What started as an idea to amalgamate the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) and Waterloo Region Association of Realtors (WRAR) soon caught wind and spread like all good ideas often do. Julie Sergi, a realtor with RAHB for 19 years, saw an opportunity to join forces with a like-minded organization to form a stronger association of realtors. Shortly after talks began, the Mississauga Real Estate Board (MREB) and Simcoe and District Real Estate Boards (SDREB) also asked to join. Talks between the four groups began in the fall of 2023 and took about nine months to negotiate. By July 1st, 2024, the Cornerstone Association of Realtors (Cornerstone) was formed, with Julie Sergi elected as Chair for Cornerstone’s 2024/2025 Board of Directors.
“We have similar ideas and mindsets and felt that pooling our resources, funds and staff would better serve a greater community of realtors,” Julie says.
The Association represents almost 9,000 realtors and serves Hamilton-Burlington, Mississauga, Niagara North, Haldimand County, Norfolk County, and Waterloo Region. “Cornerstone was created to help the public,” Julie explains. “It allows us to operate at a higher capacity, offer better services and training for realtors, and gives us a stronger position to lobby the various levels of government.”
By amalgamating, they have removed redundancy, become more cost-effective by operating under one budget, and can provide better access to information for smaller districts like Simcoe, which previously operated with a small staff. “We can better serve smaller communities with a larger brain pool, giving them access to more resources,” says Julie.
Despite the amalgamation, Cornerstone will maintain offices in its four locations: Mississauga, Hamilton, Waterloo, and Simcoe.
Cornerstone, a not-for-profit organization, offers enhanced professional development at little or no cost to realtors, which is good for them and even better for their clients. “If realtors are better educated, they can better serve the buyers and sellers in these areas,” says Julie.
As the second largest realtor association next to the Toronto Region Real Estate Board (TRREB), Cornerstone adopted the tagline REALTORS® Together, Stronger Together after repeating this mantra throughout the months leading up to their amalgamation. Their vision is to “establish a new, more influential, capable, and member-centric organization designed to meet the evolving needs of realtors and help them thrive in the marketplace.”
One area of significant focus for Cornerstone in the real estate market is data gaps in the MLS (multiple listing service) property database. By combining forces, Cornerstone felt it was imperative to accept inter-board listings within the larger market at no charge. They believe all Ontario realtors should have the same access to all Ontario MLS listings. The organization not only supports realtors but also provides tools and information to landlords and tenants, actively educating those in the rental market.
Cornerstone holds several monthly events, virtual and in person, and donates generously to Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit organization advocating for affordable housing across Canada. On September 12th of this year, they kicked off their inaugural event, a Charity Golf Tournament, to raise money for Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region (Habitat). With the support of sponsors, donors, volunteers and the community, the event raised $45,045.
While developing something new always comes with a few hiccups, Julie says it took little time to iron out the details, and members see the value of having more resources, better access to MLS listings, and a larger team to work with.
“Cornerstone is looking forward to being a different member-centric and transparent association that assists the public, provides more information and consistent messaging, and ensures its members are the best realtors out there.”
Julie Sergi is a Broker with Royal LePage Burloak Real
Estate Services in Burlington.
BY JULIE ACHTERMEIER
