In January, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)’s Realtor Cooperation Policy took effect. The policy mandates that realtors place publicly marketed residential property listings on MLS within the time frame their board or association states, which must be up to three days, unless an exemption applies.
“Publicly marketed” here refers to representing a listing to anyone not directly affiliated in a business capacity with the listing brokerage or office. It excludes direct, one-to-one communication with a person or agent.
Effectively, the policy ensures most existing listings end up on Realtor.ca rather than on different platforms.
The rationale: How and who the policy is meant to help
In a statement to REM, CREA says that the policy is ultimately meant to address the negative effects of limited exposure marketing tactics that can harm both sellers and buyers and which keep listings off MLS systems, such as the abuse of “Coming Soon to MLS” signage in front of homes that often didn’t end up getting listed publicly.
The association says, “We understand that some sellers don’t want their property listed publicly, and the policy does allow for this.” (There’s a disclosure and consent form for opting-out that notes sellers who choose not to publicly market their property may decline to place their listing on an MLS system if they complete the form.)
CREA says that more sellers on MLS systems means more choices for buyers, and ultimately more buyers for those sellers. “Cooperation between realtors makes MLS systems more efficient, valuable and effective for the industry and for clients. For example, competitive market analyses are more comprehensive if a majority of listings are posted to MLS systems.”
Although the change was supported by over 80 per cent of voting delegates from Canada’s boards and associations at CREA’s 2023 AGM, some in the industry find it problematic.
How things are playing out
Eric Skicki is the founder and CEO of BrokerPocket — which he describes as the largest real estate agent-only marketplace for off-market listings in the residential space in Canada. His company and those like it are deeply affected by the change.
The policy applies to all real estate agents who are CREA members (about 160,000). Skicki points out that CREA is a monopoly in itself and has almost complete control of all residential transactions in Canada. “There is no secondary player (or) secondary market with the exception of BrokerPocket.”
He says he’s spoken to numerous people in organized real estate leadership positions and learned that many aren’t interested in enforcing this rule. “They have zero incentive and zero interest. Some have even expressed that if enforced, they see this potentially as a liability to the board or brokerage,” he explains.
CREA says it continues to receive input from various sources regarding policy enforcement.
BrokerPocket believes in competition and consumer choice. It isn’t looking for a “carve out” from CREA’s policy just for itself. In a perfect world, the restrictions the policy places on competition would be removed to allow all competitors, including BrokerPocket, to compete freely, thereby giving realtors, and ultimately consumers, more product choices as well as competitive prices.
‘Sometimes, privacy triumphs (profit)’
Skicki feels there’s a misstep in CREA deciding how and where the public sells their homes. “I think they’re doing this with the intention of when someone sells their house, the only thing they’re seeking is profit.”
He explains that profit isn’t always the only driving force and that sometimes, privacy is a key consideration.
“An example of this would be a divorce case. If someone’s going through a divorce and they live in a nice neighbourhood, do they want a ‘For Sale’ sign? Do they want people Googling the house and seeing inside? Do they want open houses? (No), they probably want a discreet sale.”
A homeowner may not wish to publicly list their home for many other reasons, including physical or mental health concerns or convenience.
Lawyer involvement
To navigate competition law issues, BrokerPocket partnered with lawyer John Syme, who says he was surprised to learn about the policy and the restrictions it placed on realtors and their ability to offer clients various service options, including BrokerPocket.
For 20 years, Syme was in-house Department of Justice counsel to the Commissioner of Competition and the Competition Bureau. In that capacity, he was lead litigation counsel to the Commissioner in several precedent-setting cases, representing the Commissioner before the Competition Tribunal, as well as before the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Since his 2019 retirement from the Department of Justice, Syme has provided competition law counsel to several private sector and government clients, along with training to a foreign national competition law enforcement authority.
He’s also co-counsel in two real estate industry class actions. “The focus of those cases are rules created and enforced by CREA and local real estate boards, like the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) … (the) rules place certain restrictions on brokerages and realtors,” he says.
“In the first of the two cases we filed, the defendants sought to have the case dismissed, claiming it was fatally flawed. We fought off that challenge, with the Federal Court ‘green lighting’ the case to continue. That Federal Court decision is now the subject of an ongoing appeal.”
Syme is currently providing legal counsel to BrokerPocket and has agreed to take an equity interest in the company. “I became involved for two reasons,” he explains. “When Eric reached out to me, I was impressed with his vision for BrokerPocket as a competitive tool to let realtors do their jobs more efficiently and serve their clients better. I also thought I could assist with the competition issues that, among other things, CREA’s Cooperation Policy appeared to raise.”
Background on pocket listings
Syme points out that pocket listings are not new — they’ve been part of the real estate market for many years. Traditionally, agents and brokerages communicated with one another about pocket listings through informal channels, like word of mouth and email. There was no comprehensive database or listing where realtors and brokerages could see what properties were available as pocket listings or market them to other agents and brokerages.
“This situation was disadvantageous to both residential real estate sellers and buyers and, by extension, their realtors. A seller who has chosen to offer their home by way of pocket listing might get a lower price for their property because some (perhaps many) buyers who might be interested in the property would never find out it was for sale. Buyers would be disadvantaged because they might never become aware of properties that would be of interest to them,” he notes.
Competition Bureau consultation
Syme explains the team has spoken with the Competition Bureau to disclose all facts and how there are multiple angles to consider. He points out the issue goes beyond how the policy affects companies like BrokerPocket — it also impacts competition between CREA’s members, which falls under restrictive practices, as well as the public and consumer choice.
Although the Bureau is governed by strict confidentiality rules and can’t disclose where its investigation stands, Syme indicates that he understands the investigation is ongoing and that, “The Commissioner has shown repeatedly that he will take enforcement action where necessary to address competition concerns.”
He also notes the recent settlement agreement the Commissioner entered into with the Yukon Real Estate Association to address Commissioner concerns with membership practices in the real estate sector. “We’re hoping the Commissioner/Bureau will consider taking action to address CREA’s Cooperation Policy,” he says.
Skicki emphasizes that BrokerPocket is not looking to pursue a legal case at this time. “We encourage dialogue and we’re seeking a peaceful resolution to this. We encourage (CREA) to do a member poll perhaps, to find out what the members want.”
Where do agents stand?
Skicki doesn’t believe the industry agrees with CREA having the right to dictate how people choose to sell their homes. “The agents we’ve talked to believe it’s not only legally wrong, (but) it’s also optically wrong. It sends the wrong message to the public that agents want more control, that agents want to somehow have this hidden agenda of making more money and more commissions and (are) trying to further entrap (the public).”
BrokerPocket has been speaking and having an open dialogue with realtors on the policy’s impact, including at a meeting held in February which Mark Jensen, broker owner and broker of record of The Jensen Team, helped to organize.
Jensen has been using BrokerPocket for nearly three years. He says, “(Their) offering equips us with a distinct advantage, enabling us to present our clients with homes they might not have discovered otherwise.”
There were about 15-20 realtors at the February meeting from different companies with different business models, all affected by CREA’s rule in various ways. Skicki highlights that most who attended and are speaking out about the issue are hesitant or afraid to have their name mentioned because they’re governed by CREA and their local board, both of which have the power to discipline members.
The outcome of the meeting was to announce that BrokerPocket is “with the agents and going to be a voice for the agents.” Skicki says many people are reaching out to them. “We get a lot of inbound calls, we get a lot of questions, not only (about) how we’re conducting ourselves but what’s our opinion and (if) we think it’s fair.”
It’s about consumer choice and free competition
Jensen points out that the topic is crucial yet often misunderstood, with implications that can adversely affect consumers.
He asserts that in real estate, the concept of exclusivity holds tremendous worth. “While price is a key consideration, convenience often surpasses it in importance. It’s crucial to acknowledge that not every home is a perfect fit for traditional MLS marketing. Sellers should rightfully have a choice in determining how their properties are marketed.”
Realtors can approach each home’s promotion with a range of options for selling, including MLS and pocket listings. Jensen believes that emphasizing unique selling points only on MLS is not marketing.
“The preparation phase (painting, home renovations, staging, etc.) for optimal MLS exposure can span from weeks to months, so giving the client the option to list their house as an off-market ‘for sale’ could eliminate the inconvenience of this process and could potentially save them money. Now, these marketing avenues are being restricted.”
Jensen shares potential benefits to not implementing the policy that weren’t listed in CREA’s whitepaper, a study the association commissioned that helped lead to the creation of the policy:
- May result in reduced exposure to tire kickers and (may) ensure your home is marketed to serious buyers
- May result in reduced showings and save you time away from your home
- May result in better offers and conditions as buyers appreciate exclusivity and are willing to pay a premium. The same reason Gucci, Prada and Rolex do not sell their products in Walmart
- Sellers may prefer the option of convenience over price. Hence companies like Uber Eats, Carvana, etc.
- May result in more privacy and keep random home viewers and potential thieves from viewing your home on mass distribution websites
- Will result in not having the data of your home permanently available as far as price changes and days on market
He believes that not allowing a realtor to market their property will definitely affect the sale price. “That is the situation we’re in now. Can you imagine the car industry telling the public that they have to list their car for sale only on AutoTrader?”
Skicki highlights that BrokerPocket is pro-choice and believes it’s ultimately up to the consumer to choose how and when they sell their home, without CREA dictating where the listing goes.
“I’m not anti-industry — I like the industry and I’m pro-organized real estate. I already expressed to a few CREA board members that I would be happy to work alongside them. I’m a former realtor and used to own a brokerage. I think agents provide an incredible amount of value.
I truly believe that once (consumers) actually look at the facts, (CREA) will reconsider, and this will either be abolished or they’ll look at having special exemptions for companies like BrokerPocket, which would in turn allow agents and the public to have more choice.”
He emphasizes it comes down to the public “not really (being) aware of what’s happening … The exclusions CREA presented I don’t think are justified or make much sense, and I think they further alienate their own members and ultimately the public.”
Further, Jensen points out the contradiction with part of the second point of CREA’s Pledge of Competition, which states: “A brokerage may offer any variety of services e.g. exclusive, open, MLS listings, etc. Boards and real estate associations accept MLS listings regardless of the price, commission rates or fees, or the division thereof.”
‘There’s a need for a B2B model — that’s what’s missing’
Skicki says CREA should be able to work together with the private sector and ultimately the public. “We’re coming at this in a spirit of collaboration and a spirit of finding the best solution for the industry and the public. We’re not trying to disrupt the industry or trying to do anything that will diminish the agent or somehow interfere with the mandate of CREA or realtor.ca. I think it’s time to recognize there’s a need for a B2B model — that’s what’s missing.”
When REM asked CREA if it sees a need for this type of model too and if this would be a threat to the current model, its stance wasn’t clear: “Realtors cooperate and collaborate, making MLS systems more efficient, valuable and effective for the industry and for clients. It remains a business decision for brokerages or realtors to adopt or subscribe to other services.”
“There are numerous grounds that CREA’s up against, and I don’t feel that fighting this, even if they win, will gain them anything.”
– Eric Skicki, founder and CEO, BrokerPocket
Moving forward: The ask of CREA
Despite the challenges for BrokerPocket created by the Realtor Cooperation Policy, the company reminds its users of the policy and the agent’s requirement to comply with CREA’s rules when uploading a listing. BrokerPocket notes that it’s the only major national real estate portal in Canada that encourages CREA compliance.
CREA says that the policy came into force in January and is still relatively new. “As we have throughout this process, we continue to work with boards and associations to help ensure they have the tools and information they need.”
Skicki acknowledges, “There’s still time to reverse course, open discussions and take appropriate measures not only to avoid legal repercussions, but also to be seen as progressive and pro-competitive. BrokerPocket remains prepared to engage constructively with CREA to find a mutually acceptable path forward.”
Emma Caplan-Fisher is an editor and writer for REM. She has over a decade of experience in various content types and topics, including real estate, housing, business, tech, and home & design. Emma’s work has also been featured in Cottage Life, the Vancouver Real Estate Podcast, the Chicago Tribune, Narcity Media, Healthline, and others. She holds a Certificate in Editing from Simon Fraser University.
CREAs policy is a joke!
It only got passed because TRREB has 51% of the vote and we all know the individual behind this.
Sad you have to use “Jon Doe”. Shouldn’t have to hide your name to have an opinion.
So TRREB and their bully lawyers can go after me also? We all seen what you are capable of last week when the two Realtors got sued by their own board!
This s no different than OREA FORCING REALTORS TO TAKE AN UNWANTED INSURANCE PLAN OR LOOSE YOUR MLS SERVICES.
Its a prime example of our associations controlling us in our daily business And personal pracitces.
Against the competition act restricting us from free choice and how to do Our daily business and our personal life. As well.
They have Completely taken away MLS services therefore not being able to deal with sellers.
They have told us we have to use their insurance. Don’t have a choice on the Insurance company we choose to deal with.
Taken away the choice of brokerages we choose to sign with. We can only sign with a brokerage that is not with a board.
Taken away, alright and access to real estate information from these associations OREA AND CREA.
In other words you Pay the personal Health Insurance, or we take away your right to MLS.
This has taken away our RIGHT to sell realestate on any real estate board.
Now they even have the gall to tell sellers how they can sell their own properties.
Just to be clear. Your OREA membership fees now include a health care plan. The only issue that was voted on was an increase in OREA membership dues. If you do not pay your membership dues then you are simply not a member of OREA. And you have the option of opting out of the health care plan if you so desire but , as with being a member of any organization, you do have to pay the membership dues.
Thank you John.
David, the only reason OREA dues were increased is to fund the insurance plan. Technically true, one can remain an OREA member, pay the entire dues, and opt out of the insurance plan. It is, IMO, disingenuous to suggest somehow the two are only conveniently related. The dues increase is exactly to pay the insurance and if the dues increase were not approved, there would be no insurance, and if the insurance plan is eliminated or ceases to function, the dues are decreased accordingly.
Bravo.
This is also no different than BC’s regulator BCFSA imposing a rescission period for the benefit of a buyer. This has completely given the Buyer the upper hand when offering on a property, leaving the Buyer to wonder for 3 full business days if the Buyer will collapse the deal. Often prior to Subject Removal.
David Zalepa
That’s a bunch of bullshit and you know it. It’s how they’ve done it. And you know like I said, it’s bullshit.
THERE IS NO OPT OUT
YOU ARE PUT OUT
And our brokers and are brokerages, and our associations, and our boards are all a bunch of gutless idiots.
The arguments pocketbroker puts forward are weak. UBER Eats is not less expensive and delivers a poor quality product. And not convenient either. IMO. And a seller can sell exclusively. The example Pocketbroker uses , a divorce. Then a sale should not be publicly marketed, it should be one on one marketing and within a brokerage. That is what exclusive is. A private club does not publicly solicit members nor advertise to the public for membership. What is the difference between an “exclusive” for sale sign or a MLS “for sale sign” the exclusive is getting less exposure for the seller. That is not promoting a sellers best interest. Personally I do not see this as a big deal that it is being made out to be. And Pocketbroker has the option of not being a part of organized real estate and can promote its business model all it wants. To me it sounds like they want to have their cake and eat it.
You are mistaken.
Have you consulted with real estate agents and considered the opinions of homeowners?
BrokerPocket’s is actually beneficial to the industry, not detrimental. They specialize in off-market listings, which represent a small portion of properties that are not publicly viewable due to privacy and personal client issues.
Your perspective seems to be focused solely on your own agenda, while real estate agents and homeowners I have spoken to hold a different viewpoint.
No one should ever tell you what you must or must not do with your property when it comes to consumer choice, while having an open market for businesses.
I don’t understand the Uber Eats comparison whatsoever. Seems like it started as an example but then you forgot about drawing a parallel between them and BrokerPocket half way through as you thought about how much you hate Uber Eats lol.
As for Exclusivity, I don’t know if you are or have been a realtor, but one-to-one marketing is a massive pain. That is absurdly time consuming. I believe BrokerPocket is trying to prioritize anonymity while still offering exposure. You could text 12,000 agents, one by one, or you could post to BrokerPocket in 30 seconds and have your listing be visible only to realtors, hide the address, and protect your clients interests… It seems like a rational option to me. In certain situations it could be beneficial to market one-to-one, absolutely, it’s just another option that is out there. Plus it is free I believe, so why not use it as an option?
BrokerPocket is not affiliated with organized real estate so I don’t think they are trying to eat any cake.
The comment was made by me, not “BrokerPocket”. Here’s the analogy: UBER Eats delivers the same food as restaurants, but at an added cost for convenience. Many choose this daily, despite it being pricier than picking up the food themselves. Some clients prefer convenience, security, privacy, or personal reasons. While not the majority, a significant number appreciate understanding their choices, weighing the pros and cons to make informed decisions. Ultimately, it’s the consumer’s right to decide how to market their home. To illustrate, it’s like the auto industry forcing car owners to sell exclusively through Auto-Trader. Other options like local ads or Facebook would be limited to 3 days before listing on Auto-Trader.
Despite ongoing leadership changes over the years CREA has this inclination to come up with anti-competitive policies. Since 1980’s this had been their story and the annoying factor is that it is Realtor governed. OREA has followed suit so it may be the Great Lakes water effecting their brains.
As a homeowner and someone who is working with emerging technologies, this just reeks of a bully continuing to ensure it remains as the only choice to purchase a property in Canada. Competition breeds innovation and I fear that not giving buyers any real options on how and where they want to list their properties, will result in sub-par products and options.
Its not like MLS is already some state of the art technology. They, along with many others in the industry need to be pushed on their policies and solutions delivered to the end user to ensure we all have the tools and support to make the best decision for what for most will be their biggest purchase in their lives.
My hope is that this policy and others like it are rightly challenged (and reversed) so that the industry can continue to evolve and provide homebuyers with solutions they deserve especially with what we pay in agent and MLS fees.
As a homeowner, I believe in the right to choose how I sell and showcase my home. Monopolistic organizations are a cancer in the real estate industry.
More options for realtors and clients are crucial. Embracing new business ideas and technologies like BrokerPocket is essential for industry progress.
Discussing this issue with realtors I have relationships with, it’s evident that this decision lacks good intentions for the industry, agents, or the public. It’s a strong-arm tactic, and it’s disheartening to witness.
I urge agents to defend their rights, and for the public to understand the broader implications of this situation.
I agree with the stance of broker pocket. Each seller has the right to choose how to sell their home.
Minimizing peoples options is unfair
Appointed delegates, appointed by people elected by members of ORE, vote implementation of a cooperation policy that effectively means this: engagement of a REALTOR® means an MLS® listing, unless and only if you sign off on a form that confirms your property will have limited marketing to only the brokerage colleagues, who might chat with a client. Put another way, a listing that is not on the MLS® cannot be marketed to myriad other places, save and except one…inside the brokerage.
Does anyone see the irony to the CREA statement to REM as quoted in this article, the policy is addressing negative effects of “limited exposure marketing tactics”. Effectively the CREA policy means a property is either marketed on MLS® or it must be limited! Defacto all tactics except for placing a property on the MLS® are harmful if not done in concert with the MLS®.
The disclosure form is not a “get out of the policy jail free card”.
Observe the existing broad real estate marketing space reality: it is bloated, occupied by an overwhelming number of players. Whether it is any one of the many third party property web sites or various groups on social media (Facebook, for example, which has taken the former in person B2B member groups to a virtual level) or Facebook Market Place and soon the Google Market Place, there are too many to cope with or decide worthy to host a property listing. Absent a coordinated, structured, or perhaps AI driven system, placing your listing out into the world of information is fraught with potential wasted time. And that is both in placing a listing and looking for them.
Ironic the one place a listing should be virally viewed is demanding participation. Ironic that it forces limited marketing, save and except if the client elects an MLS® listing which may not serve their interests. Demanding compliance to your system is no way to assure users of its utility, performance, and value.
The Underwood typewriter, with blinders to the future possibilities, went one way, IBM another. One gone, the other a precursor to technological revolution. I am getting to old to really worry for my sake, but for the consumer, its a big worry to think I cannot serve their interests unless I serve my own.
An obvious conclusion which may arise among CREA non-voting members, those whose opinion was inadequately sought if sought at all, at some point a revolution in the market place will happen and instead of being the innovating entity of an asset base capable of beneficial change, it will become as the underwood typewriter did, failing to advance with technology and into oblivion.
I am in a small community and a Realtor and member of a board in Western Canada. I am happy to be a member of CREA and I find it to be a good advertising media for my business. 99.9% of my Seller clients are wanting to list with the MLS system. However, I have had a few over the years that just want to have an Exclusive listing. They do not want any other agent(s) involved, even after explaining all the benefits. Some of the older generation or those that have had “run-ins” with the “other guys” only want to have their known trusted agent involved. In the old model and under the old Exclusive listing contract there was opportunity to take an Exclusive listing and still advertise it more locally in the local newspaper or on the Brokerage Websites, post office board or Social Media.
One of the statements is, “no, the policy does not impact the ability for REALTORS® to exclusively represent a buyer or seller in a transaction. Exclusive listings that are marketed only to REALTORS® within the listing brokerage office do not trigger the policy as this is not considered “public marketing”. This is great for large city offices or franchise offices that have multiple offices but is exclusionary for the small brokerages were sharing a listing with the only other agent in the office does not get much traction. This is essentially saying that we must be “Exclusive” with CREA and is discriminatory to Small Brokerages. Is this fair competition?
As a Broker I like the idea that I am my own boss and have an independent business. CREA is an association of members that wish to be part of the MLS marketing system. That does not make CREA my “Boss”. If you go to the CREA Q&A they say things like: “CREA does not tell its members how to run their businesses” or “REALTORS® wishing to offer mere posting services must not be discriminated against on that basis by CREA or Board and Association rules. However, REALTORS® are free to choose the business model that they wish”. This new Rule is in fact telling Brokerages what they can or can not do for a business model.
For the Public: This has taken away the choice for a Seller that does not want to do FSBO but they just want to work with their own trusted Agent while still getting the benefit of a more local social or public marketing plan. The Disclosure and Consent Requirements where “REALTORS® must inform their seller clients of the benefits of marketing their listing on an MLS® System. If a seller decides to forego this option, the decision must be confirmed in writing to the REALTOR®, acknowledging they are declining the benefits of placing their listing on an MLS® System”. This is on both the Exclusive as well as the MLS listing forms. To have to explain to Seller’s that already have chosen to list on MLS makes us sound like an overzealous car salesman that “over sells” to the point people start to walk away. Further to my earlier point this is an all or nothing option that is, not quite but almost forcing Seller’s to list on the MLS System.
From the article it is pointed out that CREA is a monopoly in itself and has almost complete control of all residential transactions in Canada. In my opinion this also makes CREA look like they are concerned about other competition out there with the growing number of other websites and marketing tools available to the public to FSBO or for Agent’s to utilize that are non members. Point2homes is one for example, I find it to be in some ways better than Realtor.ca. You can just pay their fees and get good exposure. The analogy made in the article sounds about accurate; “Can you imagine the car industry telling the public that they have to list their car for sale only on AutoTrader?”
Simply removing this policy would return us to consumer choice and allow us to compete freely, thereby giving realtors, and ultimately consumers, more product choices as well as competitive prices.
It may be interesting where this goes in the future, but I am thinking that it will be a lawyer’s payday.
B. Abbott.
Bravo. Thank you for your comments. You are spot on. I am glad someone spoke to both sellers’ right to choose, and the restriction of sharing with your brokerage solely, when many of us have small independent brokerages with only a few agents, but a large and cooperative network of local professionals with which to share Exclusive listings.
great article and great insight into this and what is happening behind the scenes. i never supported this policy due to options available to us to sell a home, it takes sometimes over a week on coming soon or exclusive to do what ever needs to be done example staging or paint or what ever, it secured us as a client under contract. Maybe more of this will be challenged or change of hearts will come through channels.
Was this another policy TRREB pushed? Seems like its more about controlling data than it is about consumer or realtor protection.
I think the Realtor Co operation Policy is shameful and its a case of CREA and Associations Controlling Free Enterprise.
It’s about as clear an example of a monopoly (Realtor.ca / CREA) using their position to thwart competition. I am licensed to sell homes – I don’t accept this monopoly dictating what I can and cannot do outside of their bubble. I’ll follow your rules when I am using your system, but for CREA to mandate my activities outside the MLS is wrong.
Crisis creates opportunity to take Control!
Let’s come up with the most anti-competitive policy our Oligarchy can imagine and wipe out 70 years of the useful consumer choice of Exclusive Listings.
Let’s mandate Mandatory Health Insurance to obtain membership in said Oligarchy.
Let’s allow a couple of Members who use the tool of Board Governance to move our mls software of choice to the Biggest Bully MLS in the nation without members voting to change.
Let’s start suing lowly members, threaten businesses with the loss of realtor.ca access, at the same time lawsuits have only begun across North America.
Well you cannot say you were not warned of this years ago.
You kept your head in the sand.
I also use broker pocket and make one deal off the website… they did a demo for our office last summer and I was surprised why haven’t more agents joined
It is a shame that one Brokerage has so much power to determine how the other brokerages/agents must conform to. Further to the comment on OREA dues, the vote was ‘not’ about an increase in dues but about providing what they called a benefit that was not beneficial to all because of the discriminatory age restrictions and create an income stream for OREA.
I wish to remain anonymous for same reasons mentioned in this thread.
A homeowner should be able to dictate how to sell their own home.
There are times when a property is under contract, but is being prepped to sell needing repairs, staging, etc., restricting the time frame allotted impedes the ability to prepare the listing.
Other times there are personal, confidential and security factors to consider that affect the ability or safety to be publicly marketed.
The rules being brought forward make it look that CREA is selfish towards their growth and protection and could care less about the needs of the people it’s supposed to serve.
Call it what it is … “REALTOR Self Preservation Monopolistc MLS Policy”