IN THIS ISSUE

Friday, May 14, 2010

News & Announcements

· RECA’s statement regarding BMO fraud case

· Important ActiveKEY firmware upgrade

· Order your 2011 CREB® calendars early

· Check out DNCLcheck.com

· CREB® employment opportunity

· CREA fall 2009 member survey prize winners

· Social Media: Be a Digital REALTOR®!

· Get started with Document Manager on MLXchange

Business Practices Issues Briefs

· CREB® grow-op policy

CREB® Publications Features

· Get your listing in the Calgary Sun with any ad order in CREN®

CREB® Education Calendar

News Clippings (May 8 – 14, 2010)

REALTOR® Changes

Calgary and Area Stats Update

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

RECA’S STATEMENT REGARDING BMO FRAUD CASE

The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) sets and enforces standards of conduct for industry members in the real estate brokerage, mortgage brokerage and real estate appraisal industry.

RECA supports BMO’s legal action and the initiation of a criminal investigation. Where it can be established criminal activity has occurred, RECA encourages law enforcement agencies to pursue criminal charges against the perpetrators of mortgage fraud. RECA is reviewing the BMO statement of claim as it relates to our industry. While RECA does not regulate criminal matters, they will investigate the involvement of industry members named in the lawsuit as it relates to the possible contravention of our own legislation – The Real Estate Act of Alberta.

If you have questions about this matter contact Linda Witting, CREB® Business Practices manager at 403.781.1336 or by email at Don.Dickson@creb.ca.

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IMPORTANT ActiveKEY FIRMWARE UPGRADE
Could your ActiveKEY battery use a boost? If so, new Supra ActiveKEY firmware will improve your ActiveKEY’s battery life. Click here for instructions on how to download the new firmware. Please ensure that your ActiveKEY battery is fully charged prior to running the new firmware upgrade.
Please note: Doing the upgrade ensures your ActiveKEY will continue to work properly.
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ORDER YOUR 2011 CREB® CALENDARS EARLY
Teldon Marketing is now accepting orders for 2011 CREB® calendars. When placing an order, you have the option to choose a calendar style, text, and personalization. This year’s theme is interior design. The calendars also feature tips for
eco-friendly home renovations. As an early ordering bonus, you will receive 10 per cent more calendars for no additional cost. Click here to place your order and to see this year’s pricing and photo compilation.

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CHECK OUT DNCLcheck.com
If you’re looking for software to help maintain the Do Not Call List (DNCL) compliance, check out DNCLcheck.com. For a monthly fee, DNCLcheck.com will give you access to a toolbar that integrates with any website (including our CREB.com reverse directory) and in conjunction with your paid subscription through the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), flags phone numbers as being either safe, or unsafe to call. The toolbar also allows you to create and share a private DNCL as required by the CRTC.

DNCLcheck.com offers solutions for both the individual user, as well as for shared office accounts. For more information or support, please visit www.DNCLcheck.com or call 1-800-509-DNCL (3625).
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CREB® EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) currently has an opening for a Commercial/Rural manager. This is a senior level position. Please click here for further details. Anyone interested in applying for this position can send their resume to hr@creb.ca . The closing date for this position is Friday, May 21, 2010.
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CREA FALL 2009 MEMBER SURVEY PRIZE WINNERS
The following CREB® members won an iPod for completing CREA’s fall 2009 member survey: Brian Morton (Real Estate Professionals Inc), Janet David (Homelife Cityscape Real Estate) and Grant Geddes (Sutton Group Canwest). Nelson Yee (RE/MAX Realty Professionals) also won a jacket for his participation in the survey.

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SOCIAL MEDIA: BE A DIGITAL REALTOR®!

The whole world seems to be Tweeting and Facebooking these days, but what can it do for you? Can social media tools be employed successfully by a REALTOR®? How could a REALTOR® use one or all of them? See how easy it is to customize and brand a Twitter page, build a Facebook fan page, prepare and upload a YouTube video, build and optimize your LinkedIn profile, and connect it all to your website.

CREB® is providing a series of training seminars on Social Media for REALTORS®. The Digital REALTOR® – Level 1 on May 26, 2010 is designed to be an informative introductory session with lots of room for questions. The Digital REALTOR® – Level 2 on June 24, 2010 builds upon the basics and is jam-packed with practical information to get you started on social media marketing or at least allow you to guide the people you hire to hook it all up.

Please note: Not sure if you should be taking the Level 1 or Level 2 course? Figure it out by taking this quick online quiz with seven questions!

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GET STARTED WITH DOCUMENT MANAGER ON MLXchange
Are you using CREB®’s new Document Manager to enhance your MLXchange account? Document Manager is a collaboration tool for all parties involved in the real estate transaction, as well as an electronic filing and archiving system for transactions. Click here and scroll to the bottom to download the ‘Getting Started’ guide, as well as other tips on using this tool.

BUSINESS PRACTICES ISSUES BRIEFS

CREB® GROW-OP POLICY

The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) and our members have an important role to play in addressing the issue of properties previously used as marijuana grow-ops or other drug operations. As a board, we ask our members for transparency and disclosure when listing a home previously used as a drug operation. Public safety is our paramount concern.

Should a CREB® member have knowledge or become aware that a property he or she has listed or will be listing on the MLS® system was used as a marijuana grow-op or drug manufacturing operation, that member should disclose this information to potential buyers. This disclosure should include a statement in the ‘Private Remarks’ section of the listing on the MLS® system. Buyers’ representatives must disclose this fact to their clients. If the property has undergone remediation, and there is supporting documentation available to a potential buyer, this additional information may also be included in the ‘Private Remarks’ section.

Currently, there are no consistent remediation standards in place for mould or air quality in properties previously used as marijuana grow-ops or other drug operations. CREB® and its government affairs committee continue to lobby the provincial government to establish a universal standard on the remediation of grow-ops and other drug operations.

To learn more about grow-ops click here.

CREB® PUBLICATIONS FEATURES

GET YOUR LISTING IN THE CALGARY SUN WITH ANY AD ORDER IN CREN®

Until the beginning of June, 20,000 copies of the Calgary Real Estate News (CREN®) will be inserted weekly into the Calgary Sun (home deliveries). By placing any ad order in CREN®, your listing will be delivered directly at the doorsteps of potential home buyers and sellers. The insertion brings the total weekly CREN® circulation to more than 44,000 copies, while introducing a new audience of Calgary Sun subscribers you can market properties to. To take advantage of this opportunity to reach an additional 66,000 readers, or for more information, call CREN® at 403.263.4940, or order your ad online at http://www.cren.ca.