With accessible transit across Toronto, citizens can travel across several downtown neighbourhoods in no time. A staple in Toronto’s downtown core is Chinatown. Although this is a photo of Chinatown from the past, an array of shops, amenities and restaurants continue to remain key features of this neighbourhood.
Category: The Rise of Corporate Toronto: 1970–2000
The Rise of Corporate Toronto:
1970–2000
Real Estate Boards Advance Humane Views
Past President Joseph Abela said it fifty years ago and it still rings true today: “REALTORS® do not need to apologize for their community involvement beliefs. A real estate board’s community interests go far beyond the buying and selling of property. The whole spectrum of economic, social and political development within the community invites our concern because the best possible place for anyone to own real estate is in a community that is healthy in every way.”
New MLS® Code First in Canada
Small things matter, even the addition of a short code to MLS® Listings. In 1978, TRREB became the first real estate board in Canada to cooperate with the Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled (now Easter Seals Canada) to establish an accessibility code for its residential listings. The code was forward-looking, offering a broader definition of mobility issues than were generally used at the time.
TRREB’s Annual Golf Charity Classic
For many years, TRREB’s annual Golf Charity Classic provided a chance for TRREB Members to enjoy a day on the golf course, demonstrate their golfing skills and vie for the grand prize. A banquet and award presentation topped off the day of fun. The tournament also had a serious intent – proceeds were donated to the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations to help fund programs that supported vulnerable people in the Greater Toronto Area. Supporting a wide range of charities has always been a big part of TRREB’s commitment to building better communities and a great way for REALTORS® to engage with the communities they serve.
REALTOR® Food Drive
Over the years, the REALTOR® Food Drive has helped to feed vulnerable people in Greater Toronto Area communities. Because REALTORS® get to know and understand their communities so well, they recognize that food banks are vital to ensure that everyone can access the food they need and to provide a link for people to access critical community services. During times of emergency, like the COVID-19 outbreak, these services face even greater demands and need even more organizational support. Through holiday food and toy drives and the TRREB/ThinkFood partnership, REALTORS® have not only donated food to local food banks but also contributed to the recycling of empty ink jet cartridges.
More to Real Estate Sales than Showing Houses
An excerpt from the Real Estate News describes the life of a REALTOR® in the 1980s: “The salesperson won’t get an offer every day, but when they do, working until midnight is not uncommon. Otherwise, the average workday comes to an end around 8 p.m. This hectic schedule is carried out six days a week.”
Explore Toronto on Macintosh Computers
When asked about the one thing that has changed real estate in the past 100 years, the answer is always the same – computers. TRREB Member Kenneth LaRoza explains: “When I started in 2003, I was working with an electric typewriter and carbon copy documentation. So, for me, the difficulty was the ever-changing technology that was really adapting the industry as a whole and having to change and adapt with it, you know. I literally went from carbon copies and electric typewriters and working with people with pagers to email documentation, I’ve seen the change to e-signatures, and legislation come through with that.”
Rely on a Realtor
Deciding to buy a home is one of those particularly important life decisions. To help make the right decision, anyone considering buying a home can rely on the professional services of a licensed REALTOR® and TRREB Member. While fashion styles may have changed over the years, TRREB membership still denotes someone who knows the ins and outs of the real estate business and who is committed to TRREB’s ethical values and standards.
Membership Changes
Over the past decades, waves of immigrants have chosen the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as home, creating a more vibrant and diverse international city. According to the 2016 Census, immigrants represented 46 per cent of the city’s population. Not surprisingly, TRREB’s membership is a microcosm of GTA residents. And TRREB Members often play a critical role in helping newcomers find a home in Toronto. Finding someone who is from your homeland can make the process of buying a home a lot less worrisome for someone new to Canada.
Computerizing the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®)
If TRREB Members could point to a singular event that dramatically changed the lives of REALTORS®, it was computerizing the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®). In the early days, 20 per cent of subscribers were able to use the system at any given time and the actual pictures of homes would be added to the listing later. Today, the MLS® System contains detailed information and numerous search tools, all designed to match people with the properties that fit their exact requirements.