The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB) lost half of its membership this year, but the board says it isn’t entirely surprised.
Early this year, OMDREB, like many real estate boards across the province, finalized its move from Information Technology Systems Ontario (ITSO) to the PropTx MLS System.
At the time of the MLS system changeover, many OMDREB members were also dual members with the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), and the move to one shared MLS system meant that dual memberships were no longer required, an OMDREB spokesperson confirmed to Real Estate Magazine.
OMDREB’s membership currently stands at 800, a decline of about 50 per cent from this time last year, according to an email statement.
“This was not unanticipated,” said OMDREB. “A significant number of OMDREB members have historically also been members of TRREB, and no longer need to be a part of both boards just for MLS services.”
OMDREB’s monthly dues are about $112. TRREB fees vary by membership category but are generally around $700 annually for its 70,000 members.
OMDREB stated that it remains financially stable and operationally strong.
A giant inconvenience
Milton team leader and broker Chuck Charlton is among those who left OMDREB, calling it “redundant” as a member of TRREB also. He signed up with the Barrie and District Board of Realtors (BDAR) for ITSO access because it was among the least expensive options available, he said.
Charlton said while his heart was with OMDREB because he wanted to be part of his local board, a TRREB membership is cheaper and has perks like Realtor Quest.
Charlton is hopeful the day will come when MLS data is more streamlined. Having two MLS system providers is a giant inconvenience for Ontario Realtors, and a waste of resources, said Charlton.
“The battle’s pretty much lost at this point. I feel like it’s time to just give Realm the crown and say, ‘OK, you provide the data.’,” said Charleton. “I think every Realtor in Ontario, if you take out politics, believes that having one access point for data is better.”
He said it’s cumbersome to explain to clients the “Venn diagram” of which boards have what MLS system, and why their listing might be appearing twice on Realtor.ca, for example.
What small boards bring to the table
Charlton said one thing he appreciated as a member of OMDREB was Coffee with Colin, a popular series where a local councillor speaks with guests on topics relevant to the real estate community. Those kinds of programs that help local boards shine.
“The local boards need to think about how they can serve their Realtors best on a local level to avoid the talent drain that’s happened with members going to TRREB,” he said.
OMDREB told REM it believes the board offers value not just through access to the MLS system, but education and training, local advocacy and charity work and other support.
“We chose to open our new head office at 1935 Ironoak Way in Oakville to provide customized in-person support and networking opportunities for our members at a time when many other real estate boards are moving to become entirely virtual,” said a board spokesperson.
Courtney Zwicker is a digital reporter and associate editor for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has over a decade of experience covering daily business news.
The title of the article could also have been “Move to Proptx saves Realtors Millions of Dollars”. The necessary duplication of memberships which involves double payment of not only dues but also Geowarehouse fees (because the company refuses to bill us only once per OREA membership because we let them do so) has cost Realtors many millions of dollars over the past decades. It’s long overdue for one provincial MLS system and a reduction of dues that we all pay to access comprehensive data.
The pockets of REALTORS® are picked every day of the year, and not just the 25th of December as Ebenezer might have suggested. Yes we pay a wee bit less in income tax, then again the vendors who double dip those pockets pay more, perhaps. Bob v tells the tale well, still there is more.
Should I wish to adequately influence ORE, presently I must attend the routine meetings of a local association, provincial association, and national association, and then the many other groups that impact our profession – NAR, etc. Of course the provincial and national associations are attended by local delegates, which may make my personal involvement less of a time consumption, yet it waters down the member influence and is quite disrespectful to their interests.
ORE consumes the resources of REALTORS® through duplication that lessens the professional strength and capacity to serve the interests of members, whose interest is in service to their clients. Time for change.