4 Tips for Keeping Your RMLS™ Account Up-to-date

Yes, it’s that time again. . . billing for quarterly fees will be sent out on July 1. Here are some insider tips to help you keep your account current.

#1 Credit Card Auto-pay
Make paying your quarterly subscriber fees easy by using our debit/credit card auto-pay service. Your fees will be paid on time, every time, automatically. You can specify if you want the funds transferred on the 1st, 15th, or 25th of the month they are due. Use this form  to start auto-pay.

#2 eBilling
Email notification will be sent within two business days of your account being billed each quarter. The email will include the due date, total amount due and a link to log-on and pay your bill.  For more information read our eBilling Q & A document.

#3 Free Reminders
We know you’re busy and have a lot of information to track—let us help you. You can opt-in to our free reminder service. We will send you a reminder email two weeks before your quarterly fees are due and call you if your account becomes past due. Call our Accounting Department at 503-872-8003 to sign-up for this free service.

#4 Keep Your Contact Information Current
It’s important that RMLS™ be able to contact you if an issue arises around your billing activity. If your email, phone number or address changes please go to RMLSweb–>Toolkit–>User Preferences–>Edit RMLS Subscriber Account contact e-mail to update your contact information.

Reminder—Not paying your bill doesn’t cancel your account. If you need to cancel because you’re leaving your current office or turning in your license please fill out the Subscriber Change Form. If your license is still active but you qualify for a waiver (see our Rules and Regulations) please complete the Waiver Form. Both documents may be sent to the Accounting Department.

For more information or if you have any questions please email accounting@rmls.com.

Photo Credit

4 Tips for Keeping Your RMLS™ Account Up-to-date

Yes, it’s that time again. . . billing for quarterly fees will be sent out on July 1. Here are some insider tips to help you keep your account current.

#1 Credit Card Auto-pay
Make paying your quarterly subscriber fees easy by using our debit/credit card auto-pay service. Your fees will be paid on time, every time, automatically. You can specify if you want the funds transferred on the 1st, 15th, or 25th of the month they are due. Use this form  to start auto-pay.

#2 eBilling
Email notification will be sent within two business days of your account being billed each quarter. The email will include the due date, total amount due and a link to log-on and pay your bill.  For more information read our eBilling Q & A document.

#3 Free Reminders
We know you’re busy and have a lot of information to track—let us help you. You can opt-in to our free reminder service. We will send you a reminder email two weeks before your quarterly fees are due and call you if your account becomes past due. Call our Accounting Department at 503-872-8003 to sign-up for this free service.

#4 Keep Your Contact Information Current
It’s important that RMLS™ be able to contact you if an issue arises around your billing activity. If your email, phone number or address changes please go to RMLSweb–>Toolkit–>User Preferences–>Edit RMLS Subscriber Account contact e-mail to update your contact information.

Reminder—Not paying your bill doesn’t cancel your account. If you need to cancel because you’re leaving your current office or turning in your license please fill out the Subscriber Change Form. If your license is still active but you qualify for a waiver (see our Rules and Regulations) please complete the Waiver Form. Both documents may be sent to the Accounting Department.

For more information or if you have any questions please email accounting@rmls.com.

Photo Credit

4 Tips for Keeping Your RMLS™ Account Up-to-date

Yes, it’s that time again. . . billing for quarterly fees will be sent out on July 1. Here are some insider tips to help you keep your account current.

#1 Credit Card Auto-pay
Make paying your quarterly subscriber fees easy by using our debit/credit card auto-pay service. Your fees will be paid on time, every time, automatically. You can specify if you want the funds transferred on the 1st, 15th, or 25th of the month they are due. Use this form  to start auto-pay.

#2 eBilling
Email notification will be sent within two business days of your account being billed each quarter. The email will include the due date, total amount due and a link to log-on and pay your bill.  For more information read our eBilling Q & A document.

#3 Free Reminders
We know you’re busy and have a lot of information to track—let us help you. You can opt-in to our free reminder service. We will send you a reminder email two weeks before your quarterly fees are due and call you if your account becomes past due. Call our Accounting Department at 503-872-8003 to sign-up for this free service.

#4 Keep Your Contact Information Current
It’s important that RMLS™ be able to contact you if an issue arises around your billing activity. If your email, phone number or address changes please go to RMLSweb–>Toolkit–>User Preferences–>Edit RMLS Subscriber Account contact e-mail to update your contact information.

Reminder—Not paying your bill doesn’t cancel your account. If you need to cancel because you’re leaving your current office or turning in your license please fill out the Subscriber Change Form. If your license is still active but you qualify for a waiver (see our Rules and Regulations) please complete the Waiver Form. Both documents may be sent to the Accounting Department.

For more information or if you have any questions please email accounting@rmls.com.

Photo Credit

Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect

The use of photos and photo captions on listings is something we hear a lot about at RMLS™. Our subscribers ask us to remind listing agents to put multiple photos on their properties and to use photo captions.  Subscribers have told us that photos and captions help clarify what a property has to offer and saves time.

Here are some quick tips for using our photo manager and captions.

  • In Listing Load you’ll find a column titled “P” for photo. The buttons in this column indicate the number of photos currently uploaded for a listing.

 

  • To use Photo Manager you need to download Microsoft’s FREE Silverlight product. It only takes 30 seconds to install.

Rule Alert — RMLS™ requires that at least one photo must be attached to a new listing within 72 hours and it must be an exterior building view.  You cannot add a caption to this first photo. If the property is land then a photo of the bare land is required.

  • You can upload a total of 16 photos to a listing.
  • Silverlight will resize your photo prior to upload to 640×480.
  • If you upload a photo smaller than 640×480 Silverlight will add a white border around it rather than stretch it to fit.
  • The caption link allows you to choose a caption and sub-caption for each photo.

Rule Alert – The reason subscribers can’t type in free form captions is that they have to be checked for HUD violations. The staff time required to check listings individually would be prohibitive. RMLS™ believes the best solution to this issue is offering a broad and extendable set of standardized choices for photo captions.

  • Click on the photo in the Agent Full report to display a pop-up photo viewer.

  • Captions are displayed in the photo viewer.
  • Did you know if there’s a caption you want to use that isn’t part of our pre-approved list the Rules and Regulations Department can add it? Send them an email and they can add it our list for all subscribers to use.

That’s all there is to it! If you have any questions about using photo manager and captions please call our Help Desk at 503-872-8002 or send them an email. We’re here to help.

10 Tips for Avoiding Compliance Issues

10 Tips for Avoiding Compliance Issues

Guest post by Vallerie Bush, RMLS Rules Administrator

Compliance notification is not something our subscribers are excited to receive, and often they aren’t sure how they have broken the rules. However, in most cases the solution to their compliance issue is a simple fix! Below you will find 10 tips for avoiding RMLS™ compliance issues. Follow these rules and you’ll be on your way to a happy listing!

1. Picture Perfect – Add a Photo!
Without photos, potential buyers may pass up your client’s listing. In order to prevent this, make sure to add a photo to your listing as soon as possible. The rule is that you must add a photo of the exterior building view within 72 hours of adding a listing to RMLSweb. Subscribers also have the ability to upload photos to In-Progress listings. If the seller does not want a photo, you can have the seller sign a Photograph Omission Form, which is Document #1263 on RMLSweb.

2. Update Your Status
It’s important to update your listing’s status. If your listing has sold, make sure to change the status to SLD in RMLSweb. If your listing has an accepted offer, make sure to change the status appropriately. Remember, changes need to be made within 72 hours.

3. Double Trouble – Don’t Duplicate Listings
A listing may only be entered into RMLSweb twice if the property is able to be listed under two different categories. If you’ve got it listed twice as a Residential listing, we’ve got a problem.

4. Keep Your Password to Yourself
RMLS™ Rules and Regulations strictly prohibit sharing your RMLSweb password with anyone else. We do audit your login information to see if there are any duplicate logins that are suspicious, so please keep your password confidential.

5. Property Type Perfection
Not sure which property type to use? A definition of the property types can be obtained in Listing Load by clicking on the field. There is a separate Document #1270 for Residential listings.

6. Your Contact Information = Private Remarks Only!
The Public Remarks field is not meant to be an area for your phone number, contact information, showing information or broker/agent branding, so make sure to enter this information into the Private Remarks field instead (viewable only to other RMLS™ subscribers).

7. Play the Name Game
Owner Name is a required field that sometimes gets forgotten. If the owner does not want their name to appear on the listing, have them sign the Owner Name Omission Form, which is Document #1261 on RMLSweb.

8. The More (Showings), the Merrier!
The listings in RMLSweb must be available for showing when entered in RMLSweb.

9. Select the School Name
“Other” as the school name is only meant to be used temporarily until you can enter the correct school name. By entering the correct school name, potential buyers interested in that area will be able to find your listing!

10. Correctly Enter Tax ID Number
Sometimes, tax numbers aren’t entered exactly as they appear on the tax records. It’s important to make sure it’s entered exactly the same. You can be sure to get the correct number by using the Tax Autofill function when you start your listing. Also, remember not to use any extra wording in the address field and lot number should be added to the Unit/Lot Field.

Questions? Contact the RMLS™ Rules department at rules@rmls.com

Mobile App for On-The-Go Realtor® Safety

Mobile App for On-The-Go Realtor® Safety

Available for purchase at the iTunes Store

Although June is not Realtor® Safety Month (September is!), it’s important to keep up-to-date with any safety resources that become newly available, whether it’s “Safety Month” or not. Often times, real estate professionals are left alone when showing an open house or when meeting a potential client. These occasions can be potentially dangerous. We’ve just stumbled across a mobile application that may help real estate professionals in the event of an emergency. We thought we’d share it with you!

Real Alert – The Safety App for Realtors®

Developed by Michelle Jones, an Austin Realtor®, Real Alert is a mobile application compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices. It is available in the iTunes Store for $1.99. This application has several key functions enabling users to get help quickly:

  • Quick Tap Alarm Button
  • Quick Tap Call 911 Button
  • Locate Nearest Hospital Button
  • Quick Tap Alert A Friend
  • Built-In Flashlight

For more information or to purchase the mobile app, click here.

Other Resources:

National Association of Realtors® Field Guide to Safety. Visit NAR’s website for safety guides, handouts and tips. Click here.

Selling Safely Brochure. Home sellers need to learn safety practices, too. We have recently revamped the RMLS Selling Safely Brochure and it’s now available to download. This brochure is great for agents to give to their clients! It provides tips for clients on selling their home safely and has a place for the agent to provide their contact information! Click here to download the brochure.

Remember that old saying, it’s better to be safe than sorry!