REIBC News

Kent Craig, RI

The REIBC sent out a survey in mid-March to members who joined the Institute on or after September, 2015.  
As we continue to re-brand and focus our attention on the
RI-the Designated Real Estate Professional we wanted to see if the advertising and branding initiatives of 2015 had played a role in their decision to become a member.  

We received some great feedback and thank all of those who participated. We found that a majority of those who had recently applied did so to obtain the RI designation, perfect! RI's are designed, educated, experienced and connected and we look forward to continuing to promote this to those looking to hire real estate professionals.

We entered all of those who had participated in the survey in a draw to win a brand new iPad mini4.  We are excited to announce Kent Craig, RI as our winner.

We were pleased to meet with Kent in the REIBC office for a lively chat about the industry and present him with his new iPad. Kent is a Commercial Real Estate Consultant was MacDonald Realty Westmar.

Congratulations Kent!

David Podmore, RI 

David Podmore, RI, was presented the RIX Award for Engaged Community Citizenship by the Vancouver Board of Trade on April 11, 2016 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The RIX award is an award presented by the Vancouver Board of Trade in honour of the late Dr. Don Rix, it's Chair in 2008-2009.  The award winner is chosen each year by a special committee. The RIX Award of Engaged Community Citizenship is presented to an individual who applies his or her exceptional skills, talents and drive to make a positive impact in society. As outline by the Board of Trade, the characteristics of the award recipients are trust, purpose, connectedness, leadership, social capital, passion, empathy, ethics and responsibility. 

David Podmore,RI is Chair & CEO of Concert Properties and has been an RI for over 25 years. He is the 2002 recipient of the REIBC's Award of Excellence and the recipient of the REIBC Charity Golf Tournaments George Whyte Award in 2013.

Congratulations David!

Ian Macnaughton, RI

REIBC past president and, this year, 53 year member of the Institute Ian Macnaughton, RI recently wrote for the Spring 2016 edition of Scrivener magazine; a publication of the Society of Notaries Public of BC. 

As a past Notary Ian shared updates and stories about what he has been up to in the past few years with respect to his travels, health, teaching, real estate and some plans for the future.   Here is what he shared with us regarding his connection with real estate:

 "I keep abreast of happenings in  the real estate industry by attending frequent dinners with my son John who is a Realtor with RE/MAX. I also attend the REIBC luncheons and dinner. I recently passed my 52nd year as an REIBC Member. As a past president of the organization, it's a bit daunting to notice that all the presidents before me and a number afterwards have passed away; it's always difficult to lose good friends.  

This last year I was awarded Honourary Member status of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board where I was president in 1965 and maintain my association today. I felt very honoured to receive such an award. Actually, it feels more like being inducted into a special group as I join other honourary members. All this seems a long way back, remembering my time as a BC Notary Public, organizing the annual conference and my service as Director of the Society. Those thoughts generate very fond memories of good relationships and much learning." 

Click here to read the entire article,(see page 48-50)

Norman Laube, RI

Dr. Michael Goldberg, Chair of the Board of Directors of SCDC is pleased to announce the appointment of Norman Laube, RI, as the new President and CEO of Surrey City Development Corporation (SCDC) effective April 1, 2016.

Normans brings 30 years of progressive diverse leadership experience to SCDC in both the private and public real estate sectors. He has successfully led teams, partnerships and projects in the mixed-use, retail, office, industrial, institutional, and residential markets.

The Board is excited to have Norman lead the SCDC team and its private partners working with our City of Surrey shareholder to continue shaping the future of the City, while adding importantly and consistently to its revenue base.

Finally, I want to recognize the contributions of Aubrey Kelly the previous CEO, and wish him well as he pursues his new endeavors.

Membership Renewals

Have you renewed your membership for 2016/2017? Thank you to all of those who have renewed. If you have not yet had the chance, you have 1 month before your membership will move into 'reinstatement' from which point you will have to pay a $100 reinstatement free prior to renewing your membership.

We look forward to serving you all for another year!

REIBC's Strata Governance Program is now available.

Do you live in a Strata? Do you know someone who lives in a Strata? The REIBC's ground-breaking Strata Governance Program is NOW AVAILABLE! This program will equip you with the kind of information that will set you apart from the rest. It will show you how good governance can benefit and protect one of the biggest investments in your life, your home.

The Strata Governance Certificate Program provides guidance in the practice of good governance. We believe that governance training will help strata council members perform their roles and duties with understanding and confidence, thus allowing them to provide the best representation for all the members of the strata corporation.

 You don't have to sit on council to benefit from this program.  As an owner in a strata property it's also beneficial to learn about how good governance should dictate the way your Strata runs... be knowledgeable, be proactive! 

Click here for more information and to register for this AMAZING program!

REIBC Award of Excellence 

Nominate Now!

The membership of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia includes many individuals who provide outstanding service to the Institute, to the real estate industry, and to their own communities.  The Institute recognizes select professional members who have been nominated by their peers and have achieved service excellence in each of these areas by awarding them with the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia's Award of Excellence. 

The Award of Excellence is a formal recognition of members who have distinguished themselves over their careers and have contributed significantly to the advancement of the Institute, to the broader real estate industry, and to their individual communities.

Nominate an RI by filling out this nomination form and email it to bsoutham@reibc.org. Nomination deadline is May 4,2016.

The Award will be presented on Thursday, June 16, 2016 at the REIBC Recognition Dinner held at the Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver B.C. We look forward to having you join us!

REIBC Charity Golf Tournament

The REIBC continues to receive updates on the great wishes that are being granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC & Yukon as a result of many charitable donations, including dollars from REIBC's Charity Golf Tournament. We received the following email from it's CEO Mr. Ross Hetherington. 

Dear Friends of Make-A-Wish,

Amber’s wish came true because of your support. Every wish that you help us grant carries the wish child and their family from a place of uncertainty to a place of hope and joy, as you can see by the smile on Amber’s face!

Here is this month’s  Circle of Joy  wish story with our heartfelt gratitude for helping us share the magic of a wish with so many inspiring kids throughout our province.

It is our hope that you will share it with your groups, teams, employees & friends. We grant wishes because wishes change lives.

From all of us at Make-A-Wish, but especially from our wish kids,  thank you for helping us share the power of a wish®.

Ross and the Make-A-Wish BC&YK Team

Join us on June 22nd at the Richmond Country Club. Register today for golf! There are still spaces for you!

REIBC Chapter Events

REIBC Recognition Day

The Chapters of REIBC hosted a series of events on February 18, 2016 to recognize 5, 10, 15, and 20 year members of the Institute.  We shared some of the events in the February and March newsletters, here are the rest of them!

Congratulations to all of our recipients!

Fraser Valley Chapter

On Thursday, February 18th the Fraser Valley Chapter of the REIBC hosted it's 2nd annual Day of Recognition.  The event, held at the Central City Brew Pub & Restaurant in Surrey, was a great night of comradeship.  The group shared appetizers and some drinks while enjoying a live performance hosted by the Restaurant. Thank you for all those who attended.  It certainly was a great way to get together with fellow members and unwind after a hard day at work!

Members who received recognition in The Fraser Valley Chapter were:

Mehmood Chandel, 5 years
Peter Gibson, 5 years
Bryan Murao, 5 years
Lysia Murphy, 5 years
John Yannacopoulos, 5 years
Tara Burton, 10 years
Heather Laker, 10 years
Janice Hodge, 15 years
Bridget Houghton, 15 years
Marie Roset- Crawford, 15 years
Terry Sidhu, 15 years
Art Swenson, 20 years

Kootenay Chapter

 

REIBC Governor Sean McGinnis, RI, of the Kootenay Chapter recently had the opportunity to present Paul Mrazek, Senior Appraiser at BC Assessment, his 15 year member certificate at the Cranbrook office of BC Assessment.

Congratulations Paul!

AIC-BC & REIBC Vancouver Chapter Joint Luncheon - Foreign Investment Impact

The Vancouver Chapter of the AIC-BC & REIBC held a luncheon at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel on April 6th to hear a panel discussion on the Impact of Foreign Ownership in Vancouver. The panel consisted of Tom Davidoff the incoming director at the UBC Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate, Robyn Adamache, Senior Market Analyst for CMHC and Casey Weeks, VP of Investment at Colliers.  The event was well attended by members of both the AIC-BC and REIBC.

Ms. Adamache presented those in attendance with statistics that showed 3% of real estate investment dollars were directly from foreign investors, however, she suggested that the data is insufficient since the origination of investment dollars after it reaches Canada is not recorded. She indicated that, based on current collected data, it would be difficult to prove that foreign investment plays a significant role in the real estate values of Vancouver.

Mr. Davidoff and Mr. Weeks argued that the 'numbers' presented were not necessarily telling the whole story.  Mr. Davidoff outlined that the rising prices were a result of limited density allowances based on political pressure and a comparatively low property tax rate along with the low Canadian dollar and a safe and politically stable environment. He suggested that these factors attract significant foreign investment from all over the world. Mr. Weeks followed up with Davidoff's argument suggesting that foreign investment plays a significant role in the demand for commercial property.

Ms. Adamache, Mr Davidoff, and Mr. Weeks all agreed that as long as current economic, political and environmental conditions remain the same , foreign investment will continue to be injected into our economy.
- Submitted by Laura West-

Career Opportunities

Real Estate Assets Manager - BC Housing

Operations Manager - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Supervisor Property Division - Metro Vancouver

Board Report 

The Board of Governors held its second meeting of 2016, in person, on March 31.

A wrap up review occurred of the recognition presentations held in the Chapters in February.  Discussion followed on having a Chapter Community Day as a second event during the year.  Each Chapter would determine a cause that will work with another local event or be a cause to give back to the community.  The idea will be looked at again at the September Board meeting.

The Board also discussed the evaluation of its meetings.  After every Board meeting the attending Governors each complete a written evaluation of the Board.  This focuses on the Board’s responsibilities, effectiveness and efficiency and its development.  The discussion clarified how the Governors should do their Board evaluation and addressed the anomalies of the responses.

Other Board Agenda items included:

The Board considered ways to increase membership and decided to provide a free membership to those that bring a new member to the RI.

Some of the Bylaws were changed to remove the prescriptive content and put that material into policy.  This will make the Bylaws more effective to manage and save legal expenses to implement.

The RI Governors previously approved spending on the Lumina Spark seminar for the BCIT second year real estate student members. The training went extremely well and the students were interested, engaged and pleased to identify how to improve their working relationships with others.  This training is beneficial to the students’ careers and develops a connection to the RI.

The President of the AIC-BC, Steven Blacklock, was introduced and he gave an update on their activities.  He noted the AIC-BC’s primary role is to provide Professional Development opportunities to its members.  He also mentioned that they are fortunate to access the BC Assessment Authority’s technology to broadcast education sessions to their members.  The RI also avails itself of this technology.

The next meeting of the Board of Governors will be held in person on June 16, 2016.

Respectfully submitted by,

John Phillips, RI
Governor, Northwest/Prince Rupert and Cariboo District

REIBC Upcoming Events

REIBC & AIC-BC , Valuing Diversity Conference
May 5-7, 2016 Tigh-Na-Mara Resort & Conference Centre
1155 Resort Drive Parksville, BC
Register here

Sponsored by

Gold Sponsor:

Silver Sponsor:

Audio Visual Sponsor:

 

Dinner Sponsor:            

Entertainment Sponsor:          

          

AGM
June 16, 2016 5:00 pm
Sutton Place Hotel
845 Burrard Street
Vancouver B.C.

Recognition Dinner
June 16, 2016 6:00pm-9:00pm
Sutton Place Hotel
845 Burrard Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Register here

REIBC Charity Golf Tournament
June 22, 2016
Richmond Country Club
9100 Steveston Hwy Richmond B.C.
Register now! 

Industry News

A popular 'issue' surrounding the current state of the Real Estate Market in Vancouver is the lack of affordable housing options for Millennials. In recent weeks articles have been published in a variety of news sources suggesting that Millennials, individuals between the ages of 20-34, are being pushed out of Vancouver because of home prices. An article in the Business in Vancouver from April 21st pushed back, arguing that according to the BC Real Estate Association, real estate prices are not pushing millennials out of the market.

Read the story here

The City of Squamish is slated for what seems like a complete overhaul. Several major projects are poised to transform Squamish’s economy and fuel demand for homes in new developments slated for what was once a sleepy lumber town.Both the proposed ski resort Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) and proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant Woodfibre LNG received federal and provincial environmental approvals earlier this year.

Read the story here.

Industry Events

AIC-BC

The AIC-BC hosts a number of seminars, courses and networking events throughout the year for both AIC members and non-members alike. 
Click here for the list of events 

IRWA

The International Right of Way Association, Chapter 54 is offering the following courses this year, to be held at the BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street.

Course 800C (May 16/17) is Principles in Real Estate Law, this course provides novice employees dealing with real estate issues with basic right of way information and experienced employees with a broader perspective on legal issues and applicable law. Click here to register.

http://www.irwaonline.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=IRWA2010&webcode=800C

Course 801C (May 18/19) is Canadian Land Titles, addresses the overall principles and applications which generally govern land title activities. Click here to register

http://www.irwaonline.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=IRWA2010&webcode=801c

Course 802C (May 20) is Legal Aspects of Easements, provides an overview of the theory and rationale of easements and other partial interests that run with the land. Click here to register.

http://www.irwaonline.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=IRWA2010&webcode=802C

(Course 800 Canadian Series Courses, Instructor: Bob Cosburn)

MIABC

May Luncheon : Guest Speaker, Tsur Summerville
May 17, 2016 11:45am - 1:30pm
Terminal City Club
837 West Hastings St, Vancouver.
More info

PIBC

Annual Conference - Planning Unfiltered
May 10-13 , 2016
Delta Grand Okanagan Resort & Conference Centre
1310 Water St, Kelowna BC
More info

REFBC

Nominations for the Real Estate Foundations Annual Land Awards is open. Land awards will be presented to three organizations (private, non-profit and public) as well as presenting a land champion award to an individual who’s made an outstanding contribution to land use in BC. Nominations close on May 30, 2016

Click here to view the nomination criteria.