As the adage goes, if you write it, they will read it.
In 2018, we published more than 100 blog posts on CREA Café, your one-stop shop for all things REALTOR®-related in Canada. Topics ranged from new technology features and updated regulations to how REALTOR.ca can enhance your listings.
Today, we break down the 10 most popular blog posts from the last 12 months.
Four reasons you should use REALTOR.ca Tools
REALTOR.ca had 72 million unique visitors in 2017. Visitor interactions with your listings are tracked and easily accessible to you through member.REALTOR.ca. Featuring a fresh new look, and a responsive website, there’s no better time to start unleashing the power of REALTOR.ca Tools for your business. This blog post offers four reasons why you should take advantage of REALTOR.ca Tools to help grow your business.
What is driving Canadians to purchase a home – and their expectations
In this guest post, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Prospective Home Buyers Survey may offer some valuable insights to consider. This national, online survey captures the attitudes and expectations of more than 2,500 prime household decision-makers who intend to purchase a home within the next two years. The three groups of prospective buyers included in the survey were first-time buyers, previous owners, and current owners.
Take your REALTOR.ca listings to the next level with these four tips
In 2017, there were 965 million property views and an incredible 5.3 billion page views. There’s no doubt about it, REALTOR.ca is an important marketing tool all REALTORS® can take advantage of using. We’ve put together a list of the top four ways to make your listings shine on REALTOR.ca. Sold!
Introducing the new, one-stop destination for home inspiration: Living Room
Unlike the CREA Café, which is your go-to source for industry-related news specific to REALTORS®, Living Room is our new consumer-focused blog. Living Room creates more opportunities for visitors to return to the site and connect with you. Now, the place most Canadians turn to when looking to buy or sell properties will be the same place they go for all things house and home-related: REALTOR.ca/blog.
Gregory Klump: New mortgage ‘stress test’ needs improvement
One of most important issues to affect our industry in 2018 was the Mortgage Stress Test. In 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) created the stress test to slow mortgage credit growth. In this blog post, Gregory Klump, CREA’s Chief Economist, examines the implementation and what the OSFI could have done differently in the first place.
“I really wish that OSFI would listen to reason and put restrictions on the unsecured debt rather than the secured… that is where the problem lies in my opinion.” – Betty Talbot
Barb Sukkau: Why we need to work together
In 2018, CREA President Barb Sukkau penned an article explaining why our growing membership of more than 125,000 REALTORS® needs to stick together.
“We need to help government understand the desire for homeownership is powerful amongst Canadians and it also motivates people from all over the world to choose Canada as their new home. Like all industries, we are also facing a seismic shift in technology. But we have a secret weapon. REALTOR.ca is a tool developed for REALTORS® and owned by REALTORS®. Because we own it, we are in the driver’s seat. It is designed to offer a great user experience as well as connect us with consumers.”
CREA WEBForms® offers you choice for e-signatures
As one of our most popular products, it’s no surprise a blog post discussing CREA WEBForms® ended up on our top 10 list. While other forms solution software forces you to use one supplier for e-signatures, CREA WEBForms® is committed to offering you choices. CREA WEBForms® is the only forms solution software allowing you to pick from four major e-signature providers. For information on how you can start using WEBForms®, you’ll want to check out this blog post. And more good things are coming March 2019.
Young couple touts importance of working with a REALTOR®
For Sam Rees, Graphic Designer at CREA, 2018 is a year he’ll never forget. After years of saving, Rees and his wife, Jennifer, were able to begin the journey to homeownership. With the help of a REALTOR®, Rees was able to find a place he now calls home.
“Beautiful! Great start! Great investment!” – Helen Boucher Thibeault
How to avoid common FINTRAC audit issues
In 2018, Simon Parham, Legal Counsel at CREA, sat down with representatives from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) to determine what real estate brokerages can do to meet their anti-money laundering obligations and avoid being audited. Their conversation offers many practical tips to keep in mind going forward.
How to extend the reach of your listings with REALTOR.ca DDF®and Kijiji
Ask and you shall receive. Over the past few years, CREA has heard from many REALTORS® how Kijiji should be a destination in the REALTOR.ca Data Distribution Facility (DDF®) network. In 2018, this request became a reality.
