WinnipegREALTORS® has come a long way since its first incarnation in 1903

By Peter Squire

WinnipegREALTORS® has been in operation since 1903. It was created in response to Winnipeg’s real estate boom at the turn of the century, which had reached the point where checks and balances were required to ensure there was some oversight of the industry.  

The real estate industry has changed a lot since since then to elevate its professionalism and sophistication. The adoption of new technology has added tools to support and enhance REALTORS®, such as the Multiple Listing Service® System (MLS®). WinnipegREALTORS® serves the entire province with its MLS® including its own extensive market region — which includes the city of Winnipeg — representing roughly 70% of all MLS® sales with the remaining 30% happening outside Winnipeg’s boundary limits.

Just last year, WinnipegREALTORS® expanded further into southern Manitoba to include the bustling cities of Winkler and Morden. It was also the first time it reached and eclipsed the $4 billion mark in MLS® sales activity.

Winnipeg REALTORS® (originally Winnipeg Real Estate Exchange and then Winnipeg Real Estate Board up until 2007) was the first board in the country to reach the significant milestone of 100 years old.  When it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003, it did something rather unique to capture the period of time it had been in existence. Hiring David Burley, at the time a social history professor at the University of Winnipeg, and professional curator and display designer Candace Hogue, an exhibit entitled “Housing in 20th Century Winnipeg” was created. It featured 17 large panels that were magnificently displayed in 1200 sq. ft. of space at the RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre. Following the exhibit, the panels were donated to the City of Winnipeg and are currently displayed to the public at the Millennium Library in the Local History Room.

Interestingly enough, one of the prominent founders of the Winnipeg Real Estate Exchange in 1903 was Charles H. Enderton, who was instrumental in the development of Crescentwood. Crescentwood is considered Winnipeg’s first suburb to be planned on a large scale with a number of stipulations attached. For example, conditions required houses to be well set back from the street and minimum construction costs of $10,000 applied to houses on 300 ft. lots.

Most people would have to agree that the appeal of the beautiful residences and area surrounding Enderton Park (more commonly known as Peanut Park) today provide strong arguments for planned suburbs, but that in no way means they have to be as opulent or exclusive. Many more new frontier developments came on stream over the years as families moved away from central neighbourhoods to new suburban houses.

Associated with the development of suburbs was an increase in home ownership, which more than doubled over the 100 years to represent 64 per cent of households. Fast forward to today and home ownership for Winnipeg has only increased slightly to 65 per cent based on the 2016 Stats Canada census. However, of note are outlying rural municipalities which are far heavier concentrated on home ownership at 95 per cent.  

Seeing some of the decline in home ownership within Winnipeg inner city neighbourhoods — that at the same time were experiencing deteriorating housing stock — galvanized WinnipegREALTORS® in the late 1990s to form its own home ownership initiative called Housing Opportunity Partnership (HOP). This arm’s length neighbourhood housing revitalization initiative is still actively promoting home ownership through acquiring vacant city lots and building new infill on them for first-time buyers. 

Today, WinnipegREALTORS® represents over 2,000 REALTORS® and other industry-related professions active in Winnipeg and the outlying rural areas. Its mission is to provide services and resources for members to ensure a high standard of business practice and ethics.

WinnipegREALTORS® is also an advocate for the betterment of the industry and property owners who it serves in delivering excellent service to meet their real estate needs. A valuable asset to WinnipegREALTORS® ability to serve members and the public is its long standing Real Estate News weekly publication which advertises current listings  (in print and online) and is also a vehicle to provide the public with valuable real estate market information including tips on what to do when selling or buying a property. It also includes the latest mortgage rate offerings by WinnipegREALTORS® financial business partners.

There will be more reflection on what a home means in 2020 during a pandemic when we come out of it. We know REALTORS® at the beginning of the 20th century lived through and were part of the biggest real estate boom in Winnipeg’s history but then encountered the Spanish influenza in 1918 and then a great depression in the 30s and another world war.

Over all these years, despite what we encounter, homes continue to be a central pillar of Canadian’s dreams and aspirations. People find sanctuary and safety in their home and REALTORS® are adapting and adjusting their current practices within the public health directives to make it possible for buyers and sellers to fulfill their real estate needs in these difficult times.

Stay safe and healthy.

Peter Squire is WinnipegREALTORS® Vice-President, External Relations & Market Intelligence.