在最高法院最近对多伦多的房屋价格做出裁决之后,多伦多房地产委员会(TREB)将向“受密码保护的网站(也称为虚拟办公室网站或VOW)”公开提供售价数据供稿,截至2018年9月18日。听起来不祥且重要……但这实际上意味着什么?
哪些公开的价格信息将被公开?
在TREBMLS上列出和出售的房地产(包括不在多伦多的房地产)将显示从“确定”出售(即所有条件均已豁免)开始的价格。这意味着一旦达成完全具有约束力的协议,该价格就是公开的,甚至在交易“关闭”很久之前(即所有权实际上是易手的)就公开了,这可能要在几个月之后。
最近2年的价格可在VOW帐户中搜索。要访问其他数据,公众将需要填写一份表格(该表格可以追溯到2003年)。
注意:有条件的房地产(例如融资或房屋检查)的出售价格将在条件被免除之前不会公开分发
哪里可以提供出售价格?
出售的数据将在受密码保护的虚拟办公室网站(VOW)上提供。这是什么意思?
有许多房地产经纪人网站,您可以在其中搜索待售房屋。但是您是否注意到大多数时候,在“创建帐户并登录”之前,您只能看到有限的内容?那是受密码保护的部分。这就像在广告牌上放一些东西,在剧院里的屏幕上放一些东西,他们在门口检查您的身份证之间的区别一样。(好吧,也许这不是最好的比喻,但您明白了。)
重要的是要注意:在过去的几年中,少数公司一直在非法“刮擦”数据(想想:那些在剧院里装有摄像机的家伙),并在未受密码保护的网站上公开提供了售价信息–希望我们会更频繁地看到这种情况。在此裁定之前,出售的价格信息
是否保密?
不,不是。有3种方式可用:
1.对于在多伦多MLS上列出的房地产,房地产经纪人始终可以获取公司销售的价格(已关闭和未关闭)。TREB的50,000多名成员反过来又很容易地向他们的客户和媒体提供了这些信息(说实话,任何问他们问价的人)。
2.对于不在MLS上出售的房地产,房地产经纪人可以从土地注册系统获取此信息(仅针对封闭式房地产)。
3.此外,安大略省的任何业主长期以来都能够在MPAC(评估物业税的市政系统)上免费搜索已售物业的价格。他们所要做的就是创建一个带有其纳税评估卷编号和访问密钥的帐户(位于“财产评估通知”的右下方)。
警告:现在是荒野西部TREB仍在确定该裁决的后果,并且与成员沟通很慢。
尚待确定:
该裁决将如何被进一步解释
它将如何影响标准表格和协议
它会如何影响《房地产商业经纪人法》下的经纪人要求
如果在其他房地产委员会列出的房地产的售价将公开(不是TREB的决定)
经纪人和非经纪人将如何遵守(或不遵守)新规定
TREB没有其他上诉选项,也没有与竞争局的未决诉讼。
那么,如果我不希望公开出售房屋的价格怎么办?
有4个地方可以找到您房屋的出售价格:
MPAC(任何人都可以搜索)–该信息来自土地注册处
MLS(可以由房地产经纪人搜索)
VOW(可以由拥有受密码保护的帐户的人搜索,也就是只有5分钟的
时间来设置帐户的人)
抓取数据的非法网站(任何人都可以查看)
方案1:您不希望MPAC记录在售价格
如果您不希望在土地记录和MPAC中公开出售房屋的价格,则可以在交易结
束前预付土地转让费用,而不是在交易结束之日让律师来做。
要预付安大略省的土地转让税:您需要向财政部提供一些文件,誓章和支票,
财政部将为您提供在结账时要输入的特殊代码,以证明您已经付款土地转让
税。您的房地产律师可以准确地告诉您您需要提供什么以及如何付款。
要预付多伦多市土地转让税:同样的练习,只有这次,您才需要支付多伦多
税收服务。同样,您的律师可以告诉您确切的要求。
如果您预付了土地转让税,则在土地注册系统中显示的房屋售价将为零或$2。
专家提示:如果您想预付土地转让税,请立即告诉您的律师-该过程可能需要
一段时间。
方案2:您不希望MLS记录在售价格
如果您不希望房地产经纪人在MLS上了解房屋的销售价格,则有两种选择:
1.列出你出售“独家”属性-当你列出一个家庭独占,这意味着你雇用一个经纪人来卖你的房子不使用MLS,所以房地产经纪人不会看到它出现时,它的发售,也因此赢得”看不到MLS的售价。当然,这样做有一个巨大的缺点:您将完全依靠代理商自己的手段(从技术上来说,以及代理商的经纪人)来找到您的买家。您会错过将您的房屋与TREB的50,000多名代理商,他们的客户和公众接触的机会。[相关:我应该专门列出吗?]
2.私下出售房屋–当然,您不一定需要房地产经纪人来出售房屋–任何人都可以在其草坪上随意贴上“要出售”标志。当您私下出售时,它显然没有在MLS上列出,因此出售的价格也不会在此处显示。[相关:没有房地产经纪人的情况下出售房屋]
重要提示:如果您确实要在MLS上列出房屋,则要求代理商在取消条件并收到押金后的2个工作日内报告房屋的准确售价。不,他们不能报告售价为1美元或其他虚构的价格(有人在上周尝试过此价格)。数据的完整性至关重要,所有代理都必须遵守报告规则,以保持访问数据的能力。
方案3:您不希望在REALTOR
VOW网站上看到已售出的价格已更新:如果在多伦多MLS上列出了VOW,您将无法采取任何措施阻止您在VOW上看到您的房屋。
方案4:您不希望在包含抓取数
据的非法网站上以高价出售,不幸的是,如果您的财产列在MLS上,您将无能为力。多年来,TREB并未对这些网站采取任何行动,而且我不希望他们很快就对此采取任何措施。
What sold price information will be made public?
- Properties that are listed and sold on the TREB MLS (including properties not located in Toronto) will display the sold price from the moment those properties are sold “firm” (meaning all conditions have been waived). This means that once a fully binding agreement has been come to, that price is public, even long before the sale “closes” (i.e. the ownership actually changes hands), which can be months later.
- Prices for the last 2 years will be searchable from within a VOW account. To access additional data, the public will need to complete a form (that would allow searching back to 2003).
- Note: Sold prices of properties with conditions (e.g. financing or home inspection) will NOT be publicly distributed until conditions have been waived
Where will sold prices be made available?
Sold data will be available on password-protected Virtual Office Websites (VOW’s). What the heck does that mean?
There are plenty of REALTOR websites where you can search houses for sale. But have you noticed that most of the time, what you can see is limited until you “create an account and sign in?” That’s the password-protected part. It’s like the difference between putting something on a billboard, and putting something on a screen inside a theatre where they check your ID at the door. (OK, maybe that’s not the best analogy, but you get the idea.)
It’s important to note: for the last few years, a handful of companies have been “scraping” the data illegally (think: those guys with video cameras in theatres) and providing sold price information publicly on their non-password-protected websites–I expect we’ll see this happen more frequently.
Was sold price information private before this ruling?
No, not really. It was available in 3 ways:
- For properties listed on the Toronto MLS, the sold prices of firm sales (closed and unclosed) have always been available to REALTORS. TREB’s 50,000+ members have in turn readily provided that information to their clients and the media (and let’s be honest, anybody who asks them how much a property sold for).
- For properties not sold on the MLS, REALTORS could obtain this information (for closed properties only) from the land registry system.
- Additionally, any property owner in Ontario has long been able to search sold property prices (for free) on MPAC (the municipal system that assesses property taxes). All they had to do was create an account with their tax assessment roll number and access key (found on the bottom right of the Property Assessment Notice).
Warning: It’s the Wild West Right Now
TREB is still figuring out the ramifications of the ruling and has been slow to communicate with their members. Still to be determined:
- How the ruling will be further interpreted
- How it will affect the standard forms and agreements
- How it will affect agent requirements under the Real Estate Business Brokers Act
- If the sold prices of properties listed with other real estate boards will become public (not TREB’s decision)
- How brokerages and non-brokerages will abide by (or not abide by) the new rules
There are no further appeals options for TREB and no outstanding litigation with the Competition Bureau.
So what can I do if I don’t want the sold price of my home publicly available?
There are 4 places where the sold price of your home will be found:
- MPAC (can be searched by anyone)–this info comes from the land registry
- MLS (can be searched by REALTORS)
- VOW’s (can be searched by anyone with a password-protected account, aka anyone with 5 minutes to set up an account)
- Illegal websites where data has been scraped (can be viewed by anyone)
Scenario 1: You don’t want the sold price on record with MPAC
If you don’t want the sold price of your home to be publicly available within land records & MPAC, you can pre-pay the land transfer before closing, instead of having your lawyer do it on the day of closing.
To prepay your Ontario land transfer tax: You’ll need to provide some documents, affidavits and a cheque to the Ministry of Finance, who will then provide you with a special code to be entered on closing, that proves that you’ve already paid the land transfer taxes. Your real estate lawyer can tell you exactly what you need to provide and how to pay it.
To prepay the City of Toronto land transfer tax: Same drill, only this time you’ll be paying Toronto Revenue Services. Again, your lawyer can tell you exactly what’s required.
If you prepay your land transfer taxes, the sold price showing for your property in the land registry system will be zero or $2.
Pro Tip: If you want to prepay your land transfer taxes, tell your lawyer right away – the process can take a while.
Scenario 2: You don’t want the sold price on record on MLS
If you don’t want the sold price of your home accessible by REALTORS on the MLS, you have two options:
- List your property for sale “exclusively” – When you list a home exclusively, it means you are hiring an agent to sell your house without using the MLS, so REALTORS won’t see it there when it’s available for sale, and thus won’t see the sold price on MLS. Of course, this comes with one huge disadvantage: you’ll solely be relying on your agent’s own means (and the agent’s brokerage, technically) to find you a Buyer. You’ll miss out on exposing your home to TREB’s 50,000+ agents, their clients and the public. [Related: Should I list exclusively?]
- Sell your home privately – Of course, you don’t necessarily need a realtor to sell your home–anyone is free to stick a FOR SALE sign on their lawn. When you sell privately, it obviously isn’t listed on the MLS, so the sold price won’t show up there either. [Related: Selling Your Home Without a REALTOR]
Important: If you DO list your home on the MLS, your agent is required to report the accurate sale price of your home within 2 business days after the conditions have been removed and the deposit has been received. No, they can’t report a sales price of $1 or some other fictitious number (someone tried that last week). The integrity of the data is critical, and all agents must abide by the reporting rules to keep being able to access the data.
Scenario 3: You don’t want the sold price on the REALTOR VOW sites
Updated: There is nothing you can do to prevent your home from being seen on a VOW if it is listed on the Toronto MLS.
Scenario 4: You don’t want the sold price on illegal websites with scraped data
Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to prevent this if your property was listed on the MLS. TREB has not taken action on these sites for years, and I wouldn’t expect them to do anything about it anytime soon.