Continuing education (CE)

Developed in collaboration with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, RECO’s new MCE, elective, Human Rights Fundamentals, is a 75-minute course that will provide learners with a foundational understanding of racial discrimination and human rights protections under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.

Learners will benefit from a greater understanding of racism and racial discrimination in Canada and what “race,” “racism” and “racial discrimination” mean. Takeaways include how to identify, prevent, and address racial discrimination. The course is designed for registrants of all levels of experience. No prerequisite required.

The Compliance and Ethics in Real Estate, Part 1 elective is a 90-minute course that breathes new energy into a critically important topic that is sometimes viewed as somewhat dry. 

This course will take registrants on a journey through visual storytelling that challenges registrants and provides guidance on legislative obligations relating to interactions with clients, unrepresented consumers, and other real estate professionals.

This elective is the first of a two-part series on ethics and compliance.

The Compliance and Ethics in Real Estate, Part 2 elective is a 90-minute course that breathes new energy into a critically important topic that is sometimes viewed as somewhat dry. 

This course will take registrants on a journey through visual storytelling that challenges registrants and provides guidance on navigating multiple representation, offer handling and representation, by focusing on issues that often lead to complaints.

This elective is the second of a two-part series on ethics and compliance.

How much do you know about FINTRAC and its requirements for the real estate sector? If you are unclear about your FINTRAC obligations or want to learn about the updated requirements, then the FINTRAC Compliance elective is for you!

The FINTRAC elective reviews FINTRAC’s mandate, applicable laws, and indicators of money laundering and terrorist financing. The course covers the three obligations for individual registrants: know-your-client, reporting, and recordkeeping. FINTRAC obligations aren’t just for real estate agents, and the course explores a brokerage’s responsibilities as well.

You will be able to apply your knowledge in a series of FINTRAC scenarios on individual obligations, plus a challenge section on brokerage compliance.

Are you familiar with some of the basics of commercial real estate but would like to learn more about buying and selling apartment buildings and other multiresidential properties? We have just the course for you.

The Multiresidential Investment Properties elective will take you through the key stages of such a transaction, including determining client investment philosophies, understanding building construction and physical considerations, analyzing expenses and revenue, and investigating comparable properties on the market. Offering a variety of interactive learning opportunities, this course integrates several features including an initial pre-assessment that gauges your familiarity with the topic, responsive feedback, and a customized summary of review recommendations that identify individual learner gaps.

The Mortgage Financing: Guiding Client Conversations elective is designed for registrants of all levels of expertise. It reviews professional conduct and legal requirements concerning the information and guidance that you, as a real estate registrant, can and should provide to residential buyers on mortgage financing. 

You will review legal obligations and restrictions under the legislation, the Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act (MBLAA), and other relevant laws as well as the importance of understanding and discussing mortgage risk and responsibilities with clients.

In this course, you will also have several opportunities to apply your knowledge in a series of challenging scenarios dealing with the service, information and support you can provide to clients to help them make an informed decision on mortgage financing.

The Home Inspections elective will help you learn the scope and limitations of an inspection and explain the different priorities and objectives of both buyer-initiated and seller-initiated inspections. This course will guide you on how to:

• ask useful questions on behalf of your client during an inspection;
• understand issues that are associated with different property types, local trading areas and seasonal items, such as swimming pools and hot tubs;
• interpret the report; and
• navigate next steps for the buying and selling process based on the results of the inspection.

Are you looking to learn more about commercial real estate? The Introduction to Commercial Leasing elective follows the flow of a leasing transaction from both the landlord and tenant’s perspectives, and outlines what makes commercial leasing unique. For example, did you know that negotiations around a leasing relationship can be ongoing? A registrant may be brought back to renew a deal or broker a new one, even after signing.

In the landlord stream, you’ll learn how to:

• Navigate early analysis. What is there to know about the landlord’s property? What is its competitive advantage?
• Target marketing and conduct tours to the landlord’s ideal tenant.
• Manage negotiations. What is involved in negotiating favourable lease terms, screening tenants and receiving commitment from the parties to a lease?

In the tenant stream, you’ll learn how to:

• Navigate early analysis. What type of property does your tenant-client require?
• Identify suitable properties to match their unique needs.
• Manage negotiations to protect your tenant-client’s best interests.

Vacation homes and waterfront properties have always been desirable, but buying or selling them can be tricky, especially when considering issues such as septic systems, shore road allowances, and zoning.

The Waterfront Properties elective explores what makes these types of transactions unique. By participating in this course, registrants will gain an understanding of common issues for waterfront properties, including topics such as:

• wells and septic systems;
• shore road allowances, including identifying whether one is present and if it can be purchased from the local municipality; and
• municipal zoning laws and how they can affect a property owner’s ability to renovate or develop their property.

Designed and developed for the experienced registrant, Waterfront Properties also provides a wealth of information for the registrant who is considering expanding their practice into recreational properties.

The Advertising Compliance elective identifies minimum requirements and prohibitions in the legislation, requirements from other laws, and leading practices in real estate advertising. This course highlights the importance of compliant advertising and the implications of non-compliance.

• In unit 1 you will review the minimum advertising requirements under the legislation. You will then complete a series of compliance challenges focusing on the minimum advertising requirements. Afterwards, you will have an opportunity to create a compliant ad that meets the minimum requirements.
• In unit 2 you will review general prohibitions on inaccurate representations, error, fraud, misrepresentation, and unprofessional conduct, all in relation to advertising. You will also review advertising restrictions on confusing terms and the identification of parties, properties and detail agreements. Additional requirements and restrictions under other laws, boards and organizations will be briefly discussed before advancing to a series of challenges. These will require you to assess advertising compliance and, in some cases, make recommendations for ad correction. Finally, you will consolidate acquired knowledge to create a compliant ad that satisfies requirements discussed to this point.
• In unit 3 you will apply your knowledge of advertising requirements and prohibitions to analyze a series of fictional case studies that highlight some potential consequences of non-compliance. The case studies will require you to determine compliance issues and review potential outcomes for registrant actions.
• Unit 4 - After reviewing leading practices in advertising, you will apply your knowledge to design and build a series of compliant ads. How do you make sure your advertising is both compliant and effective?  Before you begin thinking of images, messages, layouts, or colours, define an advertising plan with clear goals and a realistic budget; it should be part of a larger marketing strategy for your business.

The Business Analysis elective provides valuable information and direction to registrants wishing to develop and reinforce leading business practices. The course will appeal to a wide range of real estate professionals in brokerage management roles as well as salespersons contemplating future management or ownership roles.

The course consists of seven units.  Each unit will present a different aspect of Business Analysis and provide an opportunity for you to test your knowledge and apply your learning. The central component of the course is a Business Analysis Template to complete as you advance through each unit. The information and insight gained from creating this business analysis document will also be useful as the starting point for future learning opportunities in business topics.

This is the first course in the Business Fundamentals series. 

The Business Planning elective will appeal to a wide range of real estate professionals in brokerage management roles as well as those contemplating future management or ownership roles. The course provides valuable information and direction to registrants wishing to further develop and reinforce leading business practices and complements the Business Analysis elective.

This course is divided into six units. Each unit will review specific factors of business planning, which will include an introduction to business planning, business concepts, marketing and sales, operations and human resources, financials, and the executive summary.  The central component of this course is the Business Planning Tool which you will use to record your notes and plans as you progress through the course.

This is the second course in the Business Fundamentals series. 

The Environmental Site Assessments elective assists registrants in understanding relevant aspects of the Environmental Site Assessment, or ESA, process. Although registrants are not expected to be environmental experts, they should be reasonably knowledgeable on matters relevant to a trade in order to protect their clients and parties in the real estate transaction and avoid potential liability.

This course describes a registrant’s responsibilities during the ESA process which includes your responsibilities under the legislation as well as leading practices.

• Unit 1 summarizes, defines and explains the Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) process and its potential impact on all parties in the real estate transaction.
• Unit 2 uses a scenario-based approach to summarize, define and explain the required steps to complete a Phase 1 ESA.
• Unit 3 expands on Phase 1 requirements to summarize, define and explain the Phase 2 ESA process. 
• Unit 4 outlines and explains important aspects of remediation and follow-up as a possible result of Phase 2 ESA, as they relate to a registrant’s responsibilities and obligations under legislation.

The Residential Condominiums elective explores the fundamentals of residential condo trades, from providing consumers with relevant information about condo ownership to registrant due diligence and compliance requirements. The specific units will cover a wide range of topics including the structure and governance of residential condos, new construction transactions, resales, rentals, and assignment agreements.

• Unit 1 provides a broad overview of condominium fundamentals. 
• Unit 2 focuses on challenges and issues related to resale condominium transactions. 
• Unit 3 explores the challenges and issues of purchasing pre-construction or new condominiums. 
• Unit 4 examines the processes and considerations related to assignment agreements.
• Unit 5 focuses on compliance challenges, prohibitions, restrictions, and issues related to rental condominiums.

The Strategic Planning elective provides valuable information and direction to registrants wishing to further develop and reinforce their knowledge of leading business practices. This course will appeal to a wide range of real estate professionals such as brokerage owners, brokers in brokerage management roles, and real estate salespersons. Strategic planning is useful to all roles within a brokerage as it can help to zero in on internal problem areas and highlight where services and activities require improvement. The Strategic Planning course is divided into the following four units:

• Introduction to Strategic Planning
• Strategic Planning Approaches
• Strategic Analysis
• The Strategic Plan

This is the third course in the Business Fundamentals series. It is recommended that the Business Analysis and Business Planning electives be completed first.

The MPAC elective has four units that provide an overview of the Ontario Property Assessment System and cycle, MPAC’s role and the correlation between Current Value Assessments and property tax, and other topics.

In the first unit, we’ll review the four key groups that make up Ontario’s property assessment system who are each responsible for various aspects of Ontario’s assessment cycle. This unit will also explain how the phase-in process works.

Please note that property assessments for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 property tax years will continue to be based on January 1, 2016 current values. Therefore, examples of property values and the assessment cycle in this course reflect this postponement in value update.

The Guide to Brokerage Inspections elective instructs registrants about the brokerage inspections completed by RECO, as well as leading business practices that can assist brokerages in maintaining compliance with TRESA and being prepared for inspections.