Our developers at RMLS™ have been working hard this year on our browser and tablet compatibility project, and on December 12th we’ll introduce one of the more anticipated developments of this project: an improved Listing Load experience! We’ll also be removing the map coordinates requirement for listings in all areas, and making some housekeeping changes to the RMLS™ Terms of Service. Read on for details…

Improved Listing Load

After the switch, Listing Load will be compatible with more browsers and tablets. Subscribers using Listing Load on desktop machines may not notice many changes to the interface, but Listing Load will now work with Google Chrome and Apple Safari, in addition to Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

Interface changes will be more noticeable for subscribers using a tablet to access RMLSweb. The tablet interface has been designed for more tablet-compatible interaction. Tablet users may notice the absence of the “List View” and “Detail View” tabs, as only a list view will be available (above). The interface works best in landscape mode, as there may be some width lost (resulting in clipping of information) in portrait mode. Given the constraints of tablets, this version of Listing Load will be unable to upload documents to a listing, and photos may only be uploaded one at a time.

Chrome is our recommended browser for Android users. Listing Load is experiencing performance issues on iPads using Safari in iOS7. RMLS™ will continue monitoring the issue and hopes the iOS7.1 release will mitigate the issue.

Map Coordinates No Longer Required

RMLSweb will no longer require map coordinates (page, column, and row) when submitting a listing! Earlier this year map coordinates ceased being a requirement in all but Portland metro, Lane County, and Curry County, but coordinates will now be unrequired for all RMLSweb listings. Rand McNally, the company responsible for Thomas Guide publications, no longer produces a Portland or Oregon edition—as brokers may not have easy access to the information anymore, RMLS™ has decided to make this change.

Terms of Service Change

RMLS™ has partnered with many third-party sites in 2013, including RPR, RatePlug, and New Home Source. As part of our regular password change on December 11th, users will need to accept a new Terms of Service, updated to clearly state that the RMLS™ Terms of Service apply only to RMLSweb and other RMLS™ websites and not to our third-party partners, such as those named above. View the redlined RMLS™ Terms of Service for brokers and for office staff (office managers, personal assistants, and input personnel).

Don’t forget, if you have any questions about these improvements to RMLSweb, contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 236-7657 or (877) 256-2169.

It has been a big year at RMLS™! Subscriber feedback drives our improvements to RMLSweb, and these latest improvements are no exception. Thanks, subscribers, for your input this year and into the future.

This Week’s Lockbox Activity

For the week of November 11-17, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened SentriLock lockboxes in Oregon and Washington.

For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.

Please note: due to the RMLS™ transition to SentriLock, historical data is only currently available through the RMLS™ Flickr page, under the tag “Supra lockbox activity.” SentriLock data will continue accumulating until each chart represents a year of data.

The RMLS™ Board of Directors recently voted to change the default lockbox hours on SentriLock lockboxes to 8am to 9pm Pacific. Board members heard feedback from fellow REALTORS® about the original SentriLock default hours of 9am to 8pm being insufficient for some showings.

Subscribers, if you wish to provide the expanded access hours on your lockboxes as soon as possible, you will need to do the following:

• Renew your SentriCard® in a RAD or SentriCard® reader
• Insert your SentriCard® in your lockbox(es)
• The lockbox will make a series of beeps. When finished, remove your SentriCard®!

Want access times that differ from the RMLS™ default of 8am to 9pm? You’ll need to do the following:

• Insert your SentriCard® into your SentriCard® reader at a computer with internet access.
• Log in to SentriCard® Utility using your SentriLock ID and password.
• Click “Customize a Lockbox” on the main menu.
• Select the lockbox you would like to customize, and click “Continue.”
• Under “Lockbox Settings,” use the “Access Times” button to select the access times you would like.
• Don’t forget to save your changes! “Save Changes” is located at the bottom of the “Lockbox Settings” window.
• SentriCard® Utility will update your SentriCard® with these changes. Once the updates are complete, the green status bar will appear.
• Remove the SentriCard® and insert it into the lockbox you wish to update.
• If you would like these new hours to remain on the box after you remove the shackle, make sure to uncheck the “Auto Reset to Defaults After Shackle Release” box at the bottom of the “Custom Lockbox Settings” screen.

We hope subscribers will find the expanded default showing hours useful!

RMLS™ recently produced the Green Features Guide, a collaboration with Social, Environmental, and Economic Consulting LLC (SEEC) of Rainier, Washington. The 40 page document is intended to educate brokers about green and/or energy-efficient features found in homes, where those features can be found on RMLS™ listing forms, tips, information resources, and more.

“The guide looks great, and I think it will be a helpful tool!”
– Teresa St. Martin, Certified EcoBroker

RMLS™ was one of the first multiple listing services to include listing fields for energy efficient homes, including energy certifications and other features. Each year the listing forms committee decides what new features to incorporate on RMLSweb, and green fields increase in number each year.

Interest in green building continues to rise, and brokers should find the guide helpful for quickly finding information to add depth to their listings.  The Green Features Field Guide was adapted to the RMLS™ Residential Data Input Form by SEEC and is now available for brokers to use as a tool in assisting clients listing their homes, or searching for homes with green features.

Download the RMLS™ Green Features Guide today!

Press Release: “Largest REALTOR® MLS in the Pacific Northwest Deepens Its Commitment to Green Fields”

“RMLS™ has been looking for ways to clearly communicate to our subscribers all the ways available in RMLSweb to describe sustainability features, so this cooperation with SEEC was timely and much appreciated!”
– Gail Hare, Executive Vice President of RMLS™

This Week’s Lockbox Activity

For the week of October 14-20, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. The number of showings decreased in Oregon, but increased in Washington this week.

For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.

Please note: due to the RMLS™ transition to SentriLock, we will cease publication of lockbox activity statistics for the next few weeks.

Improvements to the RMLSweb menu bar are set to go live the morning of Thursday, October 31st, as part of this year’s browser compatibility project.  These improvements are specifically targeted to improve usability for more web browsers, tablet computers, smartphones, and other mobile devices, but other users may be delighted at the changes as well…

What’s Rolling Out?

We’ll be making design changes to the menu bar (above)—it will be larger, sport a lighter color, and be responsive to the user’s screen size.

Drop-down menus will be easier to navigate, graying out menu bar headers with no link (left) and clearly nesting sub-menus.

Clicking the RMLS™ logo on the left corner above the menu bar will return the user to the desktop page.

Users needing to change their RMLSweb user preferences will be pleased by a new shortcut. Simply click on the user’s name in the upper right corner, and a shortcut will drop down below. (User preferences are currently accessed under the Toolkit option in the menu bar.)

Finally, chatting with RMLS™ will be easier than ever! The chat button will be moved out of the right sidebar (which many RMLSweb users keep minimized) and placed at the top of the page for easier access. Chat was rolled out in February and has been immensely popular.

These improvements will be rolled out during the monthly maintenance outage, scheduled this month for October 30th from 10pm until October 31st at 2am. RMLS™ will continue rolling out browser compatibility improvements through this year, so watch the blog for more in the coming months!

This Week’s Lockbox Activity

For the week of October 7-13, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Showings decreased in both Oregon and Washington this week.

For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.

This chart shows the number of bank owned/REO properties and short sales in all areas of the RMLS™ system during the third quarter of 2013.

Below are links to additional charts for some of our larger areas.
• Portland Metro Distressed Properties (3rd Quarter 2013)
• Clark County, WA Distressed Properties (3rd Quarter 2013)
• Lane County, OR Distressed Properties (3rd Quarter 2013)
• Douglas County, OR Distressed Properties (3rd Quarter 2013)
• Coos County, OR Distressed Properties (3rd Quarter 2013)

Here are some additional facts about distressed residential properties in the third quarter of 2013:

All areas when comparing percentage share of the market, third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013:
• When comparing the third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by .4% (8.6% v. 9.0%).
• In a comparison of the third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 4.0% (11.3% v. 15.3%).
• Short sales comprised 5.1% of new listings and 6.6% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, down .6% and 1.9% from the second quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 3.5% of new listings and 4.7% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, up .2% and down 2.1% from the second quarter of 2013, respectively.

Portland Metro when comparing percentage share of the market, third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013:
• When comparing the third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by .6% (7.5% v. 8.1%).
• In a comparison of third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 4.0% (9.4% v. 13.4%).
• Short sales comprised 5.3% of new listings and 6.3% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, down .5% and 2.1% from the second quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 2.2% of new listings and 3.1% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, down .1% and 1.9% from the second quarter of 2013, respectively.

Clark County when comparing percentage share of the market, third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013:
• When comparing the third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by 2.7% (13.9% v. 16.6%).
• In a comparison of third quarter 2013 to second quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 4.8% (19.5% v. 24.3%).
• Short sales comprised 7.6% of new listings and 11.1% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, down 2.1% for new listings and 2.5% for sales when compared to the second quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 6.3% of new listings and 8.4% of sales in the third quarter of 2013, down .6% and 2.3% from the second quarter of 2013, respectively.

If you’d like more information or percentages of distressed residential sales in other areas not represented by our charts, please contact us at communications@rmls.com.

This Week’s Lockbox Activity

For the week of September 30-October 6, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Showings decreased in Washington but increased in Oregon this week.

For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.

This Week’s Lockbox Activity

For the week of September 23-29, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Showings decreased in both Oregon and Washington this week.

For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.