Association Update August 2012

AUGUST 2012

THE ANNUAL DIRECTOR’S COOKOUT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. THE WEATHER WAS BEAUTIFUL, THE FOOD

DELICIONS AND THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS A HIT! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO STOPPED BY AND JOINED US FOR

AN ENJOYABLE AFTERNOON. ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: PRESIDENT TRACEY CHRISTENSEN, PAST PRESIDENT

PATRICK GALESLOOT AND PRESIDENT ELECT KEN DEVOE WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING? FOR MORE

PHOTOS, SEE PAGE 7.

It is not your customer's job to remember you.

It is your obligation and responsibility to make

sure they don't have the chance to forget you.

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ASSOCIATION UPDATE

- Patricia Fripp

The official communications publication vehicle for the Members of the Central Alberta REALTORS® Association

P2 / MEMBERSHIP

ACTIVITY

/ ONGOING MATRIX

TRAINING AT CARA

P3 / MATRIX

TESTIMONIALS

P4&5/AREAHUB

SPECIAL ALERT

RULE CHANGE

COMING IN 2013

P6DIRECTOR’S

COOKOUTPHOTOS

P7 /EMPLOYEE

SPOTLIGHT

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Membership Activity

June 19th-July 30th,2012

NEW MEMBERS

T RA NS F E RS

Scott Berkholtz Rose City Realty Ltd

Jasmin Howell Royal LePage Network Realty

Matea Pratt Royal LePage Lifestyles Realty

Joleyne Stevenson Century 21 Westcountry Realty

TRANSFERS

Robert McDonald Sundance Realty and Management to Jac Theelen Realty LTD.

Russell Witham Coldwell Banker River to Rose City Realty

Kristen Edmunds Re/Max Sun Country to Rhino Realty

Dawna Providenti Century 21 Advantage to Discover Real Estate

Rhonda Henrion Maxwell real Estate Solutions

TERMINATIONS

Jeff Knowles Century 21 Your Realty

Gerry Stimson Century 21 Advantage

Melesa Starcheski Century 21 Advantage

Dave MacNaughton Maxwell Results Realty

Charlena Larson Coldwell Banker Ontrack Realty

Grant Harder Royal LePage Lifestyles

Debra Clow Royal LePage Patrician

REINSTATEMENTS

A Buyer's Choice Home Inspection Jeremy Sexsmith

Jeremy Sexsmith A Buyer's Home Inspection

Lori Simmerson Real Property Appraisal Ltd

Ongoing Matrix Training at CARA

Matrix™ training will be held every Monday from 1:00pm-3:30pm at the Central Alberta REALTORS® Association with Instructor Ken Devoe. Training will be hands on, so we encourage you to bring your laptop or tablet. If you are interested in attending, please send your registration request by email to Lauren McMurray ([email protected]). Confirmation emails will be sent. Registrations will not be accepted via phone call, but if you have any questions please call (403) 343-0881.

Rose City Realty Ltd. Scott Berkholtz

NEW BROKERAGES

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T RA NS F E RS

Rural Matrix™ Training Schedule

YOU’VE BEEN ASKING FOR IT, AND

NOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET IT!! A Matrix Training Workshop is coming to your Town. Ken Devoe, our MLS Technology Chairman has offered to drive to your town to conduct hands-on training to the Members. You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to learn the Matrix MLS System. Ken will show you how to Input Listings, how to set up customized searches, how to create customized graphs and statistics, and how to get the most from Matrix. He will even throw in training on Touchbase too.

DATE TOWN/CITY TIME LOCATION

AUGUST 7 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE

9:00AM-11:30AM THE TAMARACK INN

AUGUST 7 SYLVAN LAKE 1:30PM-4:00PM COMFORT INN & SUITES

AUGUST 13 PONOKA 9:00AM-11:30AM ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION

AUGUST 14 STETTLER 10:00AM-12:30PM

REGIONAL BOARD OF TRADE

AUGUST 20 LACOMBE 9:00AM-11:30AM GREENWAY INN

AUGUST 21 CAMROSE 10:00-12:30PM NORSEMEN INN

AUGUST 27 INNISFAIL 9:00AM-11:30 ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION

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“Here's a funny story and not in a ha way. My computer crashed yesterday at 3 in the afternoon. Had a CMA to do at 9 this morning. Went to Homeowners house and turned on their computer. Pulled up Matrix. Did a search for them of homes in their criteria active and sold in the last year. Put on thumbnail view so they could see which house I was talking about. They could see exactly what their home was worth. When all was said and done they had priced their own home completely to what I had suggested. I could have never done this with such ease with Interface. And I had only just started working with Matrix. I know you guys on the Board are taking a lot of criticism about Matrix and like any new program it will have a few bugs. I urge people to stop wasting all that energy complaining and just start using it. Thinking it was lucky my little laptop crashed.”

I know that the more time we spend on it, the quicker we will get comfortable with it. For what it’s worth, when we switched from WAVE to Interface 10 years ago, everyone was upset and there were bugs, but we all eventually figured it out. The same thing will happen with Matrix. Suck it up, make up your mind to make the best of it, keep an open mind, learn the program quickly, and get past it all. Remember, your attitude is the most important thing. Talk positively, encourage the others to use Touchbase and let’s make the best of this.

Matrix™ TESTIMONIALS

"Sounds like everything is going normal....we remember the furor when they were unable to put each listing in a binder and daily write in the changes. They said "how will I know what is happening in the market if I don't write it down?"

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Q. What is the change? A. RECA is preparing to implement a rule change that will require written service agreements between brokerages and all clients. Translated, this means that REALTORS® will need to enter into a written service agreement with buyer clients as they currently do with seller clients. As your professional association, AREA is participating in this collaboration to help facilitate communication and support materials for members as they apply the change.

Q. When will the change take effect? A. The rule change will affect all industry sectors and is expected to come into effect mid to late 2013.

Q. Why the change? A. The primary reason for the rule change is to ensure that the role of the industry member is clear to the client. Written service agreements will be a key tool through which this clarity will be achieved.

RECA’s research indicates that, when clients are better informed, there is less confusion and fewer disputes.

Additionally, establishing written service agreements with all clients may offer some benefits and protections for industry members.

Written service agreements are also in keeping with our collective desire to have the consumer view our members as professionals, as this is a step that models other professions. REIX, the real estate boards and AREA are all in support of this change, both for the protections it offers both industry members and consumers, and for the potential benefits to members (See possible benefits below.)

Q. What are the implications for REALTORS®? A. REALTORS® who represent buyer clients will be required to establish a written service agreement with them. This topic often results in two main concerns. These concerns are listed here with how they will be addressed in the rule change. Hopefully, the approach RECA is taking towards these two areas will alleviate much of the potential concern that REALTORS® may have in applying the new rule:

Binding Service: The written service agreement will not necessarily bind the buyer client to an exclusive service arrangement with any one member. Practitioners and clients will be able to opt to enter into either an exclusive or a non-exclusive agreement. Financial Obligation: The written service agreement will not necessarily bind the client to a financial obligation. For example, the written agreement can stipulate that buyer brokerage compensation may come from the seller or seller’s brokerage.

Q. How will this benefit REALTORS®? A. There are several potential benefits for REALTORS® that could arise from this rule change: Greater Client Loyalty:

Clients who sign a written service agreement with their practitioner are more likely to remain loyal because the process of building a written service agreement creates a more concrete relationship than serving a client without one – even if the agreement the client signs is a non-exclusive one.

The requirement for all practitioners to use written buyer brokerage service agreements lessens the chance that a client will opt to work with a practitioner who does not require them to sign an agreement.

AREAhub Special Alert

Rule Change Coming in 2013

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Enhanced Professionalism:

Industry members are pushing for higher standards of professionalism and ways that their image can be enhanced in the public eye.

Written service agreements can help:

One way to demonstrate professionalism is to outline, in writing, what the industry member will do for the client and then deliver on those expectations in an exemplary way.

Completion of a written agreement with the client not only models other professions, the process creates an opportunity for dialogue. It also helps ensure that the client clearly under-stands the roles and responsibilities of each party to the agreement – the real estate profes-sional, and the client. Opportunity to Educate the Client:

Completing a written agreement with the buyer client creates an opportunity to educate them about the member’s services, the nature of the relationship and how the practitioner gets paid – all important aspects of building a rela-tionship of trust and demonstrating profession-alism.

The written buyer brokerage service agree-ment need not be exclusive nor bind the client to any financial obligation, lessening the likeli-hood that the client will resist signing it. The agreement simply needs to state whether it’s exclusive or non-exclusive and that the buyer brokerage compensation may come from the seller through the seller’s brokerage. Supports More Buyer Representation:

More and more practitioners are moving to-wards buyer representation, as evidenced by the number of Alberta practitioners who have attained their ABR® (Accredited Buyer’s Repre-sentative) designation. While buyer clients as-sume the practitioner is working for them, the relationship isn’t always defined in writing. Es-tablishing written service agreements for buyer clients puts the relationship with buyer clients on an equal footing with seller representation.

Liability Protection:

Our society is tending towards more law suits and industry members can be better pro-tected against liability by having something in writing with clients

Even if a client chooses not to litigate, a writ-ten service agreement reduces the chances of dispute and dissatisfaction on the part of the client, because the client has a written record of the roles and responsibilities of both parties to the agreement.

Fewer claims lessen the likelihood of the need to increase E&O premiums to cover law suits.

Q. What happens next? A. RECA is collaborating with AREA on a joint plan to introduce this change. Near-term next steps include: Focus Groups: RECA and AREA are jointly conducting focus groups in Edmonton and Cal-gary with members later this summer as a means to test the implementation plan, includ-ing reaction to proposed messaging, suggested resources for members to aid them in applying the rule change, and the proposed timing of the rule change. The local boards have been asked to provide potential candidates from their mem-bership to participate in the focus groups. While the boards have supplied candidates against a set of criteria (to ensure participants are demo-graphically representative of our membership), you can also contact AREA if you have a desire to participate. The focus group results will help us to fine-tune the implementation plan, and then AREA will get to work on building resources to assist members in applying the rule change, once it comes into effect. Stay tuned!

Questions? Need More Information? Please feel free to email AREA at [email protected] call toll-free 1.800.661.0231 or you can contact Natalie Scollard, at RECA, at [email protected].

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(THURSDAY, JULY 26)

2012 DIRECTOR’S COOKOUT

“LAUGHTER IS AN INSTANT

vacation.”

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Employee Spotlight FELICIA MASON

Position: I am currently working reception and will be taking over Lauren’s position as Communications Co-ordinator once she moves to Calgary. Length of service with CARA: I started with CARA on July 3

rd after I returned home from my

honeymoon! Hometown/places I’ve lived: I grew up in Squamish B.C. and moved to Three Hills, Alberta in 2005 where I met my husband. We moved to our current home in Blackfalds in January 2007. Favourite part of working at CARA: The most fulfilling part of working at CARA is having the opportunity to use my education in a great atmosphere with great people. Hobbies, talents, and special interests outside of work: I am a third year Communications Student at Red Deer College. I also have two dogs. I enjoy camping, dirt biking, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Favourite vacation/travel spots: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is currently my favourite but I haven’t travelled much. My husband and I are hoping to visit Brazil on our next trip. Three words to describe me: Intuitive, patient, Optimistic Something I’d like CARA members to know about me: People think I look Penny from The Big Bang Theory Favourite food: Popcorn! With ketchup seasoning. Favourite type of music: A little bit of everything – right now I’m mostly listening to indie bands Favourite movie: Water for Elephants – our wedding theme was based on this movie Favourite author: Currently E L James If I were stranded on a desert island, three things I would like to have with me would be my husband, my dogs, and my iPhone :)