kw association of realtors® annual report 2014
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2014 ANNUAL REPORT
Our Mission is to
promote & support
members in serving the
real estate needs
of our community.
KWAR IN THE NEWS
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
I would like to take this opportunity to say it has been an absolute privilege for me to represent the membership this past year. Serving as President was never something I planned. I was perfectly content serving on committees until I received a gentle nudge from a then director who thought I might be a good fit. I completely ignored him, but then a year later, I received a second gentle nudge, it was all I needed. 2014 was a busy year, but really, during my five years on the board I haven’t seen a year that hasn’t been busy. There is always something going on, some large issue or project that is front of mind and consuming our resources. This year, the regional MLS® initiative took precedence and we’ve made great strides pursuing a partnership with seven other boards. This project began before I was president, as early as 1967 noises were heard and then more attention given to its feasi-bility in 2012 and 2013. We finally anticipate members from all eight boards to be live in the new system this year. While the development of the regional MLS® project took top priority this past year, we also worked hard to ensure we did not lose steam in other important areas. I was proud to represent the membership in both Ottawa and at Queen’s Park as we lobbied on a variety of REALTOR® issues. We asked our MPPs to protect the dream of home ownership by opposing the spread of municipal land transfer taxes – this is a fight that we haven’t really even begun to see yet but many municipalities are now asking the government for more autonomy and many could follow Toronto's lead. Locally, we joined the stakeholder group that is championing the need to build two-way, all-day GO train service between Kitchener and Toronto. I have never been a lobbyist or a very political person but given the opportunity to experience what we, as a trade Association, do, I learned the power of the voice that each one of us REALTORS® have. We can be very proud of our advocacy work, at all three levels of organized real estate. We are making a positive difference. The last responsibility of a leader is to say Thank you. To an exceptional Board of Directors, for all your contributions and your voices. You truly made my job easier. Equally, we were always supported by very dedicated staff. All had my back. A huge thank you to all of them and finally, to you, the membership, thank you very much for everything you have given me. It's been a slice.
Lynn Bebenek KWAR 2014 President
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The Shift.
“Change is the only constant in life.” This was first quoted by Heraclitus approximately 2500 years ago. Obviously Her-
aclitus was not referring to MLS® Systems or the Kitchener Waterloo Association of REALTORS® when he said this; but
I think it perfectly describes our industry.
The magnitude of change our industry has experienced in the last ten years has been profound. For REALTORS®, the
most significant changes have been due to technology and regulators.
Advancements in technology have been a bit of a double edged sword. While some are truly beneficial and empower-
ing, others have depersonalized member interactions in what some still consider a “belly to belly” business.
The changes enforced by a variety of regulators have been less satisfactory. It seems as though every year there is
someone new wanting to poke their nose into our business to add to the flotsam of legislations that restrict how we
all operate. The problem with any rule of course, is that they are typically only required for a very small subset of any
demographic. The majority of individuals use common sense to self-regulate their own actions. Still, rules and re-
strictions are certainly not going away any time soon, which leaves all of us kept busy incorporating the latest changes
into our daily routines.
These two influencers, technology and regulations, have not only impacted your business as a REALTOR®; it has also
imposed considerable changes to the associations’ business as well. In 2014, there was an additional factor that con-
sumed considerable time and resources for the association – and this is the Regional MLS® System. While one could
lump this project under the heading of ‘technology’, it really is much more than that. The vision of this project began
long before any of the current directors were involved, and in fact, these seeds were planted before many of our
members were even born.
Bill Duce KWAR Executive Officer
The KWAR, along with seven other associations have combined our individual MLS® Systems into one, singular system.
This is not simply a matter of blending databases together, but rather MLS® Systems in the truest sense of the term.
An MLS® System in Canada includes an inventory of listings of participating REALTORS® and ensures a certain level of
accuracy of information, professionalism and co-operation amongst REALTORS® to effect the purchase and sale of real
estate. Meaning that anything that touches upon that information, professionalism, co-operation and access, has had
to be reviewed and agreed upon by the eight associations.
Currently we are rapidly closing in on the launch of this system. And while it may appear to be taking an unbearable
amount of time…for those close to the project it is proceeding at a terrifying pace. No doubt, there will be some hic-
cups along the way. That’s to be expected in a project of this magnitude. But at the end of the day the Board of Direc-
tors are confident that once all of the wrinkles are ironed out it will prove to be a valuable tool for you the member.
I would encourage every member to pay attention to the regular updates from KWAR on this. This process is truly a
partnership not only between associations, but also between members. You have an important role to play in this, and
by staying informed you will know what is expected as well as the steps you can take to make the transition as seam-
less as possible for you and your clients.
Most importantly, we would encourage everyone to keep an open mind, for as we all know, Shift Happens.
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER CONT’D
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
From Left to Right—Brian Santos, Eric Klimstra, Mark Wolle (1st Vice President), Andrew Fielding, Charlotte Zawada (2nd Vice
President), Darryl Watty, James Craig, Dietmar Sommerfeld (Past President), Lynn Bebenek (President), Bill Duce (Executive Officer),
Jane Gardner
GO
VE
RN
AN
CE
DIS
CIP
LIN
E
BY
LA
W
ML
S®
SE
RV
ICE
S
PR
OG
RA
M
Charlotte Zawada, Chair
Darryl Watty, Co-Chair
Diane Hawrylenko
Diane Stickney
Tracey Appleton
Karen Shartun
George Lavallee
Brian Spall
Tony Schmidt
Frieda Kotsopoulos, Chair
Angela Baas
Krystyna Wojtynek
Brian Santos
Michele Steeves
Lori Teskey
Meghan Bell
Ian Inglis
Karin Barthel
Peter Gingerich
Patti-Jo Lavery-Verkley
Eric Klimstra, Chair
Rob Strickler
Chantel Williams
Jim Watson
Nicole Pohl
Robert Hunsberger
Matt Davidson
Daniel Elliott
Renata Plecity
Naomi Thompson
Mark Wolle, Chair
Bruce Nicholson, Co-Chair
Lucinda Moules
Melodie Walsh
Jim Watson
Gaye Males
Frieda Gilmour
Janet Valentine
Andrew Fielding, Chair
John Amorim, Co-Chair
Deanna Anene
Charlotte Karger
Lucinda Moules
Chantel Williams
Paul Stickney
Gaye Males
Leda Schupbach A
RB
ITR
AT
ION
Mark Wolle, Chair
Bruce Nicholson
Katherine Rechtoris-McNab
Jim Watson
Peter Benninger
Ken Cameron
Keith Church
Ian Brown
Ted Scharf
KWAR VOLUNTEERS 2014
FIN
AN
CE
N
OM
INA
TIO
N
PR
OF
ES
SIO
NA
L
ST
AN
DA
RD
S
CO
MM
ER
CIA
L
YP
N S
TE
ER
ING
C
OM
MIT
TE
E
GO
LF
TO
UR
NA
ME
NT
T
AS
KF
OR
CE
Sara Hill, Chair
Jane Gardener, Co-Chair
Brian Santos
Ewa Munch
Trudi Leverette
Joyce Barker
Michael Kidd
Melody Walsh
Jasmyn Lancinger
Goran Askraba
Dietmar Sommerfeld, Chair
Eric Klimstra, Co-Chair
George Patton
Karen Shartun
Charlotte Zawada
Lynn Bebenek
Yaso Sivakaran
Janet Valentine
EX
EC
UT
IVE
Lynn Bebenek, Chair
Mark Wolle
Charlotte Zawada
Dietmar Sommerfeld
Dietmar Sommerfeld, Chair
Lynn Bebenek
Gaye Males
Rob Piombini
Bruce Nicholson
Sara Hill
James Craig
Chris Kotseff
Darren Shaw
Peter Benninger
Mallory Weldon
Darren Shaw
Ted Davis
Ginger Whitney
Brian Santos, Chair
Monique Roes
Leda Schupbach
Andrew Fielding
Michael Hewitson
Meghan Bell
Lori Teskey
Andrew Fielding, Chair
Sharon McIntosh
Frieda Kotsopoulos
Ian Inglis
Michele Steeves
KWAR IN THE COMMUNITY
$7,000 to YWCA Mary’s
Place
(REALTORS Care® Grant)
$7,000 to Lutherwood
(REALTORS Care® Grant)
$17,755 to Lutherwood
(Golf Tournament)
DONATED in 2014
$5,130 to The FoodBank
of Waterloo Region
(Kick Off)
REGIONAL MLS® SYSTEM UPDATE In 2014, Lyle McNair (Guelph and District Association of REALTORS®) and George Patton (Kitchener-Waterloo Association of
REALTORS®) were elected Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Governors Group.
Bill Duce, Executive Officer, of the Kitchener-Waterloo association, was appointed as Project Coordinator.
The Governors Group determined that Clareity Consulting’s Scout for SAFEACCESS™ authentication solution will be used to
authenticate all users who accesses the system.
The Governors’ Group reached an agreement in principle to integrate MPAC and Teranet data into the Shared Regional MLS® System
as a standard service.
Using a similar process, MPAC has agreed to provide access to square footage, year built, lot frontage and lot depth, along with a few
additional fields.
This will give members the ability to have the information auto populated into their listing at the time of data entry, at a reduced fee.
Members would have the option of not pulling the data from MPAC if they already have it.
The System is being built to accommodate more associations from across Ontario.
To date, there have been meetings with two different regional groups of associations which have expressed interest in what is being
done.
KWAR ADVOCACY
REALTORS® from across Canada gathered in Ottawa to lobby for the indexation and extension of the Home Buyers Plan
Along with writing a letter to the Hon. Denis Lebel, 17 other letters were sent supporting the grass roots call for action. The KWAR were present when Premier Kathleen Wynn announced the provincial government’s plan to bring full-day, two way GO train service between the GTA and Waterloo Region
The KWAR had the opportunity to ask mayoral candidates about their stance on the looming municipal land transfer tax in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce
The KWAR joined OREA in their grass roots campaign which resulted in all three major parties committing to introducing a MLTT and 16 out of 20 LUMCO mayors stating their opposi-tion to the MLTT
KWAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
KWAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
From Left to Right—Lynn Bebenek (Past President), Eric Klimstra, Brian Santos, James Craig (2nd Vice President), Colleen Koehler, Charlotte Zawada (1st Vice President), Jane Gardner, Mark Wolle (President), Tony Schmidt Andrew Fielding (Missing)
Many commercial transactions result in residential activity, which at times can be significant. To successfully realize these intentions, the 2014 commercial committee put forth a recommendation, which was approved by the board of directors, to establish the Kitchener-Waterloo Commercial REALTOR® Network (KWCN). The focus for the network is to represent the interest of the commercial membership to both the public and the KWAR, focusing on education government/public relations, and establishing community partnerships.
KWAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
2014 was the first completed year for the PSC Committee operating under the Fine Assessment Template (FAST) for managing breaches of basic MLS® Rules. There were...125 cases in 2014, 9 cases were referred to RECO, 17 cases were investigated and closed with no allegation statements issued because of insufficient evidence, 1 case was closed as it was against a member of another board, 98 cases were FAST (1 inaccu-rate information, 3 using another member’s photos, 42 late photos, 24 late listings, 17 late sales, 5 late cancellations, 2 late suspensions, 1 containing personal contact information in the property description, 3 missing mandatory information). Of these 98 FAST cases, 10 members were repeat offenders
EDUCATION
The Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® continued to deliver on it’s mission to provide quality continuing
education courses to members. In August of 2013 the Real Estate Ethics Council of Ontario (RECO) launched their new
mandatory Continuing Education (CE) Program which ran parallel to their current classroom program but will be ending
this July 31st, 2015. After that point in time RECO courses will move completely online and members renewing their
registrations up until July 31st, 2015 still have the option to meet their continuing education requirement under the
new online or current classroom program.
The Association responded to these forthcoming changes by offering new and innovative educational opportunities
such as the Heritage Series in partnership with the Architectural Conservatory of Ontario (ACO), ION Session put on by
the KW Commercial Network specifically for commercial REALTORS® and technology based session with Blackberry.
2014 MEMBERSHIP REPORT
UNITS SOLD KW ONLY SALES ALL AREA SALES
KW ONLY SALES
ALL AREA SALES
AVERAGE PRICE
MEDIAN PRICE
AVERAGE PRICE
MEDIAN PRICE
2014 MARKET SUMMARY
2014 MARKET SUMMARY
@KW_REALTORS
Join the discussion on the members-only KWAR Group on LinkedIn
KWREALTORS
www.realtorlink.ca
519-576-1400
inquiries@kwar.ca
Facebook.com/kwrealtors
Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS® 540 Riverbend Dr., Kitchener, Ontario
519-576-1400 www.kwar.ca
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