OREA in its “Whitepaper” has proposed various specialty certifications.
This is what OREA said:
“SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS RECOMMENDATION
#6: The Ontario Government should enact section 8 of TRESA and permit registrants to attain specialty certification designations, an option that would allow agents to market themselves as specialists in their area of certification – such as waterfront/recreational, agricultural, or condominiums.
Ontario’s real estate market is diverse, and registrants must have a similarly diverse skill set and expertise. Some registrants across the province have taken additional training and education to become experts in a particular property type. For example, a registrant in Haldimand County with expertise in waterfront and recreational properties, a REALTOR® in Renfrew who has taken additional training to market rural and agricultural properties, or an agent in rapidly growing London with a certification in condominium sales. Certifications and designations acknowledge a registrant’s experience and expertise. Registrants who have gone the extra mile for their buyers and sellers should be commended.
OREA urges the government to enact section 8 of TRESA, allowing registrants to use specialty certifications. This will protect consumers by helping them identify real estate agents who have obtained professional qualifications and have developed an area of expertise. Ongoing education also incentivizes registrants to continue their education and training.
Specialty certifications are not intended to be prohibitive or prevent registrants from selling any property in Ontario. Rather, the designation would help consumers identify registrants who have achieved increased professional standards and give those who go above and beyond the ability to advertise such achievements. Two-thirds of Ontario REALTORS® support the implementation of specialty certifications. When asked about which specialty certification types should be considered, the most popular suggestions were those for commercial and agricultural/rural properties.
Ontario would become the fourth province in Canada to allow specialty designations. British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have specialty license designations earned through entrance education. All three provinces have residential and property management designations, with Alberta and Saskatchewan also offering commercial and farm/rural licenses. British Columbia offers a strata manager license. The difference between OREA’s proposal and the specialty designations in the other three provinces is that specialty certifications in Ontario would be earned through continuing education instead of entrance education.
SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS ARE NOT NEW TO ONTARIO
The Law Society of Ontario has a Certified Specialist Program that allows lawyers to become recognized for specializing in a particular field of law.
To qualify for specialization, a lawyer must demonstrate that they have been engaged in the practice of law for at least seven years and have had “substantial involvement” in the specialty area in which they are applying within the last five years. Each specialty has a specific set of knowledge, skills, and experience criteria that an applicant must meet in order to receive a certified specialization.
In addition, all applicants for any specialization must demonstrate that they have completed a total of 150 hours in the last five years towards their professional development. Self-study hours include, but are not limited to: teaching or being a guest lecturer on the specialty area, completing post-graduate or other studies in the specialty area, and participating as an active member of any organization related to the specialty area. Lawyers may apply for certification for up to two specialty areas.
Applicants have to submit written references from a referee lawyer that has direct knowledge of the applicant’s work in the specialty area during the last five years and demonstrate that they have upheld all professional standards within the last five years. Certification is renewed annually by filling a Certification Annual Report that attests to compliance with the Administrative Policies Governing the Certified Specialist Program. The Certified Specialist Program can revoke the specialist status when warranted.
COMMENT
Should there be any specialty certifications at all? Is a one week or two week Course all you need to suddenly become a specialist? In the medical profession, after you have already become a practicing doctor, you may need another 4 or 5 years of study and experience to become a specialist.
As you can appreciate, that is a vast difference.
Some agents already have acquired noteworthy experience over an extended period of time. They truly would be specialists, but they don’t have the actual certification, and they are busy enough, that they don’t have the week or two weeks available to complete the program. That seems unfair.
Another difficulty is that once someone advertises a specialty, that might mean that that’s all the new business that they get going forward. So, many with lots of experience would be reluctant to proceed.
Apparently, the two most common areas for specialties are:
- Commercial, and
- Agricultural/rural properties.
There’s a very significant range in commercial from renting small storefronts to purchasing large office buildings and lands for development.
Most commercial practitioners will start off with small rentals and then move along to the larger transactions, however, it’s important to remember that many will just stay there. And, while they now have the “commercial badge”, they have never done an office building purchase.
Agricultural properties typically should relate to operating farms. Rural properties involve many other issues. It’s challenging as a profession, to have someone with a badge and no deals, and someone else with 25 years of experience and no badge. How is the consumer to make a decision?
In this regard, the actual badge lacks “authority”. That’s a problem. Consumers will find it difficult to negotiate among the agents with and without badges. A short program for certification is insufficient.
Quite frankly, I think as a profession we would be best to avoid certification of specialties altogether. We have done that forever, and it doesn’t seem to have caused any harm.
Brian Madigan LL.B., Broker