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Legislating Common Sense: More Tidbits from the New Quebec Real Estate Brokerage Act

By
Real Estate Sales Representative with Immeubles Deakin Realty

The new Real Estate Brokerage Act came into effect here in Quebec on May 1, 2010.  I've written about this previously, but in July, I attended my mandatory training on the new laws and learned a few more tidbits.

 1. What's the name of that dude who showed up at our Christmas party the year we had a Michael Jackson moonwalk contest?

This will come as a shock and as a dreadful burden to many real estate agency executive officers but....hold onto your seats now...you will now be required to keep a list (ghack!) of brokers working for your real estate agency, complete with their full names! 

Shocking and time-consuming, I know.  Better get another assistant, 'cause it's time to blow the dust off those files and try to remember who works for you.

2. Put your shoulder pads and big hair away...or it's off with your head!

If a real estate broker (formerly called an agent) is going to use a picture of themselves in their advertising, the picture must not be more than 5 years old.  

We have a little over a year to implement this last one.  Better book my hair appointment now if I want to continue selling Montreal West Island real estate : )

I guess sometimes there's a need to legislate common sense.  Better than legislating absurdity!

Originally published at www.readysetsold.ca/blog

 

 

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Professional home staging and professional photography: two critical factors to making sure your home looks its best, both in person and on the Internet, and neither of them cost you a penny when you list with me.

 

Put your best house forward. TM

Tanya Nouwens

Tanya Nouwens Inc., Montreal Real Estate Broker and Canadian Staging Professional (TM)  www.readysetsold.ca 

RE/MAX ROYAL (JORDAN) INC., www.remax-quebec.om

C. 514-919-8468    tanya@readysetsold.ca


This blog is written with my opinions. My opinions are presented with accuracy but not guarantees. Copyright Tanya Nouwens - 2015. If you want to reprint parts of this, just email me for my permission at tanya@readysetsold.ca.

 

Cara Marcelle Mancuso
Golden Girls with SW Desert Homes - Tucson, AZ
Call a Marana neighbor, I'm THERE!

Wow - a law to keep your broker photo "current".  Interesting.  Reminds me of Balderdash and the category of Silly Laws....  How exactly do they enforce that, do you think?!

Sep 03, 2010 04:06 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Tanya, I've seen some pretty old photos still being used LOL. You see their face in an add and go to the open house and wonder if it is them or not LOL.

Sep 03, 2010 06:00 AM
Cherise Selley
Selley Group Real Estate, LLC - Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs Realtor

Gordon here.  Let's see... Knowing names and matching up-to-date pictures to individual brokers.  Sounds like the industry in the US needs to also legislate common sense.  Enjoy your weekend. g

Sep 03, 2010 09:16 AM
Julia Odom
Select Realty Professionals - Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Homes for Sale

If a real estate broker (formerly called an agent) is going to use a picture of themselves in their advertising, the picture must not be more than 5 years old.

Now that's funny. I've seen a few people here on AR age about 25 years overnight since they started requiring HD photos. Wonder how this new requirement is going to affect the average 'perceived' age of brokers in Quebec?

Sep 03, 2010 11:23 AM
Ellen Caruso
Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Glen Head, NY

Wow, I wonder how all those grey haired women in my office are going to feel when they have to put up a new photo, the one they have now goes back over ten years.

Sep 03, 2010 02:37 PM
Jane Peters
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services

How do you now differentiate between a broker and an agent, or is it the same in le vieux pays? 

Sep 03, 2010 06:05 PM
Susan Mangigian
RE/MAX Preferred - West Chester, PA
Chester & Delaware County Homes, Delaware and Ches

hahahahahaha!  Love the should pad, big hair comment!  But really, should we be using a photo more than 5 years old?    The first one confuses me though.  Is it possible that a broker wouldn't know all the names of the folks working there?

Sep 05, 2010 12:11 PM
Tanya Nouwens
Immeubles Deakin Realty - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Real Estate Broker & Stager

Cara, I heard they've hired a whole new wing of "photo-likeness enforcers", armed with magnifying glasses and tasers for when things get ugly : )

Janice, when I first started my Montreal home staging business, I used to go to a lot of open houses as a way of meeting real estate agents.  And I'm pretty sure the shock I felt when I saw some of them in real life - versus the glamour shot on their signs - registered pretty clearly on my face!

Gordon, quite likely many industries all over need to do the same thing.

Julia, it is funny.  You had to see the look of panic on many of the agents' faces in the audience when they announced this new change - absolutely hysterical!

Ellen, well, there's always hair dye!

Jane, agents became "brokers" with the new change in law.  Former brokerages are now real estate agencies, and former brokers are now agency executive officers.

John, me too!

Susan, it would appear it is possible.  Otherwise why would they legislate it?  Or maybe it's just a case of CYA - LOL.

Sep 08, 2010 01:45 AM
Jimmy Katz
Wynd Realty & Katz Realty Group - Alpharetta, GA
"REAL Solutions for Real Estate!"

We have agents here in South Florida that are using pictures that are easily 20 years old

Sep 21, 2010 03:18 AM