Panel addresses realtor language barrier in British Columbia – The Globe and Mail

Yet another aspect of Vancouver’s real estate industry problems:

Many of B.C.’s realtors lack the English skills necessary to protect buyers and sellers in a market where English is the operating language for licensing education and official contracts, says a report from an independent panel being used by the provincial government as a road map for regulation reform.

Among the panel’s 28 recommendations is a suggested comprehensive review of the licensing and education requirements for aspiring realtors, including a consideration of the role of fluency in a market where many licensees deal mainly with fellow non-native English speakers.

The provincial government released data on Thursday showing that during a three-week period last month, about one in 20 homes in the Vancouver area was purchased by a foreign buyer, the majority from China. But even if many transactions are conducted in a language other than English, the formal documents required to complete the deal are entirely in English.

“This creates a risk that licensee’s education and ongoing proficiency will be impacted by language proficiency or comprehension issues,” the report stated. “This is a risk that the regulator cannot ignore.”

Many long-time agents have argued the current system makes it far too easy for anyone to join the industry and that language proficiency requirements are too easy to skirt.

Aspiring real estate agents in British Columbia must spend at least 10 weeks completing a series of online assignments through the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. Applicants must then complete a 100-question multiple-choice test, earning a mark of 65 per cent or higher, to become licensed.

If they weren’t educated in English, the real estate students must also write a separate exam where they prove their fluency by attaining a mark of at least 60 per cent on a several-hundred-word essay.

Language proficiency within the real estate industry has become part of the charged debate around foreign ownership. But formal complaints about it are rare: A search of recent disciplinary decisions by the Real Estate Council of B.C. failed to turn up a case of realtor wrongdoing where a language barrier was a direct factor.

Tony Gioventu, a member of the advisory panel and head of a trade association for B.C.’s condominium owners, said submissions from the public and industry insiders to the advisory panel made it clear that language proficiency has been an issue.

“The parties didn’t necessarily always understand what they were signing or what the implications of what they were signing was,” he said.

Several real estate brokerages offer prep courses to help aspiring realtors cram for the multiple-choice licensing exam, as well as the essay component that non-native speakers must write.

New Coast Realty, one of Metro Vancouver’s most controversial and fastest-growing brokerages, has five branches across the region that prep students seeking to become licensed.

“This complicated professional course intimidates even native English speakers. The difficult-to-understand legal and real estate terms discourage many otherwise interested people,” states a Chinese advertisement for the company’s prep course. “Our knowledgeable instructors and concise materials will help you learn easily and pass the exam quickly, paving the way for your career or investment plans.”

UBC in the past has defended its licensing program as rigorous, but says it looks forward to working with the government to “help to promote public protection and satisfy the professional education requirements” of realtors across the province.

Realtor Gary Wong suggested that adding a written essay or oral exam component to the multiple-choice licensing test would automatically raise the language-proficiency bar and make it harder for everyone to become a realtor, something the province has promised to do as it overhauls the existing real estate regulations.

He said roughly half the Chinese-Canadian agents he deals with see his name and start their conversation in Mandarin. Mr. Wong, who speaks Cantonese and only a smattering of Mandarin, said business continues as usual once he asks them to switch back to English.

“It’s not the greatest, but you can work around it,” he said, noting that agents can use templates for most contract clauses, which eliminates grammar mistakes or spelling errors.

Source: Panel addresses realtor language barrier in British Columbia – The Globe and Mail