The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) is calling for a strengthened real estate education program in its third white paper, Working Towards Excellence: A Forward Looking Plan for Real Estate Registration Education.
“Raising the professional standards of Ontario Realtors begins with improving the education that happens before becoming a licensed professional,” says Ettore Cardarelli, OREA president. “A stronger education program will better prepare salespeople for our increasingly complex real estate market and the challenges that come with helping families through the biggest purchase of their lives.”
The OREA Real Estate College was the provider of real estate licensing education since the 1950s. In 2008, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), took control over real estate education curriculum and standards. Since then, the quality of the program has fallen behind, OREA says.
The OREA Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA) Review Taskforce is asking for Realtor and public feedback on several proposals, including:
- A college diploma or degree as registration pre-requisite
- Tougher, more practice-based examinations
- More in-class instruction on offer writing and presentation
- A longer, more demanding articling period that better prepares registrants for the rigours of the marketplace, similar to other professions
- The introduction of new specialty courses for topics such as condominiums, industrial and rural/waterfront properties
