What’s Coming to RMLSweb: It’s ShowingTime!

What’s Coming to RMLSweb: It’s ShowingTime!

by | Feb 9, 2018

Showing Time Logo

 

You’ve found a great potential home for your client, and you know it won’t be on the market long. You want to show it to your client as soon as possible, but 5am is hardly the time to be calling the seller’s agent. If only there was a way to schedule a showing online…

ShowingTime is a new service that is set to roll out on RMLSweb this spring along with other RMLSweb improvements we’ve recently written about. Once released, RMLS™ subscribers will be able to schedule a showing from inside RMLSweb, eliminating the phone tag that can slow down the process of securing a property showing.

Sellers’ agents putting a listing into RMLSweb can—but don’t have to—use ShowingTime to facilitate showings. If ShowingTime is used, a listing agent may choose to make an open schedule (ideal for vacant listings or empty parcels of land), require an appointment during a schedule they set, or display showing instructions only.

Brokers who have found a property with ShowingTime enabled may schedule their showing immediately, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A showing schedule is available so the property is never mistakingly double-booked, and an instant confirmation with showing instructions is delivered via text or email to both showing agent and listing agent.

Aside from its basic functions, ShowingTime will offer other amenities for RMLS™ subscribers. ShowingTime creates notifications via email, text, or through its mobile app so both agents have a confirmation of a showing. A feature called ShowingCart can help an agent create a tour of properties and other stops the group may want to make, complete with driving directions. Basic showing feedback is solicited and collected in one place for convenience. Listing activity reports are available for properties using ShowingTime, including the ability to export the showing data. Naturally, ShowingTime has a mobile app for iOS and Android with a mobile site available for Windows or Blackberry devices.

RMLS™ subscribers interested in having even more tools can pay for ShowingTime’s premium service which adds the option of brokerage branding, with special ShowingTime tools to offer sellers who want to have more involvement in the process.

Training will be available to RMLS™ subscribers leading up to the rollout through webinars, video tutorials, and standalone tips. Live technical support will also be available seven days a week via phone, email, or chat.

Get ready to schedule showings easily and conveniently once ShowingTime is available later this spring!

What’s Coming to RMLSweb: It’s ShowingTime!

The Importance of Showing Instructions on RMLSweb

by | Apr 14, 2017

REALTORS® have a lot of details to juggle in their daily lives, and in a hot real estate market, showing instructions probably aren’t on the top of your priority list. Even so, a hot market means it’s of utmost importance to provide detailed showing instructions if you’re listing a property, or abide by the instructions when showing a property to prospective clients.

Are you doing the best by your clients and your colleagues’ clients? RMLS™ has compiled a list of ways to make sure you’re doing the very best you can regarding showing instructions.

 

LISTING AGENTS

• Provide thorough showing information in the listing so other subscribers may easily conduct a showing. We understand it’s tempting to get a listing up quickly, thinking you’ll fix it later, but this may set your colleagues and clients up for some unpleasant interactions.

• Think about the hours your lockbox can be opened. Default lockbox hours on RMLS™ SentriLock lockboxes is 8am-9pm Pacific time. Did you change these default hours when the lockbox was on a prior listing? Would you like to customize your lockbox to only be accessible during a different timeframe? You can change lockbox hours yourself or call the RMLS™ Help Desk for assistance.

• Put yourself in the showing agent’s shoes. Double-check the showing instructions are accurate and that an agent showing the property has what they need to follow the instructions. If a listing instructs agents to call the owner first, the homeowner’s phone number should be included on the listing. Showing information may be included in any of the following fields: Private Remarks, Occupied By, Lockbox/Location/Combo, Showing Hours, Showing Instructions (aka Show), Owner/Phone, or Tenant/Phone.

• Do you need to restrict access to a listing? If so, consider using a Call Before Showing (CBS) code to access a lockbox.

• Make your CALL-LA instructions crystal clear. Use the private remarks to clarify if showing agents should make contact for instructions or just leave a message that they will be showing the property.

 

SHOWING AGENTS

• Check the current listing status to avoid a violation of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. Before showing any property, double-check the listing’s current status. If you enter a property in Pending (PEN) status without the permission of the listing agent or owner, you could face unpleasant repercussions! Entering a property in Pending (PEN) status is against the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations (see Sections 5.1 and 7.1)

• Read—and follow—showing instructions. While you’re in RMLSweb checking the listing’s current status, thoroughly review the showing instructions detailed on the listing. RMLS™ regularly receives reports of embarrassing situations, negative feelings, and potential rules violations when subscribers don’t pay close attention to instructions. Instructions or pieces of information could be found in any or all of the following listing fields: Private Remarks, Occupied By, Lockbox/Location/Combo, Showing Hours, Showing Instructions (aka Show), Owner/Phone, or Tenant/Phone.

• Use RPR Mobile™ and HomeSpotter to access listing information in the field. Listing data can be easily accessed in the field via HomeSpotter or RPR Mobile™. If you’re not already using both these apps, they’ll make showings easier, so get to it—find out more about RPR Mobile™ then read about HomeSpotter and download them today!

• Trust your gut. If you arrive at a scheduled showing and something is off—an aggressive pet is loose in the house, minors are home alone, or a band of squatters is camped on the front lawn—consider rescheduling the showing.

 

EVERYONE

• Know the difference between CALL1ST versus CALL-LA! If a listing says to call first in the showing instructions, call the owner/seller. If there is no answer, leave a message informing them you will be showing their property. If CALL-LA is in the showing instructions, check the remarks for further information and call the listing agent for further instruction before showing the property.

• Don’t enter listed properties in Pending (PEN) status! (Have we mentioned that one yet?) Check the status of the listing as well as the showing instructions just before entering the property, whether or not the property is occupied. It’s a RMLS™ Rules and Regulations violation if you don’t (see Sections 5.1 and 7.1)!

We realize that honest mistakes happen out in the field, but taking more time to be mindful about showing instructions can stop unpleasant situations—with clients or colleagues—before they happen.