The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board is inviting everyone to join them in a walk down memory lane as it commemorates its 100 Year Anniversary with a virtual exhibit that pays tribute to its past and present. The new exhibit maps out the board’s journey since 1920, showing how its members helped shape the real estate industry in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
“The virtual exhibit not only preserves our history but is our way to celebrate all those who came before us and helped pave the way,” says Lisa Patel, TRREB president. “The online museum features remarkable stories, including those about the first female president and the first women’s committee at TRREB,” says Patel.
“I encourage you to visit the interactive exhibit and see all that we have accomplished over the past 100 years. You can explore four themes and more than 80 fascinating artifacts, including newspaper articles, billboard ads, real estate listings, maps and photographs,” says John DiMichele, TRREB CEO.
Some of the highlights:
- A Globe and Mail article from 1920 says TRREB’s purpose is to “raise the standard of efficiency in the real estate business and to protect the properties of homeowners in the city through combined action.”
- In 1956, a Realtor city map cost a dime and a detached two-storey Forest Hill home sold for $30,500.
- In the 1960s, with new car sales booming, billboards started popping up and TRREB created a bumper sticker with the slogan, “Invest in Better Living – Buy a Home.”
- By the 1970s, TRREB had established a newspaper committee and Real Estate News was produced, printed and distributed weekly.
- In the mid 2000s, TRREB lobbied against the Toronto Municipal Land Transfer Tax and was successful in defeating Mayor David Miller’s attempt to pass the controversial tax in the first vote.
Visitors can go back in time to discover the evolution of TRREB here.
