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Local real estate agents are now part of the second largest real estate board in Ontario and the fourth largest in Canada.

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The former Simcoe and District Real Estate Board recently merged with three major boards to form the Cornerstone Association of Realtors. The merger brings together real estate agents from Norfolk County, Hamilton-Burlington, Mississauga and Waterloo-Cambridge and took effect July 1.

“This started as an idea between the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington and the Waterloo Regional Association of Realtors earlier this year,” said Julie Sergi, board president of the Cornerstone Association of Realtors. “We had the same kind of culture, the same kinds of ideas and we were similar in size.

“We just had the idea that we would be better and stronger working together.”

Sergi, from the former Hamilton-Burlington school board, said it was believed that together the two boards would be able to better resolve problems and improve services.

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As word of the project spread, they were approached by the Simcoe and District Real Estate Board and then the Mississauga Association of Realtors.

A working group comprising directors from all four boards was formed and after several months of due diligence, the new merged board was confirmed.

The merged board has approximately 8,500 members.

“One of the biggest benefits for smaller rural councils is the economy of scale,” Sergi said of the merger. “Even though the smaller school boards were in a good financial position, there have been a lot of changes happening in the industry in terms of technology and more changes are underway.

“Merging with larger boards helps them better support their members. »

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The merger will give real estate agents greater access to training, course materials, services and advocacy, Sergi said.

“When it comes to advocacy, real estate agents are now represented by a board that speaks with more than 8,500 votes instead of 160,” Sergi said.

More information, better access to training and information allows real estate agents to provide better service to clients, she said.

Cornerstone’s board of directors includes directors from all four areas. Local offices of all four councils remain open and accessible to real estate agents and the public, Sergi said.

Directors from the former Simcoe board who now serve on the Cornerstone Association board include president-elect Drew Hemsley and directors Melissa Mummery, David Puddy and Rick Shelley.

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Meanwhile, Cornerstone held its first charity golf tournament on September 12 and raised $45,054 for Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region.

“In the months leading up to our merger, we kept repeating the phrase ‘Realtors together, stronger together,’” Sergi said. “It somehow became the slogan of what we were building by bringing together our four associations. “Seeing the incredible community spirit that went into putting on this incredible fundraiser, I know it’s so much more than a slogan.”

Sergi said representatives from the association were recently in Ottawa to urge MPs to remove the GST on Habitat for Humanity construction. This measure would save money to build more housing.

“Realtors care about their communities and believe in the dream of homeownership,” she said.

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