Real estate board welcomes new president

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This article was published 28/02/2022 (1292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Akash Bedi has hit the ground running as the 2022 president of the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, and he’s looking forward to another thrilling year ahead.

“I am excited to bring my energy, mindset and skills to assist the board and all 2,200 members move forward in 2022 adapting to changes in the work environment and navigating the current real estate market we are in,” he said.

“As all real estate markets are local, our board has a strong focus on providing up-to-date information to our membership, stakeholders and the general public. As the president, I am honoured to be able to help move our board forward in alignment with our strategic plan and focus on our board’s priorities.”

The new Real Estate Services Act brings some changes to how realtors and brokerages in Manitoba will be able to conduct business, he added.

“Electronic signatures and electronic storage of files are now permissible. A few key changes to help better protect the public are the use of service agreements. These are basically promises on paper on what a realtor and the brokerage will or will not do,” Bedi explained.

“One of the largest changes is that members of the public can now send the deposits via electronic means for their offer to purchase to the brokerage, whereas previously a physical cheque or cash was required.”

Bedi earned his realtor’s licence in 2003 and broker’s licence in 2015, at the same time becoming an owner in the brokerage RE/MAX Executives Realty.

“The training involved an intricate understanding of bylaws, regulations and rules that govern the industry,” he said.

“Through the advice of many fellow brokers, I volunteered on a few committees, which led to the eventual election on the board as a director, and I continued on to the executive committee, which led to the role of president.”

However, his interest in real estate sparked when he was a young child watching his dad hard at work as a realtor himself.

“As a second-generation realtor, I have always had a true and pure passion for the real estate industry,” he said.

“Since I was born, I have been immersed in real estate, and growing up I would be assisting my father, Baldev Bedi, with paperwork, filing and database management.”

In the 1980s and ’90s, the MLS system was primarily a catalogue system with perforated cards that represented a property for sale, he recalled. Bedi’s dad taught him how to read and code these cards at a young age.

“Fast forward, after I earned my second degree from the University of Winnipeg, I decided to enter the real estate industry and fell in love instantly,” he said.

“I had always known I would be involved with organized real estate in some manner but was not sure exactly how.”

Today, Bedi, his father and one licensed assistant continue to work as a team together.

“I was taught from the very beginning that the client-realtor and the realtor-to-realtor business relationship is very important,” he said.

“Negotiating a contract, a price or terms can be better accomplished if there is an understanding of each other’s perspective and, of course, a willingness to work together. We continue to grow our business with this same basic tenet.”