The Rules and Regulations Committee wants to make sure that all of our subscribers understand the RMLS™ Rules, because they are a key ingredient in accurate data and a smooth-running real estate marketplace. Our new blog series Ruleschool will periodically highlight rules, starting with the following two.
3.26 Availability for Showing. With the exception of Commercial Lease and Auction listings, all active listings shall be available for showing immediately upon entry into the RMLS™ system, excluding listings which require all offers to be made contingent on interior inspection. Listings cannot restrict showings until a future date.
There are several complaints sent in each week because the remarks say, “No showings until broker tour…” which is not acceptable based on Rule 3.26.
There are several other reasons that have been given when the listing has “No showings…” in the remarks field, but unless the listing requires all offers to be made contingent on interior inspection, the listing must be moved to WTH status if it cannot be shown.
Section 7: Showing Procedures
a. A Cooperating Broker or Appraiser may use the lockbox system access device to enter a listing whose status is Active, Bumpable, or Short Sale Pending, only in accordance to the instructions on the RMLS™ Listing Data Input Form or in accordance with the express instructions of the Listing Broker or Owner.
b. A Cooperating Broker or Appraiser may use the lockbox system access device to enter a listing whose status is other than Active, Bumpable or Short Sale Pending, only with the express permission of the Listing Broker or Owner.
The formal violations received so far in 2014 were for not following showing instructions or entering a property without permission when the status was not Active, Bumpable, or Short Sale Pending.
There are so many reasons to be careful to follow the showing instructions and the status rules! Even if the house is vacant, there can be big problems. In one case, an alarm system was activated and the home owner had to pay for a visit from the Police Department.
If the house is not vacant there could be teenage children alone, dogs, alarms systems, etc. If you are out viewing properties and you see one for sale that you don’t have on your list, use your smart phone to check the status of the listing and the showing instructions before using your key to enter the property!
Stay tuned! Later this spring, there will be more rules that will be the focus of this blog.
Thanks Val, for keeping us informed. Most of us don’t intentionally break or even bend the rules. We look forward to your updates.
I appreciate your comments. I agree with your statement which is why we decided to highlight some of the rules as a good reminder.
The main problem with showings for me comes when only the listing realtor’s phone number is listed for appointments and no other way to contact seller or tenant and the realtor does not respond either to text, phone, or emails. It seems like that is an extreme disservice to the owner of the property. This has happened to me twice the last week.
I am with Kay… When trying to make a buyer’s tour and 5 out of the 7 homes instruct to call the listing agent to make appt…. 4 of those listing agents don’t answer their phone and 2-3 of them don’t call back in a timely manner or at all. It is hard to make the rest of the appts. until you hear from each of them. And then when you do hear back they say “Oh, it is fine to show I just like to know who is going in”. That is what the lockbox system is for. It seems that more and more agents are making you call them and even when the house is vacant. I think it should be an RMLS requirement that if you put call agent in the showing instructions that the listing agent needs to call back w/i 1 hour or there are penalties. Rant over.
Thank you for posting this. Hopefully all brokers will read it.
With regard to asking a broker to contact the listing agent even when the property is vacant, it has become a necessity for me since brokers are still not locking the lockbox correctly, lights are left on, doors are not being locked. They are even ignoring “SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY”
Believe some realtors are using call listing agent first because the current lock box system is not timely in notifying listing agent when realtor’s access lock box. More problems on vacant house, we are somewhat responsible for the house. Had a vacant house where either the realtor or realtors buyer left the water on in the tub. When I went to check on the house, day after the showing just to make sure it was ok. I was notified by the system, the day after realtor showed the house. The tub was full, just so happened the overflow system work. It was on upstairs bath.
The showing information time line was some what a problem with the previous lock box system when using smart phones.
With out timely notification, when there is problem. You are not sure who was the last one in.
Hi Mel,
Thank you for the comment. We are working hard in the training department here at RMLS to instruct all subscribers to either use the smartphone SentriSmart app to access boxes, or keep their SentriCard in the RAD at all times. Both of these options will send immediate showing notifications.
Thanks,
John
Agree w Kay and Laurie. Listing agents are sometimes very hard to contact, which should be some form of violation against the sellers. I came here from (where else?) Calif and in most offices ALL agents in the office had to know all abut ALL listings and be able to help w questions, entry, etc. Coming here 22 years ago, it was immediately apparent that everyone kept bankers hours and/or no one in an office could help with anything except the actual listing agent who was never available. Poor way to do business. That was 22 years ago but its still mostly the same way—especially now that we are all IC brokers and many pay desk fees for rent-an-office setups.
Last week I started skipping the listings that say call listing agent. It seems they are just micro managing Realtors who aren’t doing any business. If they were doing business they wouldn’t have time to take those calls. Secondly, they clearly aren’t doing any business or they would respect your time enough to return calls in a timely manner. I agree with the fine if they don’t call back within the hour. If the notification was really the issue they could put “please text Realtor with time arranged with seller” you could do it as soon as you made the appt. Does telling the Realtor verbally to lock the lockbox help? How about calling their principal broker, that is a huge liability to our industry that shouldn’t ever happen.