A New Year and New Resources for REALTORS®: What to Expect From BCREA in 2020

2020 has already gotten off to an eventful start for REALTORS® – the new Professional Development Program framework came into effect on January 1 and the Real Estate Council of BC announced it has developed a new mandatory anti-money laundering course for all real estate licensees.

Here at BCREA, we’re rolling up our sleeves and looking forward to a new year of serving the province’s 11 real estate boards and 23,000 REALTORS®. Here are just a few initiatives to watch out for in 2020.

New Professional Development Courses

Our Education team will be releasing ten new learning opportunities in 2020, starting with a Rural Real Estate Essentials course and a course on cannabis, Cannabis and Real Estate – The New Paradigm. The Rural Real Estate Essentials course will help REALTORS® better serve their clients by providing an understanding of the unique nature of rural real estate, including sample clauses for rural transactions and specific risks to watch out for.

Cannabis and Real Estate – The New Paradigm, will provide REALTORS® an overview of current legislation as it pertains to real estate, both commercial and residential. REALTORS® will learn about disclosure duties, marketing implications and risk mitigation for buyers and sellers.

Both courses will be offered online and will become available later in the spring.

Ensuring REALTORS®’ Voices Are Heard

One of BCREA’s key mandates is to make sure REALTORS®’ voices are heard when it comes to provincial advocacy, including regulatory change. With that in mind, BCREA will continue to engage with the provincial government as they move toward a single regulator. We delivered our recommendations to the Ministry of Finance in December 2019 and will spend a lot of time this year reinforcing them.

As a participant in the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering, we’ll continue to support the government’s efforts to better understand money laundering risks in real estate. At the same time, we’re developing new FINTRAC workshops and a community of practice for managing brokers and compliance officers that will launch in early spring.

Expanding Economics Resources

Our Economics team will be releasing a new suite of sub-regional market charts to help REALTORS® better understand housing trends in their local markets. The charts will be provided monthly to each Member Board and will be made available on the BCREA website. February is the targeted launch date.

That’s not all. In the second half of 2020, we’ll launch Economics 101, a new course to help REALTORS® make the most of BCREA’s housing market analytics.

Enhancing Standard Forms Resources

BCREA Standard Forms are the foundation of real estate transactions and are used by REALTORS® in BC daily.  To help you and your clients understand the purpose and content of various commonly used real estate forms, BCREA is focussing on developing tools and resources to help you succeed.   With a focus on forms in 2020, you can expect to see toolkits complete with explainer videos, multilingual form guides, practical guidance on the use of forms, and more.

BCREA is committed to providing you with enhanced forms and resources to better serve you in practice.

New Resources for REALTORS®

Real estate practice is always changing and BCREA is here to provide real estate boards and REALTORS® with the resources to keep pace with these changes. Starting this month, we’re launching a new monthly podcast called Open House by BCREA that will bring you the latest industry headlines plus a feature conversation on issues related to real estate practice. Keep an eye out for the launch of our first episode at the end of January with Leslie Howatt from the Real Estate Errors and Omissions Insurance Corporation.

To subscribe to receive BCREA publications such as this one, or to update your email address or current subscriptions, click here.