Changes in the real estate industry and how WinnipegREALTORS® members conduct their business continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The way you market your listings, your engagement with clients and your relationships with your fellow agents occupies a completely different technological and social landscape than from even five years ago. In keeping pace with changing member needs and values, WinnipegREALTORS® strives to adapt and adjust its own methods, services and products.
In June 2017, a satisfaction survey of our membership was commissioned and contracted to Insightrix Research Inc. It addressed several objectives, including measuring member satisfaction on services and products and offered a forum for members to weigh-in on topics relevant to their current needs.
The survey reported that nearly eight-in-10 respondents are satisfied with the overall quality of services offered by WinnipegREALTORS®, or 4.1 per cent out of five. Members report high satisfaction with the responsiveness of WinnipegREALTORS® staff, including the ability to answer questions in a quick and efficient manner and the extent of our communications in keeping members informed.
In terms of offered services and products, nearly nine-in-10 members rated the Matrix MLS® system exceptionally high for satisfaction. Sentrilock, the call centre, WEBForms, and the Keystone member portal also rated high. Leaving room for improvement was the Real Estate News Dashboard, which scored low in satisfaction.
Members also conferred high ratings for the Help Desk and the monthly MLS® market statistics, with nearly eight-in-10 being satisfied with these services.
When asked about room for improvement, 15 per cent of respondents provided the suggestion of reducing fees. There was also a similar percentage of members who would like a wider array of training opportunities and education.
Training resources, such as webinars, classroom Matrix education and the new member orientation course, also rated high on the survey, making them areas where members felt they were being offered exemplary learning and service.
Concerning the Real Estate News, 58 per cent of members had positive views about the print edition, with only nine per cent having negative views. About 17 per cent had neither negative or positive views, while 16 per cent do not read the print edition.
Areas on which WinnipegREALTORS® needs to focus, include improving LYNX, increasing the promotion of REALTOR® services to the public, political advocacy and improving the Commercial Property Information Exchange.
Members were also polled on the effects of the new federal mortgage regulations. Just over four-in-10 members are experiencing impacts since the new federal mortgage stress test came into effect. The most common effects found included clients being approved for a lesser amount and having to purchase a property in a lower price range. Another reported effect was that clients experienced longer time frames when awaiting financial approval.
With this information in hand, WinnipegREALTORS® will adapt to the changing landscape. The results show that, while we continue to provide services and products that our members find useful and relevant to their business, there are areas we can improve and adjust. Your feedback assists us in creating a progressive and relevant association that benefits all members.