The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee has requested that periodic reports are given to subscribers about the number and types of formal rules violations, along with information about informal violations and courtesy notifications by type. Read “If a RMLS™ Rule is Broken, What Happens?” for a deeper explanation.
Have you ever spotted something wrong in a property listing on RMLSweb? The Data Accuracy team is responsible for sorting things out whenever a RMLS™ subscriber contacts us—whether that is via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, by email, or contacting us directly by phone. In September 2019 our team handled 232 phone calls.
We track 32 specific issues in Listing Data Checker (LDC), the software that helps us spot and correct issues proactively. Six of these are courtesy notifications, but the other 24 are informal violations of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. In addition to our focus on education we also process formal violations throughout the year.
HOT TOPICS
Did you know our system sends out courtesy notices? The two main courtesy notices are sent to help remind sellers’ agents about their listings that are set to expire within ten days or their listings that have remained in pending (PEN) status for over 90 days. If you receive a courtesy notice about one of your listings, take a look and see if that listing needs to be updated in RMLSweb. If the information provided is correct, then no action is needed. If you have any questions regarding a courtesy notice simply reply to the email and Data Accuracy will be happy to help answer your questions.
The committee reviewed two formal violations at the September meeting. The violations were both for misuse of a lockbox and a total of $1,600.00 in fines were levied.
5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox:An agent entered a listing that was in PEN status.
5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox: Buyer’s agent provided a lockbox code to their buyer.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In September 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 21,445 listings in addition to the 469 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,336 violation notices and 2,433 courtesy notices were sent out.
Category
September
Missing Tax ID
464
Personal Promotion
129
Missing School
93
Incorrect or Missing Information
82
Year Built
80
Duplicate Listing
51
Missing Owner Name
28
No Showings
25
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS Area
19
Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo
18
Is Property a Condo
12
Conditions to Compensation
11
Missing Condo Unit Number
11
Inaccurate Lot Size
8
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories
8
Partial Bathrooms Greater than Five
6
City Unknown
5
Duplicate Listing Different Listing Agent
1
Is Listing a Short Sale?
1
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in September 2019:
Category
September
Listing Still Pending
401
Multiple Owner Names in First Field
359
Listing is Set to Expire
272
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours
80
When we notice an uptick in a specific type of violation (perhaps a rule recently changed or market conditions lead to an increase in a certain type of issue) we may also put a notification up on RMLSweb, educating subscribers before one of their listings gets flagged and we need to contact them.
RMLS™ Data Accuracy can be reached via email or by phone at (503) 236-7657 if you ever have questions about the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations, if you wonder whether a specific listing has inaccurate data, or if you want to chat with us more about the above information.
Need to register for a training class at your local RMLS™ office?
RMLS™ recently replaced its training and event registration administration, integrating TimeTap on RMLSweb! This scheduling software is more intuitive to users, saving RMLS™ subscribers time when they wish to reserve a spot in a RMLS™ training class or at an external RMLS™ event.
Check TimeTap out on RMLSweb under the Toolkit menu. Select “Training Registration,” and TimeTap will guide you through the steps needed to find and register for a class.
Once a location is selected, all the training opportunities for that location will appear in a list, along with a brief description of each. Select the class, then a list of available dates will appear, with availability for each. The final step is to submit your personal information and submit via the “Save” button on the top right.
Special events that RMLS™ hosts, such as Broker Education Series (BES) events, will have a separate registration link.
TimeTap has been live on RMLSweb for about a month, and in that time subscribers have reported very few issues with the new system. We hope that this convenient registration process will make things easier and save time for all RMLS™ subscribers who wish to attend training.
For the week of September 23-29, 2019, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened SentriLock lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. This week activity again increased in Washington while decreasing in Oregon.
Remine, available through RMLSweb since March, is getting a new look and some new features! This tool, which gives REALTORS® modern tools and a wealth of data for prospecting, made a series of changes to the site on September 30th.
Aside from a refreshed look, REALTORS® who explore the site will find two notable terminology changes: what used to be “Track” is now “Cart,” and what was called “Discover” is now “Search.”
Remine rolled out a public-facing website which REALTORS® can use for lead generation and to work with active clients to share property listings. Before members of the public may view properties on this site, they must choose an agent to work with as part of the registration process. In some cases these are new leads, and REALTORS® may log in to the site to connect with these future clients. (This client-facing site features a coral version of the Remine branding whereas the REALTOR® side features the color blue…you’ll be able to tell at a glance if you’re looking at the proper site!)
The company also launched their Remine mobile app (available through Google Play or Apple’s App Store), which REALTORS® may use to easily message clients or upload contacts from their device, along with using all the other functions of the full website.
RMLS™ users will have access to the starter version of the Remine site. REALTORS® who upgrade to the Pro version will have access to additional tools such as advanced search options, document management, a higher limit on carted/tracked properties, client credit reports, and more.
RMLS™ is excited to announce a new benefit for RMLS™ subscribers that will be available beginning October 8th! RMLS™ will soon offer immoviewer to all RMLS™ subscribers, which will automatically create unbranded listing videos and unbranded video landing pages directly from listing photos on RMLSweb.
This basic immoviewer service will be provided to all RMLS™ subscribers at no charge and each video will be created automatically, requiring no action on the part of the REALTOR®. A video will be created once the listing has three or more images and the listing has been published.
The free video and landing page, which are compliant with the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations, will include the first 15 photos uploaded to RMLSweb in the order uploaded. REALTORS® may then download the resulting video and use anywhere for marketing.
Immoviewer will create a 3D 360° account for each RMLS™ subscriber as well. These tours, which feature other multimedia elements, can be uploaded by a photographer or produced by a REALTOR® using a standard 360° camera. One free 3D 360° tour will be included with each account and RMLS™ subscribers may purchase additional tours separately for $25 each or via an annual subscription for $69.
Once immoviewer is live on RMLSweb, the company will send a welcome email and begin creating videos for the previous two weeks of published listings. Subscribers who wish to opt out of using immoviewer may click the proper link in that welcome email or send a request via email. The company plans to offer webinars in the future.
RMLS™ is excited to provide this opportunity for subscribers, and hope the service will add convenience to your real estate business. Look out for your welcome email and first video tour links beginning next week!
