I am excited about representing the Greater Toronto Area's more than 41,000 REALTORS® during the next 12 months, as President of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

I see it as a great opportunity to share information with you about the real estate market in our city, which is teeming with potential. I believe that as a centre of finance, innovation and creativity, Toronto is destined to become one of the world's great mega-cities. In fact, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network already classifies ours as an alpha city, one that links major economic regions into the global economy.

People from all over the world want to be here and enthusiasm for Toronto is reflected in study after study. This year alone, the Economist Intelligence Unit named Toronto the best city in the world in which to live and the global real estate consultancy Knight Frank ranked Toronto 12th among the world's 40 most important cities. We placed in the same spot in a study of the world' most sustainable cities conducted by the global engineering consultancy Arcadis, and we ranked 10th on the Atlantic's Global Economic Power Index.

As a runner, I enjoy exploring our city's diverse neighbourhoods and marveling at the pace of development as Toronto evolves into a vibrant global oasis. A trek through just about any community proves that ours is a city of entrepreneurs, and among Toronto's most energetic go-getters, is your REALTOR®.

Our energy is derived from the passion we have both for the GTA, and for connecting people, to help them realize their dreams. Recognizing that in today's digital world, each of us has vast swathes of data available at our fingertips, Greater Toronto REALTORS® recognize that you expect more than just numbers, and we are committed to delivering. I see a REALTOR'S® role not only as a provider of information, but more importantly, as a purveyor of insight. Distilling all of the variables that can affect your transaction, from nearby development plans to school zoning, and providing you with insightful opinions is one of the most important services you can expect when working with a REALTOR®.

A home transaction is one of the most emotional and financially significant steps you will ever take and as such, it only makes sense to bring an informed, objective head to the table to help you maximize your dollar. We understand that the stakes are high and we want you to hold us to equally high standards. Today's REALTORS® are smart, driven and committed to staying on top of the information stream in order to provide you with the best possible service.

While this year's soaring real estate sales activity and prices in the GTA reflect buyers' enthusiasm for our city, they don't have to mean that your goals are out of reach. Your REALTOR® can help you employ strategies that will allow you to put your best possible stake in this living, breathing metropolis of opportunity. To learn more talk to a Greater Toronto REALTOR® and visit TorontoRealEstateBoard.com

Mark McLean is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 42,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

To help Members and their clients prepare for the Federal Election on October 19, TREB has launched YourHomeYourVote.ca. 

YourHomeYourVote.ca helps TREB Members and the public learn where the major federal parties and individual candidates stand on key issues that impact homeowners and the real estate industry. It also includes details on voting, an informative blog, and a calendar of election-related events that you may be interested in attending.

At YourHomeYourVote.ca, you can easily view party platforms and party responses to real estate industry issues.  In addition, the site includes responses from federal candidates across the GTA who were asked for their thoughts on three priority issues: supporting home ownership, economic development, and affordable housing. (Responses received to date have been included and site will be updated as additional responses are received.)

Where do the parties and candidates stand on REALTOR® issues? Visitwww.YourHomeYourVote.ca to find out!

Join us for TREB's Annual Meeting where Patrick Brown, Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, will share his plans for the province and real estate, if he is elected Ontario's next premier. He's looking forward to speaking with as many Members as possible to hear your views on how Ontario can be a more economically competitive and liveable province.

In addition, the Annual Meeting features:

• John Wright, Senior Vice President of Ipsos, who will present survey results on GTA consumer home purchase intentions, including data on first-time Buyers and the size of down payments.
• A mini trade show featuring exhibitors from TREB's REALTOR® QUEST conference.
• One lucky attendee will win a free TREB membership in our 'Text and Win' contest for the 2016/2017 term. (You must be in the room to win.)

A continental breakfast and lunch will be served.
Location:   Allstream Centre, Ballroom C, Exhibition Place, 105 Princes' Blvd., Toronto. Map
Time:        10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

For more information, visit facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard/events and be sure to join the Annual Meeting page.

Please note that this is a Members only event. Registration requires an authenticator or TREB eCard.

The TREB Federal Election Housing Forum is now at capacity. If you were not able to register for this event, please note that it will be recorded and a video of the event will be made available on Stratus.

To participate in other TREB sponsored events, join our Facebook events page athttps://www.facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard/events

If you want to learn where the major federal parties and individual candidates stand on key issues that impact homeowners and the real estate industry, TREB has launchedYourHomeYourVote.ca To learn more, click here.

Effective Tuesday, September 15, when you click Photo Library in the Add/Edit function of Stratus, a new HTML5 version of Public Records opens. It allows you to save images to your listings by using the iLOOKABOUT "Save to Stratus" feature.

Clicking Street Photos from the LINKS menu also provides access to a new HTML5 cross-platform application which does not rely on Microsoft® Silverlight®

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

• TREB President Mark McLean Invites You to the Annual Meeting on October 20
• Leases and Agreements of Purchase and Sale
• TREB Launches "Your Home, Your Vote" Federal Election Website
• Changes to the Handling of Personal Information
• Privacy Reminder to Members
• Updated FINTRAC Materials and Forms
• What's In Your REALTOR® Toolkit?
• What's a VOW or an IDX?
• TREB Member Benefits Program Overview

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.

With a federal election campaign underway, TREB helped to shine the spotlight on housing issues by bringing together federal political party representatives for a forum focused on these issues.

The capacity event was held on September 17 and attended by over 100 TREB Members, who had the opportunity to hear from Wes Regan, Urban Affairs and Housing Critic for the Green Party of Canada; Adam Vaughan, Urban Affairs and Housing Critic for the Liberal Party of Canada; and Mike Sullivan, Deputy Housing Critic for the New Democratic Party of Canada. All major federal political parties were invited to participate.

"As REALTORS®, we play critical roles in facilitating home ownership, creating jobs, and advocating for affordable housing. These issues are of immense importance to REALTORS®, particularly as we move closer to the federal election. Our federal housing forum was an excellent opportunity for dialogue with federal housing representatives and to become informed," said Mark McLean, TREB President.

The forum explored multiple issues including affordable housing, home ownership, and the importance of the housing sector in creating jobs and economic activity.

Win 1 of 25 ($20) Starbucks gift cards by spreading the word about TREB's 95th Annual Meeting on October 20, 2015.

Click here and 'LIKE' this Facebook post for your chance to WIN! http://on.fb.me/1Mvnl7h

TREB will draw 25 winners on Monday October 19, 2015. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via their Facebook inbox.

Don't forget to join TREB's Annual Meeting Facebook event page for updates and more information: http://on.fb.me/1O68nl2

Watch for the launch of TREB's latest social media tool. COMING SOON!

Join us for TREB's Annual Meeting where John Wright, Senior Vice President of Ipsos, Canada's largest market research and opinion polling firm, will be presenting never seen before data on consumer home purchase intentions in the GTA, including that of first-time Buyers and the expected size of down payments. This will be a first look at consumer data that TREB will be collecting and publishing on a regular basis moving forward.

In addition, the Annual Meeting will feature:

• Patrick Brown, Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, will share his plans for the province and real estate, if he is elected Ontario's next premier.
• A mini trade show featuring exhibitors from TREB's REALTOR® QUEST conference.
• One lucky attendee will win a FREE TREB membership for the 2016/2017 term in our TEXT and WIN contest. (You must be in the room to win.)
• A continental breakfast and lunch will be served.

For more information, visit facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard/events and be sure to join the Annual Meeting page.

Please note that this is a Members only event. Registration requires an authenticator or TREB eCard.

Updates on the Greater Toronto Area resale housing market have been prominent in recent news headlines, and with good reason. People from around the world are excited about living in our city and statistics reflect this fact: July for example, saw a record number of transactions for the month, with 9,880 homes changing hands.

While this result illustrates homeowners' tendency to sell during the fair weather months, listing your property in fall also has several distinct advantages. Among them is the more limited competition your property will face in the autumn market; the fact that buyers are drawn to the cozy indoors once temperatures start to drop; and that summer holidays afford you ample time to get your home looking its best.

The exterior is your first impression into a home. As summer winds down many annual flowers have lost their lustre, but making your home stand out with spectacular fall landscaping is a simple undertaking. Hearty mums, ornamental grasses and kale are inexpensive purchases that will give your property curb appeal and make a great first impression with buyers.  Complete a neat appearance outside by trimming shrubs, pruning trees, weeding the lawn and sealing the driveway.

Many homeowners opt for a home inspection prior to listing the property. This pre-home inspection can help identify small inexpensive fixes and allow you to address any larger concerns before presenting the property to buyers. This small undertaking can help make the sale go smoother, quicker and get you the best selling price for your property. To get ready for an inspection ensure functional elements such as the windows, fireplace and furnace are clean and in working order, scheduling professional maintenance for the latter. At the very least, replace your furnace filter so that fresh air is circulating throughout your home.

De-cluttering and de-personalizing your home goes without saying, but before you do so, take a ruthless approach to dealing with discarded items that typically find a home in the garage. Once you're knee deep in packing boxes inside, you'll need the extra garage space to keep them. In fact, when it comes to all storage areas – the garage, closets, drawers and cabinets - it's essential that they're as tidy as possible so that you don't risk buyers questioning whether you have enough home organization space.

While you're packing make an effort to compile documents that will help your REALTOR® market your home such as a survey, property tax and utility bills, appliance owner's manuals and warranties, and a list of paint colours throughout the house. Frequent showings mean you'll soon be spending less time at home so get a jump on chores normally reserved for fall like cleaning gutters, caulking around windows and doors, and touching up exterior paint.

Painting will probably be needed inside your home as well because the way you live in a house and how you take it to market are completely different. If you have a bright red feature wall, now is a good time to transition to a neutral palette, and at a minimum, be sure to repaint all white trim around the house. This simple, affordable fix-up offers the best return on investment and when you paint at this time of the year you'll have the added benefit of being able to crack open a window.

Even if your walls don't need a colour overhaul you will find that they need patching and touch-up painting after your personal effects come down. This can be a time consuming process so the sooner you get started, the better.

Once the packing and fix-ups are complete ensure your home remains spotlessly clean and smelling great at all times.

Last year saw 92,783 home sales throughout the GTA at an average price of $566,631, and this year's market is on track to surpass these results.  Once you become part of the action remember that it's important to detach from your current surroundings, focus on the future, and trust that your REALTOR® will work in your best interest while bringing an objective approach to the process.

Talk to a Toronto Real Estate Board Professional Member REALTOR® and for updates on the market visitwww.TorontoRealEstateBoard.com.  If commercial property is what interests you, contact a TREB Commercial Professional Member REALTOR® by visiting www.trebcommercial.com.

Mark McLean is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board, a professional association that represents 42,000 REALTORS® in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow TREB on www.twitter.com/TREBhome, www.Facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard andwww.youtube.com/TREBChannel

Where a Voting Member is not able to attend and vote at a meeting of Members, the Voting Member may vote by proxy. Please note that no person can hold more than one proxy at any one meeting. Any Member wishing to vote by proxy must ensure that a properly completed proxy.

Any Member wishing to vote by proxy must ensure that a properly completed Proxy Form is deposited with the Corporate Secretary no later than FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015 by NOON.

As per an announcement made on August 28, 2015, starting next week, commercial listings currently displayed on ICX.ca, will find their permanent home in a new Commercial section in REALTOR.ca. As a result, they will leverage the power of REALTOR.ca, along with its substantial reach and lead-generation potential for REALTORS®.

 
What you need to know:

• REALTOR.ca will now have two sections:
• Commercial: giving consumers the ability to search for and view all commercial listings.
• Residential: allowing visitors to search for and view residential listings along with all multi-family properties, some of which have previously only been available on ICX.ca.
• Visitors accessing ICX.ca will be automatically directed to the Commercial section of REALTOR.ca.
• Bookmarked links from ICX.ca will link to the Commercial section of REALTOR.ca.
• ICX.ca Board Test (test.icx.ca) will be redirected to REALTOR.ca Board Test site (test.realtor.ca). Impact on the release day is expected to be minimal.
• There are no changes to the dataload process.
• REALTOR.ca for iPhone will integrate commercial listings as planned for Q1 2016; CREA will continue to support ICX.ca for iPhone until other commercial options are available.

The Toronto Real Estate Board is excited to announce the launch of TREB's official blog, "TREB Wire."

The vision behind the blog was to provide a resource of useful consumer information to share with clients, homeowners, buyers and sellers, as well as real estate investors at any level.

Our readers can look forward to informative articles on investing in real estate, home ownership, benefits of being a homeowner, market trends and analysis, first-time buyer tips, home buyer and seller information, and commercial property investing, with occasional insights from industry experts and more.

For more information and blog articles visit: http://www.trebwire.com

We welcome you to share our articles with all your social media networks.

Drew and Jonathan Scott, the stars of W Network's PROPERTY BROTHERS, are looking for fun and interesting people who are looking to renovate a fixer upper.

Are you, your family, or friends interested in participating?

Please apply at https://propertybrothers.castingcrane.com/ or emailpropertybrothers@cineflix.com for more information.

You will receive $20,000+ value towards your renovation, which is completed in 5-7 weeks!

Criteria: Minimum $85,000 budget for renovations with financing in place and must be available for 8 days of shooting over a seven week period.