100 Years of TRREB Memories

Being a member of the TRREB and organized real estate has been, to say the least and without a doubt, a fun ride, and a fulfilling experience. November 29, 2020 will mark almost exactly 42 years since I joined our Brokerage at Bloor and Bathurst, just across from Honest Ed’s. Those were the days of legal sized paper and carbon copies, followed by $3,000 Motorola cell phones mounted in the vehicle, and then by the $5,000 Compaq 286 desktop computer. At the time, these amounts were equivalent to a deposit on a first-time buyer’s home! No expenses were spared if it meant serving my clients by gaining a competitive edge. Speaking of competitive edge, I remember many times going to the office around midnight to see if the next day’s listings had been delivered yet. Tearing those listing sheets and organizing them, was a daily ritual. Notwithstanding these apparent hardships, all changes and advancements in the industry were almost always met with a certain measure of angst and consternation. But thankfully only to realize afterwards, how much easier and better it made it to serve our clients. Thank you TRREB! Congrats on the 100 Year milestone. Wishing success to all members and may you continue to adapt and embrace the inevitable changes and apparent roadblocks. Remember, they are just insurmountable opportunities!

I purchases my first home in 1988 looking at a very small square photo in a book with a few lines about the property. The market changed within months of our purchase. I saw neighbours who purchased without selling their home and then the market crashed. I purchased my second home in 1992 and got into Real Estate in 2003 and discovered that my purchase/sale experience was to be very helpful in understanding what my own clients will go through. The training I received through my Brokerage and TREB now TRREB after becoming a Realtor helped me grow and develop my skills in Real Estate that have helped me serve my clients with excellence. Volunteering has also given me a new perspective on how much TRREB does for organized Real Estate. Our systems are changing and improving at speeds we have never experienced before. There are so many tools to help us do better and work smarter than ever before. I am proud to call my self a Realtor. I am blessed to have as clients the amazing people I have served as I head into my 17th year in Real Estate. It is a truly humbling experience working with people and being involved in their lives as they grieve a loss, celebrate a growing family, downsize as their grown children start their new lives or have their children now venture into the Real Estate market. The relationships I have built with fellow Realtor's and clients, and the experiences I have had serving have been life changing. I look forward to the next adventure being a Realtor brings as we celebrate TRREBS 100 years.

I remember as a young girl, helping my Father organize tear sheets in the office, help give directions to homes using the burgundy Perly's Map in the car, and what a big deal it was when TREB came to our home to set up "the computer" so Dad could work from home and see listings on "TREBVISION" When I joined my Father in business in the summer of 2005, fresh out of my undergrad, I had no idea what an impact that the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board would have on my life, both professionally and personally. Through my years of volunteering at the board, I have made amazing connections and forged lifelong friendships. Now, while I serve on the board of directors, I am honoured and privileged to be a voice for our membership, and help take TRREB successfully into the next hundred years. Thank you to the wonderful staff and volunteers who make this organization great and so valuable to the members. I am grateful to be a part of it.

I have been a member of TRREB for almost 5 years now, and have very much enjoyed every minute! The community of the members is truly something I admire. Being on the YPN Committee, and being apart of the mastermind sessions is something that stands out as a wonderful memory for me, as I’m watching and helping others grow in the field, while I myself am doing the same! We are all in this together and that is something I truly value! It’s crazy to see the changes that have even happened in the 5 years I have been apart of it - TRREB has always been so innovative and up with the latest trends, whether it be with technology, news, or even just with social media and how that is expanding so rapidly! Cheers to 100 years - and here’s to the next 100!! Thank you TRREB, for all you do for all our members!

I was at the tail end of using legal paper size offers in 2003 when I started my career as a TREB member. I found the paper size awkward, no offense, a bit dated coming from an office admin environment while the Y2K hype (or the Millennium Bug) was still fresh in our minds; thank heavens (pun intended), planes didn't drop from the sky and the real estate market soared! And then we started using the very handy A4 paper size. My clients felt special signing their biggest investment with what I called my lucky (Mont Blanc) pen. Just when everyone was feeling snugly, the electronic signatures and e-forms became reality and made matters more comfortable - it’s the best thing since sliced bread! No more driving out at 7 a.m. to meet my clients before they head out to work.  Fast-forward, TREB expanded in so many ways at such high speed. The number of Realtors® grew together with our logo: TRREB. I even heard that other boards are envious of our cutting-edge MLS Stratus. They haven’t seen anything yet! I thought I’d only be a plain-vanilla member of one of the biggest real estate boards in North America, and yet, I'm also an active committee volunteer since 2016. I’m proud and honoured to be part of TRREB's milestone celebration, congratulations! 100 years is a lifetime! Warren Buffett, a living proof and (also) a real estate investor can vouch for this.

From the first time I came to the TRREB offices for training and to pick up the old school authenticator, to the last meeting I attended at the office for the Government Relations Committee, TRREB has been front and centre in my real estate career. I'm thrilled to have been a member for the last 10 years and have great confidence in TRREB continuing to play a vital role in GTA real estate over the next 100 years! Congratulations to all the staff and volunteers who make the Board so vital and valuable to its members.

Congrats TRREB on hitting a century! I can’t imagine a better organization which will embodify a great confluence of entrepreneurism, openness and discipline. I first became a member 12 years ago and it has been a pleasant ride all the way thanks to the support from TRREB staff and fellow members. We are all proud of this moment.

Congratulations to TRREB and all of the members on a Century of Service. A big THANK YOU to the founders for starting such a robust organisation which has stood the test of time. Hats off to the many Realtors who had to go to the office every morning to look for new listings. Those of us who started in the 2000's have had a much easier time because of TRREB's adoption of Technology. All the Best to all the members for the next 100.

What a wonderful opportunity to give back. An immense learning experience giving an opportunity to share experiences with industry colleagues. I hope my contributions helped create a more uniform working environment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful team at TREB for giving me the opportunity to serve on this very prestigious committee.

My first memory of TRREB was when I attended the orientation session for new agents. The building was bright and modern, the staffs are friendly. It was a very welcome feeling for someone who is taking a risk to start a new career. A few years after that, I discovered that TRREB members can volunteer at committees. I never look back after that. TRREB have done a lot to improve our real estate industry and to help our members. Our annual few hundred dollar fee is minimal compare to when we received from it. TRREB is an organization I am proud to be member of. Wishing you a Happy 100th from the bottom of my heart!

TRREB was 60 years old when I started and it was a different world and definitely NOT paperless. Going to the office in the early morning and putting your dailies in order of area with solds and new was a daily ritual. Fast forward to the 2000's we faced many changes as well as challenges. Everything from technology to paperless. In 2006 I was fortunate to become part of the actual TRREB board of directors and eventually was humbly honoured to become Presidents. Dealing with the LTT, Competitions Bureau,OREA , Voting Changes, just to name a few.We are 100 years young and I really can't wait to see the changes of this industry which I have been very proud to be apart of. Happy 100th.

Being involved with the new logo was a great experience. I feel very much part of the 100 year anniversary! I enjoyed the interaction with my fellow colleagues and trreb professionals on the member communications committee! We all worked well together and made good progress for our members!