The use of ‘Coming Soon’ advertisements by licensees for properties pending placement on the MLS system has noticeably increased over the past few months.

The next time you take to Instagram or Facebook to highlight an anticipated future listing, take a moment to ensure what you are displaying meets the Commission’s Board of Director’s recently approved policy setting minimum standards for ‘Coming Soon’ advertising.

Electronic signature services have simplified the process of obtaining signatures from consumers on agreements and offers. While electronic signatures change how a document is signed, your obligations to real estate consumers remain the same. 

We are pleased to announce the Continuing Professional Education requirements for the 2016/17 licensing cycle.

A reminder to licensees that a recent Bylaw change moved the deadline for completing Continuing Professional Education from June 30th to June 15th, 2017.

The Commission's Board of Directors have approved bylaw amendments presented by the Licensing Committee. These amendments are new licensing requirements for broker-level licensees, as well as increased frequency of brokerage inspections (formerly audits) for newly licensed brokers. This decision was made after various inspections revealed that many newly licensed brokers were not meeting the minimum passing requirements.

Last year, the Commission released a bulletin to the industry on the use of e-signatures in facilitating agreements and service contracts. Since its release, we have received some questions and comments on the policy and its practicality. After several constructive discussions with licensees, the Commission has amended its policy on document retention with regards to electronic signatures. Brokerages are no longer required to maintain physical copies of certificates of authenticity (confirmations including the service name, a time stamp and the confirmation number to authenticate the signature) in brokerage transaction files.