, and this is a great opportuni-ty to demonstrate the combined lobbying power of REALTORS® and their clients. Click here to learn more and what you can do to help.

Send a Message: Don’t Hike the LTT!

Let Us Show You The Personal Touch Advantage

Why do our clients choose The Personal? From beginning to end, it’s the exceptional customer experience. As a member of the

Toronto Real Estate Board, you’re entitled to savings on top of your exclusive group rates:

• Security System Savings2 Save up to 15%

• Claims-Free Savings3 Save up to 20%

Plus, enjoy:Multi-Line Discount4: Insure your home and car with us, and you could save up to 5% on one or both policies.

Multi-Vehicle Discount5: Insure more than one vehicle, and save up to 15% on each vehicle’s premium.

To learn more, click here.

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January 25 Pricing a Luxury Property to SellJanuary 25 Commercial Basic FinanceJanuary 26 Tech Tips – Simply StratusJanuary 26 Best Practices – Everyday ComplianceFebruary 2 Listing PresentationFebruary 3 Best Practices – Everyday Use of FormsFebruary 15 Are You Getting Your Share of the International Market?February 15 Buying a Resale Condominium: Legal Issues for SalespeopleFebruary 16 Mortgage Nightmares for REALTORS® and Their ClientsFebruary 16 Subdividing LandFebruary 16 Tech Tips – CondominiumsFebruary 17 Work Less & Earn More: Show Your Clients Opportunities Others Are Missing and Capitalize

Add/Edit in Stratus

February 10

Basic Retail Site Selection

February 8

Creating a CMA in Stratus

February 16

Searching in Stratus – Commercial

February 1 (Mississauga)

Searching in Stratus – Residential

February 9

Working with Public Records

February 8 (Mississauga)

February 16 (York)

Working with WEBForms®

February 16

Participate in a seminar or workshop to learn directly from the subject matter expert and through class discussions. Network with your fellow REALTORS® to learn from each other. These seminars/workshops range between two and six hours.

Participate in technology training for step-by-step instructions that will help you serve your clients better. Hands-on training is provided in a computer lab and is led by one of our staff Technology Learning Specialists. These labs range between three and four hours.

January 18 & 19

Seller Representative Specialist (SRS)Designed to elevate professional standards and enhance personal performance, this pro-gram focuses on providing REALTORS® with the tools necessary to represent Seller Clients in a variety of formats. Particular attention is given to differing listing models, office policies, field issues, and legal ramifications to representing Sellers in today’s changing environment. Whether you are new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, the SRS course will redefine your 'normal' and reinvent the way you represent Sellers.

February 1 & 2REIC 2270 – Consumer Behaviour and NegotiatingA Fellowship of the Real Estate Institute (FRI) Designation CourseUnderstanding the needs of your clients and working towards getting them exactly what they want for the value that they are happy with is what the real estate industry is all about. This course will hone your interper-sonal and negotiation skills in order to un-derstand the behaviour of the people you do business with and to effectively communicate and negotiate with them.

Although TREB endeavours to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of information, it is not guaranteed.

Upcoming Seminars and Workshops

Hands-On Technology Training

January 18: CollaborateJanuary 25: MPAC propertyline™ (Comm.) February 1: WEBForms®,February 8: Creating a CMA in Stratus

The Educated Professional

Upcoming Professional Designations/Certifications

Webinar Wednesdays

Click e-Commerce to register for courses and to access further details, including course descriptions and instructor biographies.

What’s In Your REALTOR® Toolkit?

Documents in Collaborate

Member Focus Groups: Help Shape Your Association

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Eleventh Annual Past President’s

Scholarship Awards

Want to learn about existing and upcoming TREB Member services and share your feedback? Want to meet likeminded real estate pro-fessionals and help shape the future of your Association?

In February 2017, TREB will host a series of Member Focus Groups led by staff experts from across all departments.

These sessions will:

• Give you an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the services available to you as a TREB Member

• Allow you to provide suggestions for how to improve existing TREB services

• Share your feedback on upcoming and potential TREB services

• Provide a networking opportunity with likeminded REALTORS®

To learn more and to register for one of these sessions, click here. TREB’s Past President’s

Scholarship Program, now in

its eleventh year, expanded

in 2012 to include two additional

scholarships. Two $5,000 first-place

scholarships and two $2,500 second-

place scholarships will be awarded

on behalf of REALTORS® to four

graduating high school seniors pursuing

post-secondary education, for example,

university, college, or trade school.

The scholarship awards will be present-

ed to the four winners in the spring. To

learn more about the scholarships and

the application process, click here.

Collaborate allows you to store a wide range of files to share with your clients. There are several

advantages to using Documents:

• The files are stored in the Cloud, so you have access to them wherever you are.

• They are secure.

• You can create folders to store files of a similar type together.

• There are no attachments for the client to miss or accidentally delete. Nor do you have to worry about the files going to the client’s email spam. The files transfer directly into their Documents folder.

• Since they are transferred to the client’s Documents, they will always know where they are.

The file types that you can store in Documents include JPG, GIF, PPT, DOC, XLS, and PDF. The total storage capacity is 100 MB.

MLS®, TECHNOLOGY & RELATED SERVICESFirst row (L-R): Julie Hughes; Julia D'Andrade; Sandra Rinomato; Rhonda Foskett. Second row (L-R): Marco Da Silva; Ricky Chadha; Mark McLean, Chair; Yashar Einy; Luke McKenzie. Absent: Lang Vuong; Barry Cordingley.

MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEEFirst row (L-R): Marilyn Rothman; Sadia Ali; Adele Aston; Dolly Sidhu. Second row (L-R): Sanjay Babbar, Howard Drukarsh, Chair; Majibur Mollah. Absent: Clarence Maquito.

If you have content suggestions for Across The Board or comments about this publication, feel free to email us at acrosstheboard@trebnet.com

Get Social With TREB Suggestions & Feedback

The Community Service Award recognizes TREB Members who are making a difference

in their communities by holding local fundraisers, volunteering in the community, or contributing in countless other ways to charitable causes.

Do you have someone great working in your office or know of a deserving Member who would qualify? If so, we want to hear from you! Please complete the application form and

email to awards@trebnet.com or fax to 416-443-0797.

Deadline for nominations is February 17, 2017.

Nominations for TREB Community Service Award

Privacy Reminder to Members

Members should continue to handle con-sumer personal information with great care, adhere to all privacy laws, and al-ways be mindful of protecting consumer privacy rights.

As a Member-driven Association, TREB relies on the input of committed professionals volunteering to serve on focus groups, committees, and task forces. In the coming months,

Across The Board will showcase TREB Members serving on our committees.

Members for Members – Thank You for Your Service!