Recent headlines have shaken Quebec's real estate world, including news of an alleged arson attack, but brokers are urging buyers and sellers to keep these stories in perspective.
On Thursday, Sutton Quebec founder Christophe Forat appeared in court to be formally charged with arson and conspiracy to cause damage to property by fire or explosion in connection with an alleged arson attack on a competitor. Two other people have also been charged with similar charges in connection with the scheme.
Two days earlier, two other real estate agents in Quebec, Christine Girouard and Jonathan Dauphiné-Fortin, submitted false offers on homes for sale in an attempt to inflate prices to legitimate buyers. was convicted as.
Brome Lake-based RE/MAX broker Jessica Brown said in an interview that these stories tarnish the image of real estate agents who aim to protect the public.
“Certainly, when you hear stories like that, it doesn't paint real estate agents in a good light. I think these are three of the thousands of real estate agents in Quebec, and of course We try to keep in mind and emphasize that we are also.' We're going to listen to the stories that make the headlines because they're more interesting than those of us who work day-to-day for our clients according to the rules of the law.'' she said.
“But it does demoralize to some degree.”
There are over 17,000 real estate agents in Quebec. OACIQ, an umbrella group for real estate professionals, said the two agents who pushed the fake offers could have their licenses revoked or suspended, or be fined at least $50,000 for each violation. A date for the sanctions hearing has not yet been announced.
The association's vice president for oversight said on Tuesday that they had “severely tarnished the image and reputation of the profession as a whole.”
“Consumers need to know they can trust their real estate agent with the most important transaction of their lives,” said Caroline Champagne in a press release.
In Mr Brown's opinion, the pair should have their licenses revoked because the public has lost confidence in them.
“Nobody wants to see people like that working in our profession,” Brown said.
Sutton Quebec announced Wednesday that it had severed ties with Fora, who founded the company in 1995. A spokesperson for management consulting firm Teneo, which is representing Sutton Quebec, told CTV News that Fora “is being removed from Sutton Quebec's charter as is.” I'm no longer an administrator. ”
Sébastien Bonurot, vice president of Century 21 Quebec and owner of the Century 21 Elite office in Cantley, Quebec, agrees that this type of story paints colleagues in a negative light.
“Unfortunately, when you have colleagues and agents who do things like this, it's very visible throughout the profession,” Bonuro said on CJAD 800 radio Thursday.
He said the case of Mr. Girouard and Dauphiné-Fortin came at a time when real estate agents were used to receiving multiple offers during a red-hot seller's market. I suspect that this is the result of
“99.9 percent of agents may be honest and diligent in their work, but in typical cases like this, they are a little too ambitious and try to work outside of our legal framework. “There are people who decided to do it, and it's something that should be done, but it affects everyone and gives everyone a very bad perception of the industry,” he said.
According to OACIQ, changes have been made to the Real Estate Brokerage Act in recent years to protect the public, including prohibiting dual representation and oral mediation agreements in residential real estate transactions.
With files from CTV News Montreal's Caroline Van Vlaardingen and CJAD 800 Radio.
