The first half of 2025 has reminded us how interconnected our profession is with the communities we serve and how impactful our leadership can be in uncertain times.

Together, we have faced profound challenges. The senseless tragedy at the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver left us grieving the loss of GVR member Richard Le, his wife Linh Hoang, their daughter Katie and other members of our community. 

Their deaths shocked us all. Richard’s son, Andy Le, survived only because he stayed home to finish homework. In response to this tragedy, GVR made a $10,000 donation on behalf of members to support Andy’s future. We are grateful to the many members who supported this effort. 

Outside of this tragedy, we also continue to navigate broader uncertainty—from economic instability to shifting housing trends. The looming spectre of U.S. tariffs under the Trump era has added another layer of complexity and risk to our housing market and our broader economy. 

As we enter into the sixth month of the year, I wanted to take a moment to share some of the key actions we have taken and outcomes that we have achieved at GVR on your behalf so far in 2025.

To do our part within the current environment, I directed the organization to suspend all business travel to the United States for the remainder of the year. We will continue to monitor the situation and assess as we go. In the meantime, we want to support the Team Canada effort to guide our country and economy to a place of greater certainty.

We are re-shaping how we give back—reflecting not only the needs of our community, but the values of members.

In response to a changing landscape—declining grassroots fundraising, reduced in-person engagement post-COVID, and tighter regulatory restrictions around fundraising rules—we are creating a new Community Relief Program, launching formally in 2026.

This program will focus on supporting Canadians’ shelter needs in times of crisis—whether from wildfire, economic hardship, or tragic events. Our mission remains grounded in housing, and this initiative reaffirms that the real estate profession’s care for people goes beyond transactions. Watch the below video to learn more about our new charitable vision.

Learn more.

To help you thrive in today’s fast-moving market, we have launched Service Re-Imagined—a bold transformation of how GVR delivers support.

This initiative is modernizing every facet of our service delivery with a five-point action plan.

You will start seeing improvements throughout the year, including easier online payments and more intuitive member services. 

This is just the beginning of a service transformation designed with your success in mind. To learn more about this initiative, watch these recent video conversations with members of GVR’s senior management team.

AI-powered productivity: Launch of Restb.ai

In Q1, we launched Restb.ai, a cutting-edge AI tool integrated into Paragon Connect and Paragon Pro. This solution allows members to automatically analyze property images, generate photo tags, and automate property descriptions, including ready-to-use public remarks. Restb.ai saves members time and enhances listing quality through fast, relevant, and intelligent insights, reinforcing our commitment to modern tools that streamline members’ work.

Learn more. 

Data on the go: ChartBook Mobile released

After the strong reception of the ChartBook tool on GVR’s Economics Microsite, we responded by launching ChartBook Mobile, an interactive version optimized for smartphones and tablets. It’s now easier than ever to access critical economic and housing market data whenever you need it. I encourage you to make use of this resource, and share it with clients, today.

Learn more.

While strategic priorities can often be consumed on the more immediate issues, we also have the long-term health of the profession in mind. That is why we remain focused on elevating the standards of our entire profession.

GVR is leading a national conversation on strengthening entrance standards for new real estate licensees. We gained support for this concept from every association in BC last year and we have partnered with BCREA and other BC boards to engage our counterparts across Canada. 

In June, our Chief Corporate Development Officer Craig Munn will present, with colleagues from the BC Real Estate Association, a proposal to a national council of real estate regulators – the group with the authority to enact this change. At the same time, we are also leading a provincial group within the profession to create consistent MLS® standards and rules for all BC REALTORS®.

This work is about raising the bar, strengthening public trust, and ensuring future generations of Realtors entering the profession are practice-ready on day one.

Expanding public transparency on REALTOR.ca

We introduced two critical improvements to REALTOR.ca on April 10: the addition of pending and closed statuses, and the publication of sold prices 30 days after closing. 

These changes provide more accurate and transparent data, and better support Realtors in building client trust and engagement.

Learn more.

In the immediate run-up to a federal election, we published an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun in March, and we followed it up with a second op-ed in REM magazine, proposing the creation of a Canadian Home Ownership Community Bond – an innovative model combining private investment and public policy to reduce down payment barriers for qualified buyers.

This idea aims to make home ownership more attainable for essential workers and middle-income Canadians, while offering returns to investors. It highlights GVR’s thought leadership in real estate policy in Canada at a critical time.

Read the full op-ed in the Vancouver Sun.

In addition, I have joined the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Housing and Development Strategy Council on behalf of GVR to help shape national housing policies that directly impact affordability and supply across Canada.

In March, we entered into a new, one-year partnership with Canada Post to help reduce members’ marketing costs.

Through this partnership, GVR members can enjoy approximately 40 per cent off unaddressed direct mail services.

Learn more.

Earlier this month, we partnered with Payload to offer brokerages an easier way to collect buyer deposits. With Payload, buyers can securely transfer funds to a brokerage's trust account from a branded portal on the brokerage website. It works with most Canadian banks and meets PCI compliance standards.

This service is available now at no cost to the brokerage. Payload is already used by other real estate groups, including the Alberta Real Estate Association.

Learn more.

Through these new partnerships, we are optimizing our collective purchasing power to help reduce members’ business costs. We strongly encourage all members to take advantage of these exclusive arrangements.

These are just some of the initiatives underway as we pursue our mission to lead professionalism and innovation in real estate on your behalf. In the months ahead, you’ll hear about exciting new partnerships we are forming with industry and private sector organizations designed to bring even more value to your work.

Thank you for your trust, your resilience, and your commitment to leading with purpose. Together, we will continue to shape a profession, and a future, worthy of the communities we serve.

Sincerely, 

Jeff King
Chief Executive Officer
Greater Vancouver REALTORS®