Dear Technical Terry,

I know it has been several months since the introduction of the Paragon MLS system and I recall there being a free trial period. Is that still available and why would I want to try Paragon?

Curious in Coos Bay

Hi CC,

It has been a few months since the roll out of the Paragon MLS System of Choice project. We continue to offer your first quarter of Paragon access for no cost — you simply need to send an email to frontdesk@rmls.com letting us know of your interest in trying the Paragon system. You will receive instructions on how to log in to the Paragon system as well as other details.

Now, your second question about why you would want to try Paragon has more answers. It depends on how you conduct your Real Estate business, how comprehensive of a technology toolset your brokerage provides you and what you like to do with MLS listing data.

Take, for example, the Paragon Collaboration Center and Paragon Connect – utilizing these two Paragon modules in conjunction with each other allows you to provide your customers a wonderful experience in viewing listings that match their specifications while allowing your customers to change search criteria on their own, favoriting properties they like and discarding properties they don’t like. All of this activity is done with transparency on your side, so you will know exactly what your clients are doing with the listings that you are providing them. And by utilizing Paragon Connect on your smart phone or tablet you will be able to see exactly what they are doing while you’re out in the field. Very powerful! Check out this short video about how the two modules work together.

If you are an appraiser, or simply like to export listing data to create your own data analysis using Excel, Paragon offers a simple, yet very effective way to create custom exports for your use. Also, if you are required as an appraiser to create the 1004MC market conditions report, Paragon has you covered there as well.

I’d be remiss in not mentioning the really powerful integration of the CRS Data’s MLS Tax Data suite that is included inside the Paragon system. The CRS system takes tax data reporting and searching capability to a new level!

So, as you can see, just detailing a couple of the Paragon system benefits will hopefully give you the encouragement to try the product. The RMLS Training Dept. and Help Desk Dept. are both available to support and train your Paragon experience for you, and the Paragon Help Center is as well-developed a support portal as I have seen in my 30 years in the industry.

Give it a try – we are here to support you!!

TT

Dear TT,

Some of my REALTOR® friends and I were chatting recently about RMLS™ and how many cool tools we now have available for us. We tried to think about all the new “stuff” that has been provided to us just this year and while I’m sure we remembered a lot of the things could you give me a quick recap on the highlights for 2020? And also, THANK YOU to all the RMLS™ staff for keeping RMLS™ products and services up and running without skipping a beat during COVID. Much appreciated!!

Ecstatic in Estacada

Hi EE,

First of all, thank YOU for the kind words. The RMLS™ staff really does pride itself in not only providing/integrating those cool tools you reference above, but also recognizing that our core responsibility is to make sure RMLSweb is up and available for you 24/7.

Now, for a list of the deployment highlights from 2020.

Q1:

• Added Immoviewer to the list of approved 3^rd party products. Immoviewer automatically sends you a link to a simple video tour upon saving your new listing in the RMLSweb database.
• Added the ability to customize the subject line in manually sent client reports from RMLSweb
• Added a red button indicator Back Office on the Menu bar to alert you of your expiring listings
• Added the SentriLock Access Report to the Statistics menu in RMLSweb
• Implemented various COVID-19 accommodations to RMLSweb

Q2:

• Released Phase 1 of the new RMLSweb reports including Client Full and Medium report styles
• Added INRIX Drive Time mapping toolset as well as a new “freehand” drawing tool to Map Search
• Continued with Phase 1 of the RMLSweb reports project by releasing new Open House and Broker Tour reports

Q3:

• Added Paragon as the first “System of Choice” in the MLS industry
• Added RatePlug to the approved 3^rd party products
• Added Price Change Amount filter in Prospecting to confine searches to a price change threshold

Q4:

• Added button to Advanced Search to allow the creation of a Prospect Profile directly from the search
• Added a new Agent Limited One Page report option

Keep in mind that I pulled these improvements/enhancements from a 20-page single line report of all the various items accomplished in 2020 – really quite impressive given the challenges of a global pandemic!

TT

This week we continue examining the 2020 Subscriber Satisfaction Survey results and look at areas where we can aim to make improvements in 2021.  Previously we looked at the COVID-19 effect as well as service areas where we received new high scores.

High quality service is always a goal for RMLS™. In order to improve we have to look at areas where satisfaction isn’t meeting our goal. Judging by the survey feedback, the primary area of subscriber concern is our communication with our subscribers. Whether it’s suggesting that we add new functionality, (ex: providing links to county records), requesting changes to existing features (ex: adding new report types to the Combined Reports option), or simply wishing to know how priorities are determined, it’s clear that some subscribers are feeling unheard or in the dark about the decision making process at RMLS™.

RMLS™ recognizes that any technical or procedural change that we implement can have an immediate and important impact on your day-to-day business. We take that responsibility seriously and look to apply our resources to best serve your collective needs. In this case there’s an opportunity to improve our responsiveness and transparency.

In examining the survey results, we’ve identified three main types of communications that can be improved:

1. Feedback to subscriber requests for new features or changes to existing functionalities
2. Quality preparation for upcoming deployments and releases
3. Transparency of the decision making process

Decisions are guided by subscriber feedback. Each year, our team compiles subscriber input, identifying any trends and commonalities. That list is presented to the RMLS™ Board of Directors which determines development priorities for the year. Though new priorities can occasionally be added throughout the year, we typically follow this development process. Any updates not worked on during the year are again voted on and then reprioritized the following year.

We’re in the process of drafting our business plans for 2021, which will include how best to address these communication issues. We will be looking for ways to improve how we notify subscribers of upcoming changes and additions, as we better anticipate and prepare for potential questions and confusions. We’ll continue to refine our feedback responses and focus groups, add new notification options for you to stay abreast of developments, and increase the transparency of the decision making process.

Our ability to continue to improve and evolve is in no small part thanks to our subscribers who take the time to participate with our surveys and information gathering. Technical suggestions and requests can always be submitted to our Product Manager, Beth Raimer, at beth.r@rmls.com. Communications feedback is always welcome and can be sent to communications@rmls.com. We look forward to showing you the next steps in our service evolution in 2021.

At RMLS™, we strive to consistently deliver high quality service and resources to our subscribers. Our annual satisfaction survey allows us to measure how successfully we’ve been in delivering high quality service while also providing a feedback loop to collect specific suggestions and concerns that subscribers have. This feedback helps to shape and direct the actions we plan for the future, creating a progressive system that allows us to continually improve both the technology and customer service that we offer you.

With that in mind, we’d like to highlight where we’ve made gains in the past year, including some new service high scores. According to the roughly 3,000 subscribers who participated in the 2020 Satisfaction Survey our Data Accuracy department achieved a new high score coming in at 7.9 (on a scale of 10). Data Accuracy helps to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of the listing content submitted to the MLS. Satisfaction with our Billing Services also achieved a new high, receiving an 8.5 score.

Other categories were able to equal previous high benchmark scores. Subscriber satisfaction with regional offices came in at 8.7, matching the high scores achieved in 2016 and 2017. Training scores remained high, with an 8.6 tally matching the previous year’s high. Many of the remaining categories came within .2 points of matching previous high scores, including satisfaction with how RMLS™ handles questions and suggestions, happiness with the Help Desk, and satisfaction with overall RMLS™ services.

Given the unique and significant challenges that severely impacted not just our industry, but also all of our lives, including the pandemic and wildfires, we’re gratified to have been able to maintain good scores (and your good graces) in these categories. We’ll use the lessons learned from 2020 to continue to expand and improve our service offerings, always aiming to make your jobs and lives easier. In addition to participating with our surveys, you can always submit your feedback to Beth Raimer, our Product Manager, at beth.r@rmls.com.

As we examine the results of this year’s Subscriber Satisfaction Survey, it becomes clear that COVID-19 has had a tangible, if not surprising, effect not just on home viewing, buying, and selling, but also on how our industry learns and interacts. 

In 2019, most RMLS™ training took place at either one of our facilities (40.1%) or one of your offices (30.5%). The number of classes offered were limited this year due to the pandemic, and those figures fell to 13.8% and 18.1% respectively. With in-person options less available due to safety concerns, our subscriber community successfully adapted by adopting online alternatives.

The use of online webinars jumped an impressive 16.4%, with nearly one-third of subscribers who sought training opting for this format. The use of online tutorials also rose 8%. The data from the survey doesn’t show similar increases for all methods of distanced communications – email use stayed at 14%, while the use of the phone to speak to our Help Desk and Training Staff actually decreased by 3%, suggesting that our subscribers recognized a need to utilize online tools across their business practices. 

With additional communication formats increasingly available online, such as our live chat option within RMLSweb and Paragon or our ‘Real Talk’ podcast, it will be interesting to see if these trends are a temporary reaction to the current pandemic, or the beginning of a broader shift to online channels for our community training and communications. If you have any questions, or wish to learn more about any form of training or help available to you, please give us a call at 877-256-2169 or email helpdesk@rmls.com.

RatePlug puts accurate monthly home payment estimates from your trusted lenders directly within the property reports you send your clients through your RMLS^TM system. Their Virtual Flyer Program makes it simple to share your listings with buyers in seconds via email or text. Get your buyers thinking about affordability and asking questions about their financing earlier, while avoiding closing snafus later!

Click Here – to view a 1-minute overview of how RatePlug helps you, your buyers, and your lenders.

• No cost for RMLS^TM members to enroll.*
• Displays ONLY your trusted lending sources.
• Interactive, real-time mortgage information.
• Link directly to your lender’s Pre-approval process.
• Notifies you of special financing options (FHA, VA, USDA, etc.).
• Virtual Flyer can be emailed, texted or posted on social media.

Click here to learn more or to opt-in to this tool that is free as part of your core RMLS^TM subscription!

*lenders pay a license fee to be displayed

Perhaps you’ve been using RMLSweb for years, having grown comfortable with your routine access to the RMLS™ database. Alternatively, perhaps there is functionality you’ve been hoping to integrate into your practice, and you’re open to new options. Maybe you’ve even given Paragon, the newest System of Choice for RMLS™ subscribers, a test drive but haven’t fully figured out how to leverage what this system can do for your business.

No matter which category you fall into, there are compelling reasons to fully explore how Paragon could be useful to you and your clients. First and foremost is the ability to create a customizable platform that best suits your preferred ways of working. You can then offer similar flexibility to your clients as both buyers and sellers. Once you’ve established preferences, you can utilize a robust set of communication options and analytical reports to create a smooth buying or selling experience.

RMLS™ collaborated with leading real estate software provider Black Knight to provide subscribers with the Paragon option so that anyone that wanted to leverage a different toolkit could now do so.

Communication Is the Difference Maker

When considering Paragon use, the most basic question to ask is “What does Paragon offer me?” While Paragon MLS offers the ability to search for listings using a visual map, create CMA reports, and view public property records via CRS Data, some of the key offerings are in how Paragon handles communication between you and your clients.

When you log on to Paragon, you’ll see the Collaboration Center on your dashboard, which allows you to monitor client behavior in real time, including seeing when they’ve viewed properties, which ones they’re interested in, and which ones they’ve rejected. When clients access the Collaboration Center, they’re engaged and in control of a user-friendly system that facilitates real time searching – there’s no need to use a public portal. Clients benefit from the simplicity and focus of this ‘one stop shop’ to search, save, and track their property interest.

Both sides are able to manage their home buying or selling research efficiently and effectively. You and your clients are able to utilize a wealth of tools directly from within the Collaboration Center. For example, you’ll be able to compare properties, view recent sales, and use Automated Valuation Models (AVM) to calculate property values.

You can seamlessly switch between desktop and mobile when using Collaboration Center.

Leverage the Analytics

The accumulation and subsequent use of data are crucial components of most modern businesses. Paragon offers cutting-edge, integrated analytic capabilities for the real estate industry. With the ability to track factors such as Propensity to List, Loan to Value, or Estimated Equity, you can deliver a highly targeted, nuanced property analysis to a client. You’re then able to generate reports, such as Market Condition reports, as customizable spreadsheets.

Paragon takes advantage of integrated CRS Data in a variety of ways. You’ll be able to do the following using Paragon:

• View all public property records
• Perform easy tax record searches through the MLS Tax Suite
• Generate 1004MC reports for appraisers
• Review sales and mortgage histories
• Download area demographics, comparison reports, and property analyses
• Access interactive GIS and plat maps

The level of detail and customization you can provide clients goes a long way towards delivering the listing options they want to see, speeding up the search process, and ultimately ensuring their overall satisfaction.

Build Your Client-Friendly Brand and Practice

The use of Paragon-specific functionality may help improve the content and communication of your business, but it also can help you sharpen your brand and marketing. The ability to differentiate yourself and your services is critical. Clients enter into the process with their own priorities and preferences – they want to know that you are able to accommodate their search parameters and communication platforms. You may very well provide terrific service that answers their buying or selling needs, but if they aren’t initially aware of your service capabilities, you may never get the chance to show them.

That’s why it’s important to promote what you’re capable of providing. Whether it’s highlighting the search and communications options on your website or educating prospective clients on the variety of layers that can incorporated into property searches, your business benefits from communicating your system’s capabilities.

Marketing the power of your MLS system can help draw clients on the front end, and the quality of service and variety of communication options during the process help draw clients on the back end, as happy clients are more prone to give satisfied reviews online and through word-of-mouth references.

Getting Started with Paragon

If you’re interested in seeing if Paragon is the right fit for improving your business, you can try it out risk-free to start. With Paragon service being billed quarterly, the remainder of the first quarter you sign up in will be free to you! After that introductory quarter, you’ll be invoiced 30 days prior to the quarter ending. As of 2021, Paragon will cost $60/quarter, on top of regular RMLS™ service fees. To sign up, first inform RMLS™ of your choice by contacting our Front Desk at frontdesk@rmls.com.

Once you’re up and running, Black Knight’s Paragon system has training videos available to detail the functions and customization available, and webinar classes are offered regularly. RMLS™ trainers also offer training each month to guide you through the options and features available in Paragon – you can sign up for the classes after logging in to RMLSweb or Paragon.

Dear TT,

During the pandemic I’ve really had a chance to take a closer look at some of the wonderful products the RMLS™ Board of Directors has approved for our use. My goodness, there are some good tools available but the one I’m most interested in is Remine. I watched the demonstration when the product first hit the market but was a bit discouraged by how expensive the Pro version was – at almost $200 per month I’d really have to stay busy to rationalize paying for it. I was talking with a fellow REALTOR® last week and they said they’d heard the Remine Pro version was now included in the tools we have to use for no additional cost – is that true? If so – THANK YOU!!

–Farming for leads in Fairview

Hi FF,

It IS true!! The RMLS™ Board of Directors recently agreed to provide the Remine Pro product to you for no cost, meaning the $200 per month some subscribers were paying to get the amazing benefit of Remine Pro is now available to all RMLS™ subscribers. Included in the Pro version is the ability to save up to 10,000 carts of property listings (think of a cart as a collection of specific property addresses) and the elimination of the $3.00 per contact fee. Remine Pro also has every conceivable property filter available to really fine tune your farming activities. Generating mailing labels to farm specific areas based on tangible knowledge about the propensity to sell or buy is a huge deal – no longer do you have to “shotgun market” with your valuable marketing dollars. Now you can send marketing materials to property addresses that might actually be ready to buy or sell!

I’m only touching on a small portion of what Remine Pro can do for you – I would strongly suggest either attending one of the RMLS™-led Remine webinars or checking out the Remine teaching webinars by going to the Support Center when logged in to Remine.

Happy Farming!

–TT

Dear TT,

I swear to you, I’m a very calm person, but if my buyers get one more prospecting email where the listing agent has altered the price by $5 both they and I are gonna scream!! Why do my fellow REALTORS® do this?? It’s sooooooooo frustrating for my buyers! Please tell me there’s a rule about this?

–Hopeful in Happy Valley

Hi HH,

Oh. My. Gosh. I hear you loud and clear! I’m not sure where that form of “marketing” came from but honestly it really IS irritating. Your timing could not be any better however, as just last week our amazing developers released new functionality to the Prospecting module of RMLSweb. This new feature allows you to define the amount of price change the system will use to determine triggering email notification to your clients. When you are looking at your clients Prospecting search, notice in the Frequently Used list of fields a new Price Change option is available. You can define the $ amount of change and the days back. This would allow you to restrict RMLSweb from sending new matches to your client unless the change was more than $1,000 as an example. So now you do have full control over this area of RMLSweb, something both you and your clients will likely enjoy!

–TT