The Canadian Real Estate Association will bow to presure from the courts and allow easier and cheaper access to the MLS system. This will allow agents to list a home on MLS without forcing customers to accept a bundle of other real estate-related services, such as the agent presenting all offers.

I know that this has been done in the US for many years. What advice do you have for agents up here. Who are the winners and losers?

Everybody wins. Exchange of information is key in real estate.

The information is already there. All this is doing is to allow brokerages to post a listing on MLS for a seller and not have anything else to do with the process. There is still a battle to be had to determine whether it will be CREA's version, or the Competition Bureaus version of how things will change.

MHT - This sounds like a limited service type of brokerage similar to what goes on here in the states. Generally these are FSBO advertising services that have a real estate license so they can list properties in the MLS. Usually that means the selling broker has to handle the functions that are traditionally handled by the listing side. And usually the company that "lists" the property collects a fee upfront that is not related to a successful sale.

There is a big push in many states to have a minimum service level requirement for these companies. The problem is that we have 52 different sets of laws (50 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico) so there is no smooth overlay state to state.

Yes, you are correct. The competition bureau is wanting it so that I do not have to remain as your "agent" in order to post the listing. I would be able to take a fee and throw it on the system then walk away and have no liability. Right now I have to remain as your agent, your contact information can not be posted, all contact must be made through the listing office/agent, all offers must be presented by the agent, etc. The Canadian Real Estate Association is considering changing it such that a seller could list a home and then have all the contact to be done directly with the seller, the seller would be negotiating their own contracts, etc., but the listing office would still remain the agent meaning that there will still be some liability (thus maintaining a certain level of service). The battle is going to come down to liability. Here we go trying to Americanize things further.