RMLS™ is excited to announce that we have selected Black Knight MLS Solution’s Paragon MLS as an alternative choice to RMLSweb. When released subscribers will be able to elect to use the Paragon MLS as their “Front End of Choice”, for an additional fee.
Paragon MLS includes the ability to search for listings via map, create CMA reports, view public property records provided by CRS Data, collaborate with buyer and seller clients through the mobile based Paragon Collaboration Center, and much more! Appraisers will appreciate the ability to build custom exports of MLS data and the Market Conditions reports.
RMLS™ is working closely with the team at Paragon to set up this new system. Want to know more? Attend the 2020 RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair and sign up for one of the two Paragon classes on March 19 (10:30-11:30 am or 1:30-2:30 pm). Here Bob Morse from Paragon and Nikki Morgan with CRS Data will introduce Paragon MLS and CRS Data public tax record system. We hope to have the system available for purchase in April.
What is Front End of Choice?
The concept of Front end of choice is all about choice. RMLS™ has chosen to build it’s own system, RMLSweb, for the last 20 years. This has allowed us to shape our own destiny and keep a tight hold on the reigns keeping costs low while at the same time responding to the needs of our subscribers. But that does not mean that it meets all of the needs of all RMLS™ subscribers. RMLSweb is still going to be available and will still be aggressively developed but Front end of choice allows a greater amount of flexibility by providing several different ways of interacting with the RMLS™ database.
Brokers want different tools
Trying to use one product to make everyone happy is a fool’s errand. No one will ever make everyone happy. When we hold a user forum with 20 people it is not uncommon to find 20 totally different opinions on what we should work on next or how we should design it.
Brokers need to differentiate themselves
Brokers want to leverage those tools they purchase to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Once the MLS provides a CMA, for instance, then everyone’s CMA looks the same. Front End of Choice allows more choice and more opportunities for someone to stand out and showcase what they do differently.
Standards have advanced
Multiple Listing Services were not in a position to offer Front End of Choice solutions for a very long time because it took so much effort for each provider to setup their software so that it met the unique fields and options in each area.
As the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) has evolved we are now at the point where providing a solution in one state is as easy as the next. We are much closer to plug and play than we used to be so the barrier to entry is significantly lower. This allows data to flow between software packages as well. Your CMA can talk to your CRM or your transaction management platform can talk to your marketing tools.
We think that Paragon (one of the most popular MLS systems available) addresses some of the needs of our subscribers that RMLSweb does not. As we move forward, we hope to bring more and more products to you to help satisfy everyone’s unique needs and perspectives.
Each year on the RMLS™ Subscriber Satisfaction Survey, we ask how our members receive news from RMLS™. This year, 54.2% of respondents said they get news through the RMLS™ Weekly Report. We’d love to see a higher number here, because the RMLS™ Weekly Report is one of our few ways to keep subscribers regularly updated about RMLS™ news, new features we’ll be releasing, and events we may be holding in your area.
Have you been missing the RMLS™ Weekly Report? Here are a few reasons we may be missing your mailbox.
Issue #1: Incorrect/Missing Contact Email on RMLSweb
We update the send list for the RMLS™ Weekly Report every few weeks directly from RMLSweb. Check your user preferences (Document #1756 can help) to make sure the address in the “RMLSweb Contact Email” field is current.
Issue #2: You’ve Opted Out of Constant Contact Emails
RMLS™ uses Constant Contact to send the RMLS™ Weekly Report each week. We also use the service to send Market Action to subscribers each month as well as periodically sending other important messages.
Perhaps there is another business who also uses Constant Contact, and you clicked the “SafeUnsubscribe” link at the bottom of their email. That actually unsubscribes you from ALL Constant Contact mailings, including those from RMLS™.
Issue #3: The Dreaded Spam Filter
RMLS™ employees have the ability to see certain types of interaction with each email we send through Constant Contact. Periodically a subscriber will contact us saying they’re not receiving the RMLS™ Weekly Report, and we can see the email was indeed sent to them and did not bounce back. This is the toughest issue to solve because it requires that the subscriber do some detective work on their end, as it’s likely that the messages are being caught in some sort of spam filter along the way.
If we see that we have sent emails to you with no bounces, we will first ask you to check out any spam filters you may have on your email program, on your email server, or anywhere else on your side of the process. It’s tough to tell you where to look because everyone’s email is set up differently. For example, Mary may use a web-based email service like Gmail or Hotmail, while Elizabeth may have a custom domain (betsy@betsysellshouses.com) that auto-forwards to her Comcast address. Meanwhile, Fred may work for a company with an IT staff that control their mail servers, and he views everything using Outlook.
Mary, Elizabeth, and Fred will each need to do a different type of detective work.
Mary’s web-based email may have one or more spam folders to look in. Elizabeth may need to search for emails through her domain host (whoever she pays for betsysellshouses.com) and through Comcast, her internet service provider (ISP). Fred will have to look in his Outlook spam folder(s) but he’ll also have the help of his coworkers in IT to help.
Often that will solve the problem, but if it doesn’t, the next step is determining whether Constant Contact has been blacklisted at a subscriber’s email provider.
Issue #4: Blacklisting
If RMLS™ staff determines emails to a subscriber are being sent successfully but the subscriber can’t find them in various spam filters, it may be because Constant Contact servers have been blacklisted by your ISP. If Server A has been blacklisted by Server B, it means that no email from Server A will be accepted by Server B and it will never get to the subscriber.
RMLS™ will be making a move this fall when the corporate office in Portland relocates to Southwest Portland!
As of early November RMLS™ will be located at 16101 SW 72nd Avenue, convenient to I-5, 217, and Bridgeport Village. This new building will offer a larger training room and better car parking.
RMLS™ began scouting a new location based on a heat map of Portland-area subscriber addresses, seeking a space that would be maximally convenient for as many RMLS™ subscribers as possible. The RMLS™ Board was instrumental in guiding this process, from supporting the concept through making final approvals.
Portland-area RMLS™ subscribers have been traveling to the current location, near the Portland airport, since 2012. Before that, the office was located in the Lloyd District on the inner east side.
RMLS™ plans to hold an open house in mid-December to welcome subscribers to the new space. We hope to see you there!
There’s a lot to like about Homesnap, an app coming to RMLS™ subscribers on May 7th. RMLS™ subscribers will get free pro-level access to Homesnap, which includes features like a broker-client portal to facilitate communications about listings, unique client-facing materials, and convenient tools giving brokers access to a gold mine of aggregated data.
HOMESNAP FEATURES
Homesnap’s broker-client portal will facilitate communications about listings. Brokers and clients will be able to connect, access real-time data about RMLSweb listings, send specific listings to each other, and converse about all of it.
Brokers will be able to use Homesnap to generate specialized, branded market reports for clients, post branded ads on social websites, and even create Homesnap stories for your Homesnap listings.
If that’s not enough, Homesnap users will also have access to handy tools that utilize the wealth of Homesnap’s aggregated data to make their job easier. Homesnap can guide users in walking a property line, using augmented reality technology. The app may even be used to research information about off-market listings if needed.
RMLS.COM BECOMES HOMESNAP
Homesnap will replace RMLS.com, the website that currently provides public access to RMLSweb listings. Once Homesnap is launched, the RMLS.com URL will redirect automatically to Homesnap. Leads generated through Homesnap public access will be passed to RMLS™ subscribers at no cost.
MORE COMING SOON
Look for more information about Homesnap from RMLS™ closer to the launch date on May 7th. In the meantime, Homesnap is offering training in May to give brokers a head start on using this exciting new platform. Register for one of the following training options:
RMLS™ is excited to offer Homesnap access at a pro level to all subscribers, and we think you’ll be as excited about its capabilities as we are. As we approach the launch date, keep your eye out for more details from RMLS™.
RMLS™ is pleased to debut RMLS™ Mobile, the app for RMLS™ subscribers now available for both iPhone and Android phones. This app is the portable solution for agents in the field who want to access up-to-the-minute listing information.
RMLS™ Mobile offers subscribers access to listings, photos, showing information, days on market information—all listing information available on RMLSweb! Using the app, REALTORS® may call or email the seller’s broker immediately and even text listings to clients.
Searching for nearby listings is a snap with RMLS™ Mobile—the app uses location data to target the neighborhood where the device is located. Listings may be shown in either list view (above) or map view (below).
Download RMLS™ Mobile today on the Apple App Store or Google Play! The app will be updated frequently to add new features, fix bugs, and improve performance, so you’ll want to update the app whenever a new version is released.
RMLS™ Mobile is exclusively for RMLS™ subscribers. It was built in response to feedback from subscribers, co-developed with Utah Real Estate as part of MLS Aligned.
The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee has requested that reports about the number of formal violations, the type of violations, and the results get shared periodically with subscribers.Read “If a RMLS™ Rule is Broken, What Happens?” for a deeper explanation.
During the period from May through September of 2018 there was one new violation submitted which resulted in a fine of $250. There was also one violation submitted that resulted in no fine being levied. The cited violations were as follows:
Section 5.1.S. Marketing of Listing Prior to RMLS™ Publication
• Marketing a listing prior to publication in RMLSweb
Section 5.1.G. Sold or Leased
• Sold status change input over 144 hours.
Over the same period staff also responded to 2,217 phone calls and reviewed 202,255 listings for inaccurate data. Combined with the Report Issue button and email sent directly to rules@rmls.com the Data Accuracy Department was able to help subscribers make 7,380 corrections to listings in order to ensure that RMLS™ subscribers have the most accurate data. The top corrections that our team made were for personal promotion, missing owner name, and incorrect first photo.
