COVID-19 Update, Call for Committee Members & Reminders on CPE, Licence Renewals and Pre-Emptive Offers

COVID-19 Update: May 18, 2021

The NSREC attended a meeting last week with Dr. Strang, government officials, and representatives of the NSAR, RELANS and IPOANS to determine how the latest restrictions and directives affect the real estate industry. It’s important that licensees stay up to date on COVID-19 restrictions as they can have serious impacts on their clients and customers both within and outside of Nova Scotia.

The NSREC reminds licensees about the following directives:
 
The current COVID-19 restrictions to inter-provincial travel and the border are currently in place until the end of May, with the possibility of being extended.
 
Buyers from out of province who have purchased property in Nova Scotia with an Agreement of Purchase and Sale accepted on or before April 21 and a closing date on or before May 20 can apply for a compassionate exemption from the government to be allowed into the province at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/#compassionate-exceptions.
 
Buyers from out of province with closing dates between May 21-May 31 cannot apply for an exemption to enter Nova Scotia at this time. The NSREC strongly encourages licensees working with out-of-province buyers to recommend closing dates for the end of June at the earliest. If Nova Scotians continue to follow public health directives and cases continue to trend downward, there is an increased probability that restrictions will have relaxed by then.
 
Licensees who wish to travel to other communities in the province must only do so if it is essential and there are no other options (such as virtual or electronic alternatives) and comply with the Nova Scotia health directives. Licensees representing sellers should strongly recommend sellers require masks, gloves, social distancing, and no touching surfaces to any visitor to the seller’s property.
 
Any reports received from consumers or licensees alleging non-compliance of these health directives should be promptly referred to the appropriate authorities. Failure to comply with provincial health directives in the course of trading in real estate constitutes unprofessional conduct per the Real Estate Trading Act.
 
The Commission is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 orders, directives and guidelines from the government. We will continue to communicate with the industry as information is made available. For additional resources and information on COVID-19:

Government of Nova Scotia
Government of Canada
COVID-19 Information Sheet from NS Department of Health

The Commission office is currently closed until further notice. Staff are working remotely. To view staff contact information, click HERE. 

Call for Committee Members

The Commission is calling on licensees to put their names forward to serve one-year terms on the following committees: Licensing, Complaints Review, Discipline, Education, Commercial, Forms, and Recovery Fund. Licensees are welcome to apply to more than one committee. 

There are different responsibilities and time investments for each committee. For example, members of the Licensing Committee and Complaints Review Committee are required to attend a minimum of four annual meetings and review documents prior to each meeting. Alternatively, members of the Discipline Committee may be called upon to serve on a hearing panel, which may result in a one-to-three day hearing, and additional time spent writing the hearing panel decision. For more information about the Commission's committees, visit our website.

How to Apply

To apply, applicants can send an email to Chloe Kenney, Communications Officer, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., with the following information:

• “Committee Member” in the subject line;
• Your name, your brokerage name, and the number of years you have been licensed;
• Which committee(s) you wish to join; 
• Additional experience and/or credentials that qualifies you to be on a particular committee; and
• Why you would like to volunteer with the Commission.

Licensees must be in good standing to be considered (refer to by-law 225 for what constitutes “good standing”).

The deadline to apply is Monday, May 31, at 4:30 p.m. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. 

Mandatory CPE Course Deadline Reminder

Licensees are required to complete the online course, All About Offers: Relationships, Contracts, Communication & Disclosure, by June 15, 2021.

This course is available now until June 15th via the NSAR Training Hub. Non-NSAR members can contact the NSAR Education Department. Questions can be directed to Claire Beck at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Any licensee who does not complete their course by June 15th will not be able to renew their licence. Their licence will terminate effective July 1st and they must immediately cease all trading activities.

Licensees whose licences terminated for failing to complete the course are not eligible for renewal until the course is complete.

Online Licensing Renewal Update

Licence renewals opened on May 10th. Since then, over 704 licensees and 65 brokerages have renewed their licences. Great job!

Another 117 licensees have logged in and responded to the renewal questions, but have not yet applied payment to their account.

Brokers are responsible for renewing the brokerage licence, audit fees, any branch office licences, their broker licence, and, if applicable, their approved sales corporation licence. All other licensees are responsible for renewing their real estate licence and, if applicable, their approved sales corporation licence. 

New Brokerage Report

A new brokerage report has been added to the Brokerage Dashboard in the NSREC online portal. The new report, Due Renewals, displays the renewal status of all licensees at the brokerage. Licensees who have renewed appear as “current” and licensees who still need to renew appear as “Due for Renewal”. Brokers can access the Due Renewal report from the Brokerage Dashboard by clicking the Brokerage Reports button and then the Due Renewals Button.

If You Need Help

The Licence Renewal Resource page is available with video tutorials, a user manual, and important information about payment methods and deadlines.

If you did not receive an invoice or you need help completing your renewal, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Reminder: Reviewing of Offers (Including Pre-Emptive Offers)

When listing a property, a seller may instruct their licensee to require all offers to be left open until a set date. The seller can specify that those offers not be delivered until a set date with the intention of reviewing all offers at once or that offers can be delivered at any time, but must be left open until that set date. Record the seller’s instructions in the Seller Brokerage Agreement/ Seller Designated Brokerage Agreement.

A pre-emptive offer (also known as “bully offer”) is an offer that expires prior to the date specified by the seller. Regardless of the date set by the seller, the seller can choose to review the pre-emptive offer and accept, reject, counter, or not respond.

Likewise, the seller can, at any time, accept, reject, or counter any other offer received.

The seller’s licensee is to ensure their client’s interests are protected and to advise them of the possible implications when considering acceptance of any offer prior to the date set by the seller. If there is a lot of interest, it may be best for the seller to wait until that set date.

If a seller receives a pre-emptive offer, they are not obligated to wait to have showings and additional offers. The seller can decide how and when they want to receive offers. If a seller wants to review a pre-emptive offer, they can direct their licensee to amend the Brokerage Agreement to include pre-emptive offers.

There is nothing restricting the buyer’s licensee from submitting a pre-emptive offer on behalf of their client; however the buyer’s licensee is to ensure their client’s interests are protected. Buyers must be aware that a seller can decide to ignore any offer, including a pre-emptive offer, that is submitted for their property. Further, a buyer who submits a pre-emptive offer may provoke a negative reaction from the seller because it does not follow the seller's offer instructions.

The Commission By-law outlines the obligations that licensees are required to fulfill as part of their agency relationship with either a buyer or a seller, including: promoting the interests of their client, obeying all lawful instructions, assisting in negotiating favourable terms and conditions, and presenting all offers or counter-offers in a timely manner.