As all parties focus on COVID-19 economic recovery in the lead-up to October’s provincial election, BCREA is advocating for market housing affordability to be a key part of the next government’s post-election plans. For BC’s REALTORS®, meeting with candidates is a great opportunity to ask questions and suggest that the next government focuses on these …
BCREA’s Recommendations for the Next Provincial Government With British Columbians being asked to head to the polls on October 24, BCREA is advocating with all parties to ensure that market housing affordability is a cornerstone of the province’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan. “The COVID-19 pandemic has made market housing affordability inequities more apparent than ever,” …
On Episode 11 of Open House by BCREA, we talk about the upcoming provincial election and what it means for the real estate sector in BC. Joining us for a conversation is BCREA VP Government Relations and Stakeholder Engagement Trevor Hargreaves. He shares the key priorities and recommendations BCREA and the province’s real estate boards will …
Before entering into a co-listing agreement, there are some important items REALTORS® need to consider: Will a co-listing be beneficial to the seller(s)? Realtors have a duty to act in the best interest of their clients. Before entering into a co-listing agreement, Realtors should consider whether or not it is in the best interest of …
On September 23, Governor General Julie Payette presented the Speech From the Throne, providing an overview of many programs the government has enacted in the last six months as well as providing an outline of the government’s upcoming agenda. Several of the announcements will impact real estate in BC. On market housing, the government promised …
Last week, BCREA released seven new standard forms, three new clauses, and a significant number of revisions to existing forms as a part of our Fall 2020 Standard Forms Release. As a part of our ongoing efforts to ensure Realtors and managing brokers are provided with relevant information to support you in understanding these changes …
By Ellen Baragon, Guest Contributor September 23 is the last opportunity for REALTORS® to attend the BCREA webinar, Radon and Real Estate: Understanding New Developments for Practice in BC. Delivered by the BC Lung Foundation in collaboration with BCREA, the first three instances of this webinar – which earns Realtors two accredited PDP hours upon …
The new and revised standard forms and clauses included in BCREA’s Fall 2020 Standard Forms Release are now available on WEBForms®. Seven new standard forms, three new clauses, and a significant number of revised forms have been released, as BCREA continues to help Realtors enhance their professionalism and adapt to trends and changing best practices. …
For the complete news release, including detailed statistics, click here. Vancouver, BC – September 14, 2020. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 10,172 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in August 2020, an increase of 42.8 per cent from August 2019. The average MLS® residential …
As of August 20, 2020, REALTORS® have yet another reason to maintain high standards of hygiene and safety. Schedule 1 of the BC Workers Compensation Act includes a new presumption for infections caused by communicable viral pathogens, such as COVID-19, that are the subject of a Public Health Act notice or a declared state of …
In the coming years, new homes in BC are about to get measurably healthier, quieter, more durable, and more energy efficient than those on the resale market, thanks to a regulation called the BC Energy Step Code. BCREA is collaborating with BC Hydro and the Real Estate Foundation of BC to ensure REALTORS® understand the …
Vancouver, BC – September 9, 2020. The British Columbia Real Estate Association’s (BCREA) latest Market Intelligence report, The Unusual World of Pandemic Economics, points to uneven job losses across sectors, an increase in many households’ rate of savings, swift government aid, a tighter-than-ever housing supply and low interest rates as the drivers behind BC’s recent …
As of October 1, 2020, all BC companies must maintain transparency registers in their offices along with their other corporate records. A transparency register is a list of all significant individuals connected to the company and the requirement applies to real estate brokerages and personal real estate corporations. To get started, the BC Government recommends …
Filing a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) can seem like a tough call – what’s considered suspicious? And how do they help anyways? The truth is STRs are an easy and important way for REALTORS® to help protect BC’s economy from money laundering. They also play a key role in helping law enforcement identify money launderers …
For several months, BCREA and other stakeholders have drawn the government’s attention to significant increases in the cost of strata property insurance in BC. This is a complex issue and, while it can’t be solved quickly, actions are underway. Initial research findingsThe BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), BC’s financial services regulator, published a brief interim …
In August, BCREA interviewed the Pembina Institute’s director for buildings and urban solutions, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze, to understand their perspective on making homes and buildings in BC low carbon, healthy and resilient. Tom-Pierre was a coauthor of a July submission sent to the BC Government, “Accelerating BC’s economic recovery through building retrofits.” Closely aligned with BCREA’s …
The COVID-19 Reopening Dashboard allows readers to monitor the evolution of the BC economy as the province gradually reopens. The dashboard focuses on the sectors and activities that have been most significantly impacted by the pandemic and the province’s subsequent state of emergency. The most recent update shows that home sales have more than fully …
Background Resources Advocacy Last updated: February 10, 2021 Ensuring REALTORS® have the resources to meet anti-money laundering requirements is an important step towards keeping money from criminal activity out of BC’s housing market. BCREA has created this dedicated page to help Realtors access BCREA’s anti-money laundering resources. Throughout the fall, we’ll add to these resources …