On Thursday, December 3, REALTOR.ca introduced one of its most significant features: REALTOR.ca accounts. These provide a wealth of valuable consumer insights that can help REALTORS® gain further understanding into the digital real estate journey of their current and future clients.

Also included in this release is a security change making REALTOR.ca safer for all users. As of December 3, all of REALTOR.ca is behind a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) which will encrypt and protect all user data through property and REALTOR® searches as well as the new accounts feature.

REALTOR.ca account benefits include:

Access your Favourites from anywhere

Account users will be able to see their favourite listings from any browser they use to sign in to REALTOR.ca 

Add Notes to listings to remember the things you love most

Account users will have an option to add notes to listings and the ability to share their notes with family, friends and REALTORS®. Recipients will see the notes when they are signed in to their REALTOR.ca account. 

Save time with Saved Searches

Increasing the number of saved searches from 5 to 50 allows signed-in users to spend less time entering search criteria and more time interacting with REALTOR® profiles and listings. 

Personalized experience 

Map or Gallery view? Metric or imperial measurements? Each signed-in user will be able to personalize their experience to make it work for them, so they can focus on what matters most – REALTORS® and their listings. 

What you need to know:

• While an account creation will be promoted and encouraged, REALTOR.ca will continue welcoming all guest visitors to use the site as they always have.

• REALTOR.ca accounts are free.

• Users will be able to create accounts and sign in using their email address or social media (LinkedIn, Google, Twitter and Facebook).

• There will be no change to the data upload process.

• Buyer Salespeople may find it beneficial to set up an account on REALTOR.ca to exchange listings (and notes on those listings) with their clients. Watch out for a future post on CREA Café on leveraging account features on REALTOR.ca for Buyer Salespeople.

• REALTORS® with listings will benefit from additional consumer insights from their region, allowing them to better target those properties and learn about the clients they serve.

• CREA Member Support will provide support for Members who choose to set up their own accounts on the website, as well as for consumers visiting REALTOR.ca

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact CREA Member Support.

The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) and the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) want to hear from you about the "REALTORS® we do the homework™" campaign. 

In the next few days, you will receive an email from Ipsos, a third-party independent market-research firm, working on behalf of OREA and TREB. In this email there will be a unique survey link created just for you that will take you to Ipsos' platform to complete the short survey, which will take approximately 5 minutes. 

We encourage you to participate in the survey. Your responses to the survey will remain confidential (neither OREA nor TREB will know what you, specifically, have said) and your participation is entirely voluntary. When you complete the survey, your name will be entered into a draw to win one of five prizes of $100. 

The survey will be open until December 23rd, but we encourage you to complete it as soon as you're able. Thank you for your time and for participating in the survey. 

Note from TREB: This survey will be programmed for TREB Members according to TREB records as at December 4, 2015. The primary email address that will be used is your "single email address".

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced changes today to the rules for government-backed mortgage insurance. Effective February 15, 2016, the minimum down payment for new insured mortgages will increase from 5 per cent to 10 per cent for the portion of the house price above $500,000. The 5 per cent minimum down payment for properties up to $500,000 remains unchanged. For example, on a $625,000 property (2015 average GTA price), Buyers will now require a minimum of 6% down, an additional $6,250.

• The minimum down payment will increase gradually with the price of a house, varying from 5 per cent for homes priced at or below $500,000 to 7.5 per cent just below $1 million. Properties priced at $1 million and higher will continue to require a minimum down payment of 20 per cent. For example, a person buying a $600,000 property would be required to pay a down payment of 5 per cent on the first $500,000 and 10 per cent on the remaining $100,000, resulting in a total minimum down payment of $35,000, or 5.8 per cent of the total purchase price.


• The announced measure will take effect on February 15, 2016 and apply to new mortgage loan applications received on February 15, 2016 or later. Any mortgage insurance application received between December 11, 2015 and before February 15, 2016 that does not conform to the measures announced today must have a mortgage in place by July 1, 2016.


• This measure applies only to new insured mortgage loans. Homeowners with an existing insured mortgage or those renewing existing insured mortgages will not be affected by this policy change as mortgage insurance is good for the life of any existing insured mortgage.

More information is available at the Department of Finance website:

News Release: http://www.fin.gc.ca/n15/15-088-eng.asp
Background:  http://www.fin.gc.ca/n15/data/15-088_1-eng.asp
Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.fin.gc.ca/afc/faq/hdpmeh-mfperpc-eng.asp

On December 15, we email broadcast December's edition of the monthly, electronic Across The Board Member newsletter to all TREB Members. This issue features:

• Important: OREA & CREA Dues
• TREB's New Electronic Invoice
• Season's Greetings
• What's In Your REALTOR® Toolkit? – Today's Listings
• Complying with Municipal Sign By-laws
• New Account Feature in REALTOR.ca
• The Educated Professional
• Members for Members – Thank You for Your Service
• 2015 – 2016 Help Desk Holiday Hours
• Privacy Reminder to Members

If you can’t find the email link to Across The Board in your Inbox, or you’ve accidentally deleted it, you may click here to open the newsletter.

If the link to open Across The Board doesn’t work on your computer, there is an alternate method to read the newsletter. To access Across The Board from within TorontoMLS/New Stratus:

1. Log into TorontoMLS/New Stratus.
2. Click Your Information Centre near the top of the home page. The Your Information Centre page appears in a separate window.
   
3. Click Across The Board Newsletter. The current edition of the newsletter appears.
   
4. To print or download the current issue, select Click here to download current issue in PDF. To read a previous issue, select CLICK HERE FOR ARCHIVES, then select the issue you want to read.
   
   

To print Across The Board:

1. Follow the steps above to open the PDF version of the newsletter.
2. Click File, then Print.

Real estate practitioners searching for new ways to connect with other professionals and tap into valuable resources should join TREB's Young Professionals Network (YPN). Everybody is welcome, whether you are new to the business or just young at heart.

What is YPN? 
A group of real estate professionals looking to

• share best practices and innovative ideas, while serving the community and each other; and
• educate the community about the real estate profession and work cooperatively with other real estate professionals to support the next generation of REALTORS®

through meet and greet sessions, educational seminars, and learning from experienced professionals.

The YPN Mandate

1. The mission of the Young Professionals Network Committee is to foster professional development within the TREB community by bringing fellow young professionals together, to meet, share ideas and build relationships through social/business networking.
2. The Young Professionals Network Committee primarily focuses on programs to better enhance young real estate professionals' knowledge, industry best practices, credibility and overall image.
3. The group also gives direct feedback to the board to help improve TREB services in a broader sense.
4. Members will receive access to unique educational seminars, panel discussions and the opportunity to develop as future industry leaders.

Join Now! 
YPN is a great way for TREB Members to network and build a referral base. It is also a great way to learn new tools and technology advancements in organized real estate.

Also, there is a great personal reward that comes with being involved in TREB Committees. YPN gives you the opportunity to acquire leadership qualities and experiences that will stay with you throughout your career.

Join now by signing up here: http://bit.ly/1RqNgyP

No Cost 
There is no cost to be part of the TREB YPN.

To receive the latest updates and information on TREB YPN events on social media, visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/trebypn/events/ and twitter at @trebypn.

All comments, complaints and inquiries should be directed to socialmedia@trebnet.com

TREB will release a ground breaking report on January 18 on the "Market Year in Review & Outlook" for the housing market.

It will contain never before seen results from a TREB commissioned Ipsos survey on consumer housing opinions and intentions. The report will also outline what government and industry leaders feel is important to keep the Greater Golden Horseshoe competitive on the global stage.

On December 19, 2015, two enhancements were made to the Public Records (MPAC propertyline™) application in Stratus.

Additional Assessment Information
Enhanced Property Detail information is available in both the desktop and mobile interface with added assessment information. You will now see the full, 4-year Phased-In Assessment details without being required to purchase an additional report.

To view the assessment information for any searched property, open the Property Detail ViewPort, and then scroll down to the Valuation Information section.

From the Valuation Information for the above property, we know that:

1. from the 2008 valuation date to the 2012 valuation date, the property's assessed value increased by $69,000.
2. each Taxation Year, 25% of the total increase is added to the previous year's Phased-In Assessment. In the example above, the Phased-In Value will increase $17,250 annually for each taxation year of the 4-year cycle.
3. the current 2015 Taxation Year, shown in red, has a Phased-In Assessment Value of $357,750. That value is used for calculating realty taxes for the 2015 tax year.
4. at the end of the 4-year cycle, the Phased-In Assessment is the same as the Assessed value on the last valuation date (currently January 1, 2012).

Municipal Tax Rates
Realtors should remember that the phased-in assessment value is always used for calculating property taxes.  Municipalities typically set the tax rates in the spring; therefore always ensure the Taxation Year Phased-In value corresponds to current published municipal tax rate.

Please note: Because this enhancement involved the addition of new data and related fields in the Property Detail Report, Members may need to clear their propertyline™ search history and then perform a new search for these properties.  This can be done by clicking on the red trash can located at the bottom of the search results pane in propertyline™.

MPAC Reports Now Available in Bundles
Members who buy reports from the RealStor in significant numbers can now buy their reports at discounted rate by purchasing Bundles.

To buy a Bundle:

1. Access the RealStor from any ViewPort in propertyline™.
2. Click the Bundles tab.
   
3. Select the desired bundle by clicking Add to Cart. A pop-up will appear with your Profile information.
4. Verify that your Profile is correct and click Next. The Bundle is added to your cart.
5. To complete your purchase click the Shopping Cart tab. Review your purchase(s) and click Check Out.

Now when you access RealStor to purchase a report, you will see the number of credits you have. You will also see a Get Report button to use to complete your transaction.

The 2016 nomination process for OREA's Annual Young Professionals Network (YPN) Leadership Awards is now open. The YPN Leadership Awards recognize five top real estate leaders who are new to the profession OR under 40 years of age.

OREA believes that fostering the growth and potential of today's emerging leaders helps position Ontario's real estate industry for long-term success. YPN Leadership Award winners have the opportunity to further hone their leadership skills by sharing their personal success stories with members of their profession and the public through OREA events and media channels.

OREA advised that they had an extremely robust candidate pool last year and look to build on this momentum. They are announcing the awards through social media, the EDGE Newsletter, and an email to the membership scheduled for January 7, 2016. OREA asks that you help get the word out by sharing this information with emerging leaders in your community today.

Complete information about the awards, including the application form, is available on theOREA YPN page. The deadline for award applications is January 29, 2016.

We're pleased to announce that a variety of Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) services are now officially available at the Mississauga Real Estate Board (MREB) location. TREB and the MREB have collaborated to provide Members with enhanced services at the MREB office, including the opening of a new REALTOR® STORE, which will allow Members working in the western GTA to access many TREB services without the drive to Don Mills.

TREB President Mark McLean said of the venture, "One of the great things about having the REALTOR® STORE in Mississauga is that it makes life a lot easier for agents who work in the west end to purchase supplies. They'll no longer have to waste their time trekking across the city, and we're happy to have the opportunity to provide our Members with that added convenience. It's also a great opportunity for our two Boards to work together."

Services now available to Members at the MREB location include a new REALTOR® STORE, which will provide MREB Members with a wider selection of products, authenticator/mobile pass administration, new Member package pickup, registration for professional development, as well as invoice and dues payment.

"The Mississauga Real Estate Board has always worked in close alliance with The Toronto Real Estate Board to serve a common goal, which is to offer the best to the REALTOR® Community. I believe we have achieved another milestone by offering The Toronto Real Estate Board's REALTOR® STORE to all our Members, which is a huge convenience to Members of both Boards," said Mississauga Real Estate Board President, Asha Singh.

The TREB staff member onsite at MREB is Kathy Cloutier, who can be reached at (905) 608-6732 ext. 22 or by email at kcloutier@trebnet.com.

The Mississauga Real Estate Board is located at 3450 Ridgeway Drive, Unit #1 in Mississauga.

As of March 1, 2016, in addition to the 3-hour New Member Orientationcourse presently being offered, new Members will also be required to complete a mandatory Introduction to Stratus course. Both courses must be completed within 90 days of becoming a Member of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

Additional hands-on Stratus training courses will be made available to new Members on a complimentary basis. Registration for these complimentary courses must occur within six months of becoming a new Member.

Complimentary courses being offered:

• Creating a CMA in Stratus
• Searching in Stratus (Residential or Commercial)
• Stratus Full Day Practice Lab
• Working with Public Records
• Working with WEBForms® 4.0

On January 6, 2016, CREA will end its manual feed toWorldproperties.com, which will affect the way REALTORS® add listings toWorldproperties.com.

CREA members who would like to send listings to Worldproperties.com after this date may either use CREA's Data Distribution Facility (DDF®) or contact ICREA directly.

The easiest way to continue to display your listings on Worldproperties.com, for free in 19 different languages, is through the CREA DDF®. Worldproperties.com has been a DDF®third party destination since early 2015 and has distributed over 35,000 listings in that time.

DDF® provides REALTORS® with several benefits including:

1. Improved analytics for your listings through the DDF® feed.
2. The ability to better track leads and views for all third party destinations.
3. Greater assurance that Canadian listings on Worldproperties.com are as current and accurate as those displayed on REALTOR.ca.

   
To begin the switch to DDF®, contact your Broker and CREA Member Support. 

To learn more about how DDF® works or to access training tools, visit tools.realtorlink.ca. 

The Canadian Real Estate Association is looking for people who had problems buying or selling their home withouta REALTOR® and are open to sharing their experience.

UNION Advertising Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Real Estate Association, are looking for men and women of all ethnic backgrounds, from 30 years of age and up to be featured in their very own Internet campaign.

ABOUT YOU
You bought or sold your home without a REALTOR®, something went wrong, and you realized you should have done things differently. Some examples might be (but are not limited to):

• Errors made in paperwork
• Unsuccessful negotiations
• Difficulty finding suitable properties/buyers
• Lack of market or neighbourhood knowledge

CREA is particularly interested if you have since used a REALTOR® to buy or sell a home.

DETAILS AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
If interested, please submit the following information via email todidntusearealtor@gmail.com in order to be invited to an audition:

• Your name and age
• Bio and photos: a candid headshot and the story of the problems you encountered buying or selling without a REALTOR®, including how you resolved them. Tell us what you would have done differently. If you have used a REALTOR® since, please let us know how your experience differed.
• Your primary and secondary contact information
• If you had problems buying a home, please write "Buying" in the email subject line along with your name (e.g., Buying – Jane Smith). If you had problems selling, please write "Selling" in the email subject line along with your name (e.g., Selling – Jane Smith).

YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THESE KEY DATES:
AUDITIONS: Week of January 18 for 30 minutes.  
SHOOT: Week of February 15, 2016. We will need you for at least one day during this period.

Auditions and shoot will both take place in Toronto. For those chosen to participate in the final campaign, a cash payment of $2500 will be provided.

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 attached application form  and email to awards@trebnet.com or fax to 416-443-0797.

Deadline for nominations is February 26, 2016.