How real estate is organized in Ontario
Professions form associations to represent the interests of their members. In Ontario, the arrangement is called 'organized real estate' and it has three levels: local, provincial and national.
Real estate boards represent brokers and salespeople at the local level. Those who choose to join a real estate board automatically become members of organized real estate and may call themselves REALTORS®. At the provincial level, OREA represents 82,000 REALTORS® from the 36 real estate boards. CREA, operating at the national level, oversees the interests of REALTORS® across Canada. When a salesperson joins a real estate board, they automatically become a member of OREA and CREA.