A Day in the Life: Doug Dixon, Real Estate Practice Advisor
| January 23, 2013
The addition of a real estate practice advisor to the RECA staff in March 2012 has been met with extremely positive feedback across the board. Since joining RECA, Doug has met with 80 brokers/management teams at brokerages representing more than 7,000 real estate industry professionals across Alberta, and has also made more than 30 presentations at Board offices, brokerages and as part of industry events.
But what does Doug do on days when he’s not visiting face-to-face with brokers?
The fact is, even when not out ‘on the road,’ Doug connects with real estate brokers and broker delegates from across the province daily.
What does a day in the office look like for you, Doug?
Typically, I am responding to phone calls and emails from brokers and their delegates. When I am not doing that, I am preparing presentations, working on projects or reviewing industry publications to stay current.
How many calls do you get in a ‘normal’ day?
It can vary a lot, but most days I get 10 to 15 calls from brokers and about the same number of emails. A call or email can sometimes involve a very short response or may involve a long conversation. It could also mean gathering more information after the call and/or consulting with other management staff at RECA, without disclosing the confidential source of the inquiry, to ensure the right answer is provided to the broker.
What type of questions are you asked?
You never know what kind of question will arrive by phone or email. Many are related to advertising issues or incentives. Sometimes a broker is just looking for clarification on a rule or, though this rarely happens, it could be a very serious issue where a broker is dealing with fraud or theft of funds. One of the benefits to brokers calling me as Practice Advisor is that their inquiries are kept confidential and without prejudice, which means I don’t share the details with other staff at RECA and whatever gets discussed cannot be used in any disciplinary action.
Do you have any other longer-term projects on the go?
At the moment the big project, in cooperation with the Alberta Real Estate Association, is the creation of a detailed template for a Brokerage Policies & Procedures Manual that will be provided to all brokers later this year to assist them in improving their brokerage’s own manual.
Are you a real estate broker who wants to have Doug make a presentation to your industry professionals? Contact him directly via ddixon@reca.ca or at 403-685-7920 .
