Columnists

It is a curious thing what a couple can collect after 30+ years together, such as an old book that I had packed into a box: How To Build Your Dream Home For Less Than $3,500.

At the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), we’re approaching the first anniversary of the Real Estate Salesperson Program.

A recent Real Estate Council of Ontario decision makes it clear that there are certain cases in which agents acting for tenants must disclose the presence of roommates.

The “exclusive” (or non-MLS) listing has been more widely used in our sellers’ market conditions in Ottawa during the last couple of years.

The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act (Bill 184) affecting residential tenancies is now law. If everyone is complaining about this bill, the law may not be so bad after all.

There are many experts who are saying the opposite of the real estate agents. Evan Siddall, CEO of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., who is an expert on Canada’s mortgage health, said not to trust data from Realtors.

CREA recently announced it is creating the field “Primary Bedroom” on Realtor.ca. This would allow MLS systems across the country to feed their “master bedroom” data field to this display name on the public portal.

Is it a conflict of interest to operate multiple businesses while working as a real estate agent? Many Realtors find that having a few non-conflicting contracts is quite helpful and motivational.

The OREA board landed on four bold, new ideas. Before we greenlight these programs, we want to hear from our members one last time about which new services will provide the greatest benefits.

Are bus benches worth the expense, or not? It depends. Let’s look at two extreme scenarios.