This Week’s Lockbox Activity
For the week of July 22-28, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Activity in Oregon and Washington decreased this week.
For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.
John Ayers, RMLS™ Vice President of Subscriber Services, provides subscribers additional details about the SentriLock lockbox system RMLS™ will be converting to this fall. Watch the video to learn about securing replacement batteries for your new lockbox, various ways to access the lockbox at a showing, and important conversion preparation information. (Note: no equipment is being exchanged at this time!)
A few highlights:
• Subscribers should have recently received an email containing a list of the Supra lockbox numbers registered in their name. Make sure this information is correct! At SentriLock events this fall, we will be unable to exchange lockboxes that are not registered to you. If you find you have some lockboxes that are not registered in your name, submit a Lockbox Transfer Form to RMLS™ in advance of your exchange event.
• SentriLock will provide replacement lockbox batteries to RMLS™ free of charge, and recommends that subscribers use these commercial-grade batteries rather than similar ones found in retail establishments. If you are unable to make it in to an RMLS™ office, we will be able to mail batteries to subscribers as well.
• Smartphone access will be available in time for our conversion. Details about this exciting development will be shared when they become available.
Need help determining which lockboxes are registered to you? Contact the RMLS™ Help Desk by phone at (503) 872-8002, (877) 256-2169, or by email at helpdesk@rmls.com.
This Week’s Lockbox Activity
For the week of July 15-21, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Activity in Oregon and Washington decreased this week.
For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.
Ever wanted to search for listings in multiple locations at the same time? Starting August 1st, users will be able to do that and more when RMLS™ rolls out an improved map search on RMLSweb!
New features of map search will invite users to create multiple shapes on a map, find a location by ZIP or address, view listing locations easily on a map, and more. This new map search tool will also utilize Bing Maps, completing our transition to Bing.
Here is a rundown of the changes:
Basic Map Search
When using map search on RMLSweb, users will now be able to draw multiple shapes on the same search map (at right). Each shape can be adjusted and deleted independently. Searches using two or more shapes will find listings in all of the map shapes. (Search results will still be limited to a maximum of 500 results.)
To adjust the side(s) of a shape, click and drag the edge. To delete a shape, click the X icon on the shape itself, or click the X button at the top of the map search to clear all shapes. A small box in the map search screen will help remind you how many shapes appear on your map.
Clicking “Count” at the top of the page will not only return the number of listings that meet the outlined criteria, but those listings will now be visible on the map in the form of location dots. Blue dots represent listings with the selected criteria that fall inside the selected map range(s), and gray dots represent listings with the selected criteria outside those range(s).
Clicking “Count” at the top of the page will now also save your search criteria.
Furthermore, the text box at the top of the map search screen can now be used to center a map on either a ZIP or full address! Street numbers entered alone will be treated as a ZIP code, so don’t forget to include city and state information. And don’t forget to add a comma before the city name (for example: 8338 NE Alderwood Rd, Portland OR 97220)
In addition to a standalone Map Search, this tool will also be embedded in Hotsheet, Open House, Broker Tour, and Actual Expireds. Advanced MLS will have a few additional features…
Advanced and Prospect Searches
Advanced Search and Prospecting searches will feature a new page layout due to the new map search. Area/Map Range will be moved further right on the interface, presenting the map when “Map Range” is selected.
Clicking on other criteria in these searches (price, year built, etc.) will present a pop-up box over the map (at right). Select criteria or click “Cancel” to access the main screen again.
If you’ve clicked “Count” and an error occurs (“ERR“), the space below the box further explain the error. A polygon that intersects itself may create search errors, for example.
Prospect searches already saved in RMLSweb should work as is with no adjustment needed for this updated search screen.
As always, users experiencing difficulty with the new map search or who have questions should contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 or helpdesk@rmls.com.
RMLS™ is excited about the capabilities of this improved map search feature, and know our subscribers will benefit from these improvements!
This Week’s Lockbox Activity
For the week of July 8-14, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Activity in Oregon and Washington rose considerably 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 second quarter of 2013.
Below are links to additional charts for some of our larger areas.
• Portland Metro Distressed Properties (2nd Quarter 2013)
• Clark County, WA Distressed Properties (2nd Quarter 2013)
• Lane County, OR Distressed Properties (2nd Quarter 2013)
• Douglas County, OR Distressed Properties (2nd Quarter 2013)
• Coos County, OR Distressed Properties (2nd Quarter 2013)
Here are some additional facts about distressed residential properties in the second quarter of 2013:
All areas when comparing percentage share of the market, second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013:
• When comparing the second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by 6.3% (9.0% v. 15.3%).
• In a comparison of the second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 9.2% (15.3% v. 24.5%).
• Short sales comprised 5.7% of new listings and 8.5% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 3.5% and down 2.9% from the first quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 3.3% of new listings and 6.8% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 2.8% and 6.3% from the first quarter of 2013, respectively.
Portland Metro when comparing percentage share of the market, second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013:
• When comparing the second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by 5.8% (8.1% v. 13.9%).
• In a comparison of second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 8.8% (13.4% v. 22.2%).
• Short sales comprised 5.8% of new listings and 8.4% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 2.9% and 2.8% from the first quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 2.3% of new listings and 5.0% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 2.9% and 6.0% from the first quarter of 2013, respectively.
Clark County when comparing percentage share of the market, second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013:
• When comparing the second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of new listings decreased by 7.1% (16.6% v. 23.7%).
• In a comparison of second quarter 2013 to first quarter 2013, distressed sales as a percentage of closed sales decreased by 6.3% (24.3% v. 30.6%).
• Short sales comprised 9.7% of new listings and 13.6% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 5.0% for new listings and 5.1% for sales when compared to the first quarter of 2013, respectively.
• Bank owned/REO properties comprised 6.9% of new listings and 10.7% of sales in the second quarter of 2013, down 2.1% and 1.2% from the first 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.
The Oregon Association of REALTORS® (OAR) will be holding an annual convention this year, for the first time since 2007.
Stampede to Success will be taking place in Sunriver, OR, September 25-28th. The convention promises a variety of networking opportunities, educational events, and fun. Featured speakers include Dr. Lawrence Yun of the National Association of REALTORS®; Karel Murray, a real estate expert and humorist; and Jeff Beals, an author and motivational speaker.
RMLS™ will be in attendance at the convention, including having a booth at the trade show.
Instead of producing our usual RMLS™ Fall Trade Fair event, we’ll be joining forces with OAR and other Oregon MLS organizations at the trade show, which will have over 40 vendors. SentriLock will be in attendance as well—if you still haven’t had the chance to view the new SentriLock lockbox system, the trade show will be your last chance before our exchange events begin!
See you in September!
RMLS™ staff is constantly working on ways to improve RMLSweb, either by improving existing features or adding new ones. In July, subscribers will see the following improvements to our system…
Bing Maps Coming to CMAs
As of this evening, the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) tool on RMLSweb will allow setting the map point for the subject property using Bing Maps! This is one of the final pieces in our conversion to Bing, meaning a CMA subject property map will now sport the enhanced map performance and graphic look found elsewhere on RMLSweb.
Office Email Designation
Principal brokers will now have the ability to set an officewide email address to appear on all listings that originate from their brokerage.
In order to set up your office’s email address, navigate to Toolkit in the RMLSweb navigation bar and click on “User Preferences.” Select the “Company Email/Logo” tab, and fill in the email field at the top. (Don’t forget to save!)
Office email information will appear in both the office roster and in the Agent Full and Data Only reports on RMLSweb.
Coming Soon: New Map Search and More!
We’ll be rolling out a new map search interface on RMLSweb. Watch the RMLScentral blog for more information in the coming weeks!
And don’t forget, as the year continues we’ll be working on our biggest project of the year, full browser and tablet compatibility!
Subscribers seeking assistance with these changes or any other RMLSweb features may contact the RMLS™ Help Desk for assistance by calling (503) 872-8002, emailing helpdesk@rmls.com, or by clicking the chat button on the right sidebar of RMLSweb.
All of us at RMLS™ hope subscribers will appreciate these improvements to RMLSweb!
This Week’s Lockbox Activity
For the week of July 1-7, 2013, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened Supra lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Activity in Oregon and Washington declined sharply this week.
For a larger version of each chart, visit the RMLS™ photostream on Flickr.
Planning to exit the real estate industry? Need to unload extra lockbox inventory?
Hurry in to RMLS™!
RMLS™ will be ending its standard buyback of used Supra lockboxes on August 1, 2013, as part of our upcoming transition to SentriLock. RMLS™ currently buys back Supra lockboxes at a rate of $40 per lockbox, with a check issued to the subscriber one or two weeks later.
All Supra lockboxes (new or used) sold by RMLS™ after September 1st will be priced the same as a new SentriLock lockbox—$89.
RMLS™ will switch to SentriLock this fall. Events will be held around the RMLS™ region in October and November, allowing subscribers a one-for-one exchange on Supra lockboxes registered in their name. We are currently in the process of finalizing the venues for these exchange events, and subscribers should expect email invitations in early September to register.
Subscribers should also watch for an email from RMLS™ with information about which Supra lockboxes are currently registered to you. Pay attention to this information: at these exchange events, only lockboxes registered to you will be allowed for a one-for-one exchange! (Download a Lockbox Transfer Form here.)
Our trainers and staff have been giving SentriLock demonstrations at offices around the region. If you haven’t been able to see it in person, view this SentriLock demonstration video online!
