March 20, 2024 – The Makings of a Complete Compliance Program

On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, Greg Dent from ReallyTrusted Technologies joined the Community of Practice to discuss the Makings of a Complete Compliance Program.

Follow-up questions:

  1. In your discussions with brokerages/owners/directors, is there an increased remuneration paid for being the assigned Compliance Officer (CO), and is the CO usually different from the Managing Broker? This is something that should be discussed and determined at a brokerage level.
  2. If the deposit is coming from one of director’s bank accounts and the offer is written under the incorporation name, should we consider it a third party? If an offer is written in the name of a company, any funds received that do not come from a bank account in that company’s name would be funds coming from a third party. In this scenario, one would typically also expect that the company making the offer would be the third party providing instructions to the director. In assessing the risk associated with such a transaction, you would want to understand why the funds were coming from the director and not from the company. For example, a holding company that is also owned by the director may not yet have had any other reason to establish a bank account. – Greg Dent, ReallyTrusted

Additional Resources:

BCREA Open House Newsletter

  • Open House is a new bi-monthly newsletter sent directly to REALTORS® – there’s no need to subscribe. Open House is a space to bring us together as a community by sharing news, celebrating our successes, learning from each other, and having a little fun along the way. The first issue was sent on March 21, 2024. Check your inbox!

BCREA Managing Broker Resources

  • Managing Brokers’ Portal: contains links to resources most used by managing brokers. Click here for more (BCREA Access login required).
  • Managing Brokers Policies and Procedures Manual Template: provides a structured framework to help brokerages achieve regulatory compliance. Designed to be fully customizable. Click here to access (BCREA Access login required).
  • Managing Broker Support Line

Upcoming Community of Practice sessions:

  • March 27, 2024 – Cybersecurity Resources
  • April 10, 2024 – BCREA Advocacy Update
April 10, 2024 – Government Relations Advocacy Update

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, BCREA’s Government Relations Team, headed by Trevor Hargreaves including Mark Sakai and Brenna Friesen, along with Greater Vancouver REALTORS®’ Government Relations Director, Harriet Permut, joined us to share an update on new Government Relations initiatives, pertinent housing policies, and a recap of the previous year’s advocacy highlights.

Follow-up questions:

Have there been discussions about being proactive and making buyer agency agreements mandatory?

  • BCREA is advocating for Mandatory Buyer Agency Written Service Agreements, reflecting the profession’s commitment to enhancing consumer protection and elevating professionalism within the real estate sector. This proactive measure was initially recommended in BCREA’s influential whitepaper, “A Better Way Home,” in February 2022, positioning it as a strategy for strengthening consumer safeguards. Backed by unanimous support from Joint Leadership, made up of real estate board Executive Officers, Chairs and Chair Elects, from across the province, BCREA has dedicated the past year to executing due diligence, including gathering insights from other Canadian provinces with mandatory agreements and engaging deeply with the local real estate sector through focus groups and a comprehensive all-REALTOR® survey. With a united front, BCREA is actively engaging with regulators and preparing to present this to the government. However, the implementation timeline may be shaped by the nuances of an election year. While the real estate community has shown substantial support, the ultimate adoption of these agreements hinges on governmental decision-making.

How is profit determined on a flipped property?

  • This can depend on a few different factors. We recommend visiting the Government of BC’s BC Home Flipping Tax page for more information.

I feel strongly about government advocacy, what ways can I be more involved?

  • We suggest volunteering on your regional board or association Government Relations Committee, and perhaps suggesting they attend our Government Liaison Days in 2025.

Additional Resources:

BCREA Open House: The Newsletter

  • Open House: The Newsletter is a new bi-monthly newsletter sent directly to REALTORS® – there’s no need to subscribe. Open House is a space to bring us together as a community by sharing news, celebrating our successes, learning from each other, and having a little fun along the way. The first issue was sent on March 21, 2024. Check your inbox!

BCREA Managing Broker Resources

  • Managing Brokers’ Portal: contains links to resources most used by managing brokers. Click here for more.
  • Managing Brokers Policies and Procedures Manual Template: provides a structured framework to help brokerages achieve regulatory compliance. Designed to be fully customizable. Click here to access.
  • Managing Broker Support Line: a pilot program offering tailored guidance and support to help brokers and member boards and associations tackle challenges they may encounter and identify opportunities to enhance professionalism. Click here for more.

Upcoming Community of Practice sessions:

  • April 24, 2024 – Tech Tools and Managing Broker Resources with CREA’s Lynn St-Germain and Mike Lomond.

The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers and do not reflect the views of BCREA or its member boards. Please note, the content of these presentations was current as of the date of each session and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided in past sessions.

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