Canadian MLS regulations will shift

A survey says Canadian realtors are not in favour of deregulation. The survey by Royal LePage Real Estate Services saw the general consensus of those who took part, against these modifications put forward by MLS.

There are many different types of listings within MLS and the concern surrounds which of those listings should only be dealt with by accredited specialists. The common belief amongst agents is that client service and safeguards set up to protect a customer, are going to fall if there is an influx of amateur service providers. Housing professionals disagree the real estate brokerage market in Canada is not competitive: 76.1% see it as highly competitive and further 19.2% as competitive.

The survey also tried to see in what way real estate specialists aid buyers and sellers in completing their transactions. There were many options given, but the top three things were: Each transaction should be completed with as less fuss as attainable, that the clients financial well-being was paramount and the specialist provided a full package of brokerage services. Barely 0.6% of polled realtors said, they never helped a client avoid financial or transactional problems. 51.4% declared they did so very 'frequently' and 37.1% 'frequently'. This survey showed realtors are active when it comes to marketing. Toronto MLS, open house, local advertising and own websites were often used by more than three quarters of of those polled.

Professional development was the final area covered with this survey, it was identified that nearly all the agents (90%) attended some kind of formal seminar or course, at least four times a year and that most realtors were members of professional bodies.

The Royal LePage Real Estate Advisors Survey was conducted online in April 2010 and can be seen on the LePage website.