As announced last month, the new policy regarding Virtual Office Websites (VOWs) has been incorporated into the Rules of Cooperation and came into effect on Tuesday, January 1, 2019 for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Chilliwack & District Real Estate Board, and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. The new FVREB VOW agreements are now available.
Some members are already receiving emails from third-party suppliers who are offering to set up VOWs for members. Please keep in mind, these are marketing emails designed to generate business.
The FVREB, REBGV and CADREB have not endorsed a “single” VOW provider. Rather, there are a number of potential suppliers for this service. We recommend that members do their due diligence when determining who to work with before signing any agreements.
Getting set up with a VOW:
- In order to operate a VOW, you will need to sign the new FVREB VOW Agreement.
- To register your VOW and receive the agreement, please complete this request form, which is also available through our VOW page on REALTOR Link®.
- If you are already operating a VOW, you have until June 30 to sign the new agreement. Please note that in order to provide the expanded data set (including sales data) on your VOW, you will need to have signed the new FVREB VOW Agreement.
- Your VOW service provider must also sign the new agreement for third-parties. If your service provider has questions, have them contact the FVREB Helpdesk at 604-930-7626.
- Any access to the MLS® data on a VOW must be within the context of a REALTOR®/client or REALTOR®/consumer relationship, where you have validated their contact information, they have agreed to the terms of use and have set-up a user name and password.
Accessing more information:
- Read the new Rules of Cooperation (Note: Any reference to VOWs has been removed from Section 8 – ADVERTISING and a new Section 9 – VIRTUAL OFFICE WEBSITE (VOW) now includes all details regarding operating a VOW.)
- Find more information on REALTOR Link® on the Rules, Standards and Resources page and on the dedicated Virtual Office Website (VOW) page.
Virtual Office Websites are exactly that – a virtual office. These new policies ensure that whether working through a bricks-and-mortar office or virtually, you are able to provide your clients with the same information.
The new policy does not apply to advertising. Therefore, display of sale price on your public website or in any other online or print advertising remains prohibited (unless it is publicly available through a government registry or you have written permission from the parties to the transaction, per Rule 8.06).
If you encounter any violations to the new VOW policy, please report the incident to the Professional Standards staff for investigation.
Questions
If you have any policy questions, contact Paul Cowhig, Advisor, Professional Standards, at 604-930-7606. If you have any technology questions, please contact the FVREB Helpdesk at 604-930-7626.