Volume #10, Issue #2 – Spring 2010

Presidents Message  It is encouraging to see sales activity remaining active in all zones and a strong finish to the first quarter. I anticipate that we will see continued strength as we experience a robust spring market due to the overall economic stability on the island and the influx of retirees. Well priced product is the rule of the day as number of listings remains constant. It is also good to see our membership numbers increasing, albeit slowly, but giving us a sense of stability. It has been an active spring at the board with both CREA and BCREA AGM’s and government interaction meetings in both Victoria and Ottawa. At the provincial level, our message this year was focused on shelter taxes, HST and the Property Transfer Tax. The PTT was never indexed when it was introduced in the late 1980s and the original intent was that the 2% portion of the tax would apply to luxury homes which made up about 5% of the market at that time. Last year the 2% portion applied to 88% of sales in the province. We want the HST threshold currently pegged at $525,000 to be indexed to the National Housing Price Index and adjusted annually. This was agreeable to most MLA’s from both sides of the house. BC’s PTT is the highest in the country and we proposed the PPT to be restricted or preferably eliminated. This met with opposition from all sides as an alternative source of revenue would have to be found. On the Federal side, Lyle Price, Government Relations Chair; Jim Stewart, President-Elect; and Darrell Paysen, Manager of Member Services attended PAC Days in Ottawa to deliver our message regarding two initiatives. REALTORS® recommend indexing the Home Buyers Plan RRSP withdrawal limit to ensure that it never loses it buying power and we also recommend extending the program to all buyers for two years as a temporary stimulus. The second recommendation is to allow the capital gains tax and the recaptured capital cost allowance to be deferred when an income property is sold and the proceeds are reinvested in another income property within one year. On a more local note, there has been much discussion about the cost of the Legal Update mandatory course with the fee structure mandated through council and BCREA. Continuing talks are being held on this topic but I would like to stress that we as a profession are getting excellent quality courses at a very low cost and lunch included! All other courses continue to be heavily subsidized through the board. Talk to your accountant or lawyer and ask what their mandatory training is costing them, it is much more expensive and often at a distant location. And while we are on the subject, take advantage of the many courses that are offered. Don't just take what you need for credits; utilize the resources we have as that reinforces our focus this year of “enhancing our professionalism.” Cliff Moberg 2010 President

 

VIREB Members in Motion

VIREB’s membership continues to grow.  We are pleased to report a total of 1,081 members as of April 29, 2010.

Welcome to the following new members who have joined (or re-joined) VIREB:
Dave Gonyea – REMAXLC – (February 2)
Alixe Lamoureux – MIDISPA – (February 2)
Sonia Waring – SUTTOPA – (February 23)
Robert Silins – REMAXDT – (February 23)
Carol Dent – REVANNA – (February 24)
Nicole Grant – REMAXCX – (February 24)
Maureen Davidson – ROYALCV – (February 24)
Rob Larsen – COLDWNA – (March 3)
Eric Harrison – FAIRRNA – (March 4)
Steven Kiefer – COLDWCT – (March 8)
Elizabeth Zuk – ROYALCV – (March 16)
Holly Grant – ROYALCV – (March 16)
Carla Arnold – ROYALCV – (March 16)
Norman Halliday – TOTALCR – (March 18)
Vicki Boschman – PEMBEDU – (March 19)
Bryce Hansen – REMAXCX – (March 23)
Robert MacPhail – COASTOC – (March 23)
Nick Schols – COASTLD – (March 23)
Alice East – REMAXNA – (March 23)
Michael Harper – SUTTNAN – (March 24)
Chris Arcus – COASTPK – (March 22)
Lynn Hucul – ROYALPK – (March 22)
Catherine McCull – COASTNA – (March 29)
Alan Cavin – REMAXDT – (March 30)
Drew Thomson – ONEPEDU – (March 30)
Amy Hadikin – SOTHEQU – (March 31)
Emilie Olson – REMAXQU – (April 7)
Mike Testini – REMAXNA – (April 7)
Gordana Boskovic – SOTHEQU – (April 8)
Terra Maibach – REMAXDT – (April 13)
Richard Rhodes – COASTNA – (April 15)
Christiaan Horsfall – REMAXCT – (April 19)
Rita Casorzo – REMAXNI – (April 20)
Marnie Law – ROYALPK – (April 20)
Maureen Mackenzie – COASTPA – (April 20)
John Gravelle – SOTHEQU – (April 20)
Donna Reynolds – GOLDRGR – (April 23)
Grant Kemp – REMAXNA – (April 27)
Terry Sheldrake – WHITEPK – (April 27)
Elaine McGinn  SUTTODU – (April 27)

On the Move:
Lee Robinson – to ROYALBL – (February 17)
Elizabeth Scott – to COASTOC – (February 18)
Alan McCullough – to MIDISPA – (February 22)
O.J. Gorringe – to TOTALSR – (March 4)
Don Frederiksen – to TOTALSR – (March 8)
Jane Denham – to REMAXCX – (March 10)
Reena Parhar – to REMAXCH – (March 15)
Vada Penner – to REVANNA – (March 19)
Pat O’Gorman – to PEMBEDU – (March 26)
Pat Cody – to ROYALBL – (March 31)
Shellie Balliet – to REMAXDU – (March 31)
Paula Loiselle – to COASTCT – (April 1)
Dean Casorzo – to REMAXNI – (April 7)
Diane Rogers – to TOTALSR – (April 9)
Janet Scotland – to GOLDRGR – (April 12)
Randy Forbes – to COASTCR – (April 12)
Elaine Wilkinson – to COASTLD – (April 20)
Gerry Chwelos – to COLDWCT – (April 23)

Farewell to:
Rolf Schild – FAIRRNA – (January 3)
Christine Thompson – TOTALCR/TOTALCMR – (February 26)
Vincent Fourt – ROYALNA – (February 26)
Bob Wilson – FAIRRDU – (March 1)
Michelle Pratt – ROYALCR – (March 8)
Tony Steward – FAIRRNA – (March 9)
Debbie Hickson – COASTCT – (March 18)
Marc Grondin – C21HANA – (March 22)
Jen Strom – COLDWNA – (March 30)
Cecilia Hynes – COASTCT – (March 30)
Michelle MacLennan – SUTTNAN – (March 30)
Brian King – SUTTNAN – (March 30)
Carol Stojan – REMAXQU – (March 31)
Marion Brass – PEMBEDU – (March 31)
Betty Wood – SUTTODU – (March 31)
Lynn Nutt – PEMBEDU – (March 31)
Carol Simpson – COASTPK – (March 31)
Harry Greenberg – ROYALPK – (March 31)
Steven Morgantini – ISLANLD – (March 31)
Amanda Currie – WILLOCR – (April 6)
Vanit Kumar – COLDWNA – (April 7)
Tim Tessier – REMAXDT – (April 8)
Norman Halliday – TOTALCR – (April 8)
Lisa Lowry – ROYALQU – (April 22)
Kathy Tenold – ROYALLD – (April 28)
Gloria Nurmi – ROYALBL – (April 29)
Jenna Begin – COASTCR – (April 29)
Virginia Mackie – ROYALCV – (April 29)

Name Change:
Erika-Leigh Haley has changed her name to Erika Haley P.R.E.C.

New Managing Broker:
Randy Forbes is the new Managing Broker for COASTCR (effective April 12);
Janet Scotland is the new Managing Broker for GOLDRGR (effective April 12);
Kathy White is the new Managing Broker for COASTNA (effective April 13).

New Office:
Sotheby’s International Realty Canada (SOTHEQU), located at 147 West 2nd Avenue, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 2R8.  Their phone number is: 250-594-4000 / Fax: 888-495-5126 and their Managing Broker is Ara Balabanian.

Office Address/Broker Code Change:
Fair Realty has moved from Duncan to Nanaimo.  Their Broker Code is now FAIRRNA and they are located at 201 Selby Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2R2.

Office Address Change:
Gold River Realty (GOLDRGR) has moved its office to 390 Alder Crescent, Gold River.  Their new phone number is 250-283-2561.

Office Closure:
Total Concept Management (TOTALCR) - effective April 9.

Condolences:
VIREB is saddened to advise that VIREB’s Honorary member Ralph Walker passed away on March 23.  He will be truly missed.

 

Useful Bits and Pieces
Helpful information Members Need to Know!

Touchbase Memo:

To all office administrators: Please input all salespersons phone numbers under their profile (making sure to enter the 250 area code.) This will benefit everyone in the long run and it only takes a  few minutes to complete!

Have You Used the VIREB Members Speak-Up Process?

Many of VIREB’s members are aware and have used the VIREB Members “Speak-up” process.  This allows members to bring forward any ideas, concerns or suggestions they wish to pass onto VIREB. 
The process is easy.  Simply email your Speak-up to: speakup@vireb.com, with “Speak-up” as the subject.  You are welcome to provide specific examples to help clarify your suggestions.  VIREB will pass on your Speak-up to the appropriate department or committee to ensure it is addressed.  All Speak-ups received are summarized in the In Touch newsletter.
Since VIREB’s last In Touch newsletter, we have received one new Speak-up addressing concerns over the multimedia link on PCS and INTERFACExpress™.  Her Speak-up was forwarded to the MLS® / Technology Committee for their perusal and discussion during the upcoming committee meeting. 

Do you have a suggestions or concern you would like to address with VIREB?  Simply email your Speak-up to: speakup@vireb.com.  Thank you to all for “speaking up”!

 

Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
Fri, Feb 4	Fort Lauderdale, Florida		5:00pm
Sat, Feb 5	Half Moon Cay, Bahamas	8:00am	2:00pm
Sun, Feb 6	At Sea
Mon, Feb 7	Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands, Antilles	1:00pm	11:00pm
Tues, Feb 8	Oranjestad, Aruba	7:00am	6:00pm
Wed, Feb 9	At Sea
Thurs, Feb 10	At Sea
Fri, Feb 11	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	7:00am

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Are YOU Protected? Who has access to your data and why?
Thursday, May 20 Vancouver Island Real Estate Board 9:30am-11:30am

CREA Technology Products: Marc Lafrance
As a REALTOR®, are you interested in finding out how to reduce costs and maximize opportunities using CREA technology products?  Marc Lafrance, CREA Director, Marketing & Member Services will show you how. Marc will also provide recent survey information and tell you about things you should not do to listings on the web. 

Data Protection: Bill Harrington
 In today's electronic commerce environment, the currency of business is not money - it is content. The person with the most information wins. And yet it is easier today than at any other time in history to scrape, imitate, manipulate, copy and exploit the works of others without their consent. REALTORS® and Real Estate Boards own and control some of the most valuable content on the Internet - listing information- and need to make sure they adequately protect it.  Bill Harrington, CREA's Corporate Counsel will walk you through the process of protecting your intellectual property rights in the listing content through the creation of a "chain of title", beginning with the Seller, and will highlight some of things you need to think about when giving your listing information to third party websites.

Marc Lafrance is the director of Marketing and member Services. He is responsible for the marketing and promotion of CREA’s technology products services. Marc is also responsible for the CREA Helpdesk, providing training to Boards, Associations and REALTORS®. He is also responsible for the CREA Conference Department. Since joining CREA in December 2001 Marc and his Team have been visiting different parts of the country meeting boards, associations and REALTORS® to promote the national association’s technology products and services.





Bill Harrington is the Corporate Counsel and Chief Privacy Compliance Officer for The Canadian Real Estate Association.  He has been with CREA since 1993.  As Corporate Counsel, Bill oversees the legal aspects of most of CREA’s programs, policies and activities and advises the Board of Directors, the CEO and other executives on a wide range of issues.
Prior to joining CREA, Bill was a partner in an Ottawa law firm, and as a litigator, argued numerous cases involving commercial and real estate issues.





There is no charge to attend this session BUT there is LIMITED SEATING. No shows will be billed $20.00 +GST.
To sign up for this session, please go to www.interfacexpress.com > courses & events

BCREA: Residential Trading Service Applied Practice Course
August 9-13, 2010 Vancouver Island Real Estate Board, Nanaimo: 9:00am – 4:00pm

The Residential Trading Services Applied Practice Course is compulsory for all new licensees and is designed to provide practical training in real estate to new licensees which, together with the Real Estate Trading Services Licensing Course, will enable you to confidently and effectively serve the public's real estate needs in a professional manner.
For more information or to register please visit the BCREA website

Professional Standards Manual Release
The Real Estate Association of British Columbia has released The 7th edition of the Professional Standards Manual (PSM) as of April 28, 2010 which will replace the Licensee Practice Manual. You will note that the 7th Edition PSM has been updated and expanded to reflect changes in the industry, new legislation and any changes to the Real Estate Services Act, Real Estate Services Regulation, Council Rules and Bylaws.
If you have not yet received your copy, it is available on the Council’s website at www.recbc.ca in a web based version. The web based version of the PSM is the primary source of information for licensees as it will be updated on an ongoing basis.

As a reminder, new courses and training sessions are continually being booked.  A list of upcoming courses/training sessions is available on www.interfacexpress.com.  Don’t miss out and be disappointed!  Sign up now!

 

REALTOR® Awards & Past Presidents Dinner

The REALTOR® Awards & Past Presidents Gala Celebration was held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.  VIREB members who are dedicated to excellence and have had a profound influence on the professional image of the REALTOR® as well as on the Quality of Life in the communities are bestowed these prestigious awards.

We are pleased to advise that John Tillie, Re/Max of Duncan, was named VIREB’s 2009 REALTOR® of the Year.  As well, REALTOR® Care Awards were presented to Reg Eaton, Royal LePage Advance Realty in Campbell River; Rick Gibson, Royal LePage in the Comox Valley; Jan Christenson, Royal LePage in Ladysmith; Glynis Hayes, Coast Realty, Nanaimo; Dan Jack, Sutton Group-Whitecap Realty in Parksville; and Frances Kimura, Sutton Group-West Coast Realty in Port Alberni.  Congratulations to all winners!






Special thanks to Coast Capital Savings for sponsoring this gala event!




Do you know of anyone who may be a worthy candidate for this year’s REALTORS® Care / REALTOR® of the Year Awards?  Please contact Patti Wenman at the Board office for the criteria and nomination forms.

 

Mark Your Calendars and Plan to Attend VIREB's 60th Anniversary Celebration!


Plans are underway for a gala 60th Anniversary celebration on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.  This will be held in conjunction with the REALTORS® Care / Past Presidents Dinner… a dance will be included!  Marty Douglas, Chair of the Steering Committee is busy formulating the committee and working on the fine details.  Keep watch for more information as it unfolds.

 

Highlights from VIREB AGM - Tech Fair

There was something interesting for everyone during this year’s VIREB AGM & Tech Fair, held on Friday, February 26, 2010 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.  Over 200 REALTORS® throughout VIREB’s 6 regions were represented during the event. 

Speakers Provide Informative Sessions
Members were pleased with the line-up of speakers and found their presentations both interesting and informative. 


Grant MacDonald, Church Pickard provided an information session on HST and how it will affect your business.  You can find his HST Power Point slide presentation under VIREB’s Spotlights on REALTORLink®. 

Ian Watt, an internationally recognized leader in real estate marketing, who is ranked in the top 1% of REALTORS® in the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board, provided an update on how he has transformed his business from traditional marketing means to 100% online, slashing his budget for self promotion from $5000 per month to less than $500 per month using the Web, Twitter, Facebook and video blogs.

Paul Holmes, President of IdeaZone.ca and a recognized leader in website design since 2000, is a Social Media architect for the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and co-founder of the Victoria chapter of the Social Media Club.  He helped the members grasp the idea of Social Media and Real Estate – how they are both about making connections.  The most successful real estate agents know how to network, connect with the right people, are trusted, confident and leave a positive impression.  The same rules apply online with social media.  His presentation focused on tips to help members get started, connecting with the right people and leaving a positive impression / good reputation online as a confident and trustworthy expert.

Lunch, Tech Fair & Networking


VIREB’s 18 Tech Fair Exhibitors were front and centre in the Newcastle Lobby during the AGM; both exhibitors and members were pleased with the networking opportunities.  Extremely positive feedback was received on the variety of exhibitors and venue.  Our thanks and appreciation goes out to the following Exhibitors:
•    GE Security Canada (Supra) – VIREB’s PLATINUM Sponsor
•    Advance Commission Company of Canada – VIREB’s BRONZE Sponsor
•    ShowTime 4 Real Estate
•    IdeaZone.ca
•    RealtyServer Systems Inc.
•    Housemaster Home Inspections
•    Out of the Box Marketing Solutions
•    Impact Visual Communications
•    Myrealpage.com
•    P.R.A. Training Inc.
•    The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)
•    Nanaimo RCMP
•    AGS Business Systems Inc.
•    Columbia Fuels
•    Datagirl.ca
•    ITC Computers Group Inc.
•    Realty Promoter Software
•    VIREB

Special thanks also goes out to our Sponsors, as without their generous support this event would not have been possible.
VIREB’s PLATINUM Sponsor:  GE Security Canada (Supra);



VIREB’s BRONZE Sponsors:  Advance Commission Company of Canada; and Touchbase Real Estate.

Draw Prize Winners


Congratulations to the lucky winners of draw prizes during the event, donated by the Exhibitors and Sponsors!  Winners were as follows:

•    Ron Hindle, REMAXDU – Realty Promoter Software for 1 year from Realty Promoter Software
•    Caterina Gamlin, REVANNA – 23” HD Monitor from ITC Computers Group Inc.
•    Theresa Antolick, ROYALQU – Memory Stick from Datagirl.ca
•    Larry Schug, ROYALPK / Hal Chalmers, COASTNA / Sandra Carswell, OSBORDU - Ricoh Olympic Golf Towel & Balls from AGS Business Systems Inc.
•    Karol Power, REMXNI - $50 Gas Certificate from CREA
•    Sandra Lamoureux, MIDISPA – Earl’s $50 Gift Certificate from P.R.A. Training Inc.
•    Deborah Houston, LANDQCT / Amy Ross, ROYALCR - $50 Gift Certificate from Impact Visual Communications
•    Sophie Gardner, ROYALCR - $100 Gift Certificate from Impact Visual Communications
•    David Hayward, COASTNA – Out of the Box Jacket from Out of the Box Marketing Solutions
•    Alyce Carney, SUTTOPK – Blanket from Out of the Box Marketing Solutions
•    Christie Foyers, REMAXNA – Out of the Box Shirt from Out of the Box Marketing Solutions
•    Roy Eldridge, PEMBEDU – Carbon Monoxide Detector from HouseMaster Home Inspections
•    Robbie Baird, SUTTOPK – Two leather CMA binders from ShowTime 4 Real Estate
•    Wes Kukiela, ROYALBL – IPod Touch from Advance Commission Company of Canada
•    Subhadra Ghose, REMAXNA – Sony E-Reader from GE Security – Supra
•    Rosalie Harper, SUTTNAN - $50 from myrealpage.com
•    Karen Kenyon, COASTPK / Allie Vaughan, REMAXNA – VIREB Travel Mugs from VIREB
•    Alexandra Smith, SUTTNAN / Jackie Wood, OSBORDU – REALTOR® Vests from VIREB
•    Phil Rooke, OSBORDU – winner of the HP netbook at the conclusion of the AGM

The AGM



Cowichan Valley REALTOR® Cliff Moberg has been sworn in as the 2010 President of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB).
Joining him will be President-Elect Jim Stewart, and Past President Ray Francis, who were installed during VIREB’s Annual General Meeting and Tech Fair, held February 26th, 2010 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo.

REALTORS® on the 2010 Board of Directors include Karol Power in Campbell River/North Island; Ray Francis and Marty Douglas in the Comox Valley; Jim Hoffman in Parksville/Qualicum; Lyle Price in Alberni Valley;  Jim Stewart and Subhadra Ghose in Nanaimo; and Cliff Moberg, Jason Finlayson and Guy Bezeau in the Cowichan Valley.

Dignitaries at the AGM included; from the Canadian Real Estate Association, President-Elect George Pahud and Training and Marketing Coordinator Lynn St-Germain; from the BC Real Estate Association President John Tillie and Region III Director Jennifer Lynch; from the Real Estate Council of BC,  County of Nanaimo (Broker Member) John Finlayson; from the Real Estate Errors and Omissions Insurance Corporation, Representative Randy Forbes and from the Victoria Real Estate Board President Randi Masters and Executive Officer David Corey.
VIREB represents approximately 1,070 REALTOR® members in more than 85 member offices on Vancouver Island (north of Victoria).

VIREB Announces Newest Honourary Member at AGM
At its General Meeting, held February 26th, 2010 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, members of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) were pleased to acknowledge Marty Douglas as their seventh Honourary Member in its almost 60 year history. This prestigious honour is given to a deserving member who by their exceptional contributions to the industry have significantly aided in its growth and development.
   
Recipients receiving Honourary Membership have engendered respect from both within the real estate industry and within their community. This respect is gained, not only through their level of professionalism and the quality of real estate service that they provide, but also their commitment and involvement in industry and community services.
It is with great pleasure that the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board acknowledges and congratulates, Mr. Marty Douglas of Coast Realty Group (Comox Valley) Ltd, as VIREB’s newest Honorary Member, and thanks him for his many contributions to the real estate industry and his community.

 

From the MLS® Team
For those members who are using the broker load program here are a few entry requirements to note:
 
For those members who are not using the Broker Load program yet, VIREB will be scheduling more training webinars in the future.  Watch of the notices on the Welcome Message in INTERFACE™ and INTERFACExpress™.
 
Daily Hot sheet  - With members entering their own listings and changes by broker load on weekend days, the daily hotsheet MUST be pulled for Saturdays and Sundays as well as holidays.
 
Supra’s SupraWEB  (www.supraekey.com) has made a number of enhancements:
 
You will need to create a new sign-on for these new services. To do so, visit www.ekeyprofessional.com/sso.html

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As a reminder it is recommended that members consider the following prior to installing a keybox on property.

Another Successful Commercial Division Haves & Wants Meeting
On March 10, the Commercial Division held its first Haves & Wants meeting of the year.  There were approximately 32 people in attendance.  Guest speaker, Ladysmith Mayor Rob Hutchins provided an informative presentation on the many positive changes and initiatives that have taken place in Ladysmith, to make it the community it is today.  In his presentation he noted, “If you are going to do something, do it well!”  Also introduced at the event were guests from Island Timberland, who sponsored the lunch.  A brief power point presentation on their recent projects was provided.  There were a number of Haves and Wants brought forward and ample time for networking.  Attendees were very pleased with the outcome.

VIREB 2009 Commercial Building Awards
It was another full house at the third annual VIREB Commercial Building Awards gala held on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort & Spa in Parksville.

Finalists and winners came from the various VIREB zones, including Comox Valley, Cowichan Valley, Parksville-Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni, the West Coast and Nanaimo.  Once again, the quality of entries was outstanding.  A team of independent judges made the selections.

There were a total of 12 categories.  The Judges Choice Award was selected from the 12 Award of Excellence winners from each category.  Winner of the Judges Choice Awards for Best Overall Entry was awarded to Island Westcoast Developments Ltd. of Nanaimo for their “Green” building on McCullough Road, an outstanding building built to the highest environmental standards.

Further information on the event can be found here. A slide show of the event has also been created.  Click here to view it.

Further Commercial Division Initiatives in the Works!
The Commercial Council continues to work on further initiatives for the year.  They are planning a Joint meeting with Victoria Board’s Commercial Division during the summer, to allow networking and between the Divisions - possibly at the Arbutus Golf Course.  The Council will also begin the planning of the next Commercial Professional Development Day, scheduled for September 23.  Watch for more information on these events as they unfold.

Managing Brokers Meeting
A Managing Brokers Meeting was held on April 8 in the VIREB Boardroom.  Director-at-Large, Guy Bezeau facilitated the meeting.  A number of items were addressed, including the CREA Competition Bureau issue, FINTRAC audits, direct billing, Broker Load and more.  From those in attendance, it was evident they were pleased with the management and organization of VIREB.  The meeting was well attended and interactive.

Directors Join Campbell River Members for Lunch
The recent April 14th Board of Directors meeting was held in Campbell River at the Maritime Heritage Centre in Campbell River.  Directors were pleased to see approximately 50 members from Zone 1 join them for lunch where a VIREB Update was provided .

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Government Relations Update

VIREB Addresses Provincial & Federal Issues
Representatives from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) recently met in Victoria for Government Liaison (GL) Days and Ottawa for Political Action Committee (PAC) Days. Members of VIREB attended in order to address both provincial and federal issues. Delegates from VIREB included VIREB President, Cliff Moberg; VIREB President-Elect, Jim Stewart; Executive Officer, Bill Benoit; Government Relations Chair, Lyle Price and Manager of Member Services, Darrell Paysen.

During GL Days, held April 25th -27th, REALTORS® met with MLAs from across the province to ask the Government of British Columbia to examine shelter taxes and take measures to encourage housing affordability and tax fairness for British Columbians.

Specifically, REALTORS® are asking government to implement the following measures:  


“The government has taken some steps to lessen the tax burden on British Columbians,” says Lyle Price, “Having the HST threshold raised from $400,000 to $525,000 certainly helps. We’ve had good reception from the opposition and the governing party in terms of this discussion.”
On the federal side, VIREB delegates attended PAC Days in Ottawa May 2nd – 4th to converge with other REALTORS® from around the country to meet with 180 MPs on two initiatives:


A strong real estate market generates economic benefits for industries across the economy and jobs for thousands of Canadians each year. REALTORS® believe that these recommendations will help stimulate the economy and assist Canadians to obtain affordable housing.
Overall, the meetings went well. “It gave us a chance to hear the views of the Provincial Chamber of Commerce and their support of the implementation of the HST.” Said Jim Stewart, President Elect of VIREB. “We heard some interesting perspectives and I feel our initiatives are being reasonably supported.” 

 

Technology Corner
By Jason Conway, Technical Services Coordinator

Member Information Portal.
We have completed the transfer of our membership software from a server in our office to a server in the Fraser Valley office. Preparing for and testing this transfer has required a great deal of time and effort, especially on the part of Pat, Patti, and Carlinne, who did an enormous amount of testing to ensure that none of the crucial accounting or membership information was adversely affected.  The end results of all of this time and effort should start showing benefits to members and offices. The new system has allowed us to add a portal to our REALTORLink® page which will allow members to view and update their own personal information (phone numbers, e-mail addresses, websites and passwords online) as well as to view their current education transcript. It will also enable electronic billing for offices who wish to implement it. Additionally, because we are sharing resources with the Fraser Valley, Kootenay, Chilliwack, and BC Northern Boards we actually save money in licensing and administration. We will be releasing information on the new membership portal on REALTORLink® in an upcoming tech notice.

The end of an era.

With the move to the new membership system we were able to shut down our HP3000 computer this Monday. The HP3000 was for many years the center of VIREB’s IT infrastructure responsible for the WAVE MLS® system, Catalogue production, Accounting, Dial-up access for members, and a few other functions around the office. Up until 2008 all listings were still entered into the HP by the MLS® staff before being transferred to RealtyServer.  After 2008 the HP was still required to create the Paper catalogues and transfer member information to RealtyServer.

 

Upcoming Events
May 19	Real Estate E&O Legal Update 2010, Coast Bastion Inn, Nanaimo
May 19	VIREB Board of Directors Meeting, VIREB  Boardroom
May 20	CREA Presentation by Bill Harrington & Marc LaFrance, Coast Bastion Inn, Nanaimo
May 24	Victoria Day, VIREB Office closed
June 3	Ethics: Unlocking the REALTOR® Code, Coast Bastion Inn, Nanaimo
June 7-11	Residential Training Sevices Applied Practice Course, VIREB Boardroom
June 10	Premiers Dinner, Vancouver
June 15-17	BCREA Leadership Conference, Whistler

Future Issues VIREB - In Touch is VIREB's newsletter.  If you have any newsworthy information that can be included in future issues, please email  Sarah Schulz at: sschulz@vireb.com or use VIREB’s new Communication email address at: communications@vireb.com  (VIREB retains all editorial rights).   Members in the News Congratulations to Kevin Clayton of Coast Realty Group, Parksville who received “Citizen of the Year” during the Glassie Awards held in Parksville! As part of CREA’s Fall 2009 Member Survey several prizes were awarded as incentive for members to complete the survey.  We are pleased to advise that VIREB member, Errol Flynn of Coast Realty Group, Comox Valley was the lucky winner of an iPod!  Congratulations! Mike Heinrich                Hal Chalmers Congratulations to Mike Heinrich and Hal Chalmers who have been hired by BCREA as a new instructors for the Residential Trading Services Applied Practice Course!   Staff Updates   Sarah Schulz          Kayla Solomon VIREB is pleased to welcome two new staff members to the Board office.  Sarah Schulz has joined the VIREB ranks as Communications CSR and Kayla Solomon is the new Reception CSR.  VIREB staff are pleased to have them as part of the team!   VIREB In-Touch Editorial Board Cliff Moberg - President, Sutton Group-Resource Realty, Duncan Bill Benoit, CAE - Executive Officer Sue Lessard, CAE - Executive & Commercial Services Coordinator Sarah Schulz - Communications CSR Published by the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. Copyright 2010.