Need to know what information is available on the internet regarding a particular property? A traditional web search can return irrelevant or outdated information. Finding, sorting, and understanding data that’s relevant can be difficult for a REALTOR® to do. (Doing so faster than a client is even more difficult!)

Enter ShackShout, now available on RMLSweb.

A ShackShout button is now available at the bottom of each Agent Full listing on RMLSweb. Clicking the link will take you to an aggregated list of information pertaining to the listing.

ShackShout provides instant links to property, neighborhood, and geographic data, including:
• Walk Score
• Great Schools
• Cell Signal Maps
• and more!
Providing this information in one quickly accessible place gives RMLS™ members the tools to stay a step ahead of clients.

ShackShout can assist REALTORS® with listing presentations, branding, reporting, and marketing. Try ShackShout on a listing today, and experience how fast and easy it can be to find information in a single location! We’re certain you’ll find something to shout about.

RMLS™ introduced the Report Issue button to report discrepancies on RMLSweb listings along with other system improvements last January. One year after its release we have received over 4,000 issue reports, and the button has helped us ensure accurate data. The Report Issue emails that we’ve received are filled with the necessary information in order to correct the data in less time, which saves time for everyone.

As you are looking at listings in the Agent Full and Data Only reports and encounter any data inaccuracies, you can notify us by clicking on the Report Issue button at the bottom of each listing in the right hand corner.

When you click on this button a pop-up screen will appear. Check off the type of issue you would like to report, adding additional comments that will assist us in evaluating the issue.

After you have completed the form, click on Submit to send the information to RMLS™. We will investigate the issue(s), contact the listing agent, and have the data corrected.

Here are the numbers of reports we’ve seen by month, and by type (February-December 2013):

As you can see, many inaccuracies have been corrected in less than a year and your continued use of the Report Issue button will help keep data accurate in RMLSweb. If you have any questions regarding data accuracy, please contact me (Vallerie Bush) or Wanda Kennedy at dataaccuracy@rmls.com or (503) 236-7657.

Just how big is RMLS™ anyway? We thought it would be fun and interesting to compile numbers showing just how much RMLS™ has supported real estate activity in 2013. This is our first year doing it, but we hope to continue collecting these numbers in order to also see how the company is expanding over time.

RMLSweb
Number of times subscribers logged in to RMLSweb: 6,185,000
Photos uploaded to listings: 926,490
Property searches run: 422,049
Number of new prospect profiles created: 57,599
All residential properties listed for sale: 65,824
All residential properties sold: 45,243
Median sold price of homes listed: $235,000
Total dollar volume of homes sold: $12,373,855,000
Unique tax searches: 103,077
Hit count reports viewed and auto-emailed to sellers: 12,608,195
Broker tour searches run: 12,475
Open house searches run: 7,357
Statistical searches run: 51,745

SentriLock Conversion
Number of lockboxes exchanged: 44,234

RMLS™ Subscribers
RMLS™ subscribers as of December 2013: 10,676
New RMLS™ subscribers (compared to December 2012): 497
Increase in subscribers, above: +4.9%
Subscribers who attended training: 1,857
Number of calls to the RMLS™ Help Desk: 26,119
Number of Help Desk chats: 2,564
Number of incidents reported using the “Report Issue” button: 4,155
CE hours distributed by RMLS™ at no cost to subscribers: 4,227
Total attendance at RMLS™ training events: 2,858

RMLS.com
Total customer visits to RMLS.com: 3,822,036
Unique visits: 1,110,135
Total listing views: 2,982,408

Social Media
RMLS™ followers on Facebook (December 31st): 2,472
RMLS™ followers on Twitter (December 31st): 2,000

Don’t forget about the other numbers we regularly compile! In addition to publishing Market Action each month, we have statistical summaries available on RMLSweb with information dating back several years. Since 2012 we’ve also been compiling statistics about residential distressed properties in RMLSweb.

We love numbers here at RMLS™, and hope you find this data as fun and interesting as we do.

RMLS™ rolled out updates earlier this week on RMLSweb to improve the site’s performance on tablet computers. In addition to the features we knew would be going live, we were able to work with our map vendor to squeeze in another improvement: the ability to draw map shapes on a tablet!

How do you do it? We prepared a short video demonstration (view at full screen to see important details):

A key to successful map shapes on your tablet is clicking to close the shape, using the button at the top of the map search interface.

(We’re using our RMLS™ pen to navigate, which is designed to convert easily between a ballpoint pen and a stylish stylus. Stop by your local RMLS™ office for one of your own!)

Let us know how this feature is working for you! RMLS™ has been excited for the release of these improvements and hope they make your job easier in the coming months. As usual, call the RMLS™ Help Desk if we can help: (503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169 toll free.

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.

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™

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!

RMLS™ has partnered with Realtors Property Resource® (RPR) and starting September 25th, RMLS™ listing data will be available on RPR to RMLS™ subscribers. RMLS™ subscribers will have access to hundreds of datasets on over 150 million properties across the country through RPR at no additional cost. These reports include:

• Tax assessments
• Notices of default (NODs)
• The largest database of foreclosure and pre-foreclosures in the country
• Mortgage and history data
• Value estimates, refinements, and comp analysis
• Neighborhood and demographic information
• FEMA flood maps
• School zoning and information

On RMLSweb subscribers will be able to quickly access a listing on RPR using the button on the search results screen or at the bottom of an Agent Full report:

RMLS™ and RPR have also integrated ZIP code statistics at the bottom of the Agent Full report on RMLSweb (below). Click the green button (above) that says “[+] RPR Statistics by Zip” to view these statistics, which are based upon the listing’s ZIP code, county, and state.

Additional features and reports will be available by logging in to the RPR website.

RMLS™ subscribers don’t need to take action to register: RPR will be pre-registering our subscribers using their NRDS ID in order to simplify access. Once RPR has created each user’s account (starting September 24th) RPR will send an email to the subscriber.

RPR training sessions will be available for subscribers during the week of September 30th, held at multiple locations across the RMLS™ region (Portland, Vancouver, Tigard, Gresham, Eugene, and Roseburg). Register for an informative RPR training session here.

Watch for an email from RPR with user information starting September 25th!

If you have any questions about your RPR account or the RPR website, please visit the RPR Help Desk or call (877) 977-7576.

RMLS™ strives to provide property and tax data in one location for all counties where our subscribers do business. Currently RMLS™ maintains over 2.3 million property records encompassing 43 counties in Oregon and Washington.

Each county has its own assessor and its own system for maintaining property and tax records. Many systems are one of a kind—one county system still uses 3×5 cards! Although some counties provide a website where individual tax properties can be researched, many counties do not provide such convenient access.

RMLS™ obtains data from the county itself or from another tax provider and then processes it into a standard RMLS™ format. The data is quality checked to the best extent possible. Updated property and tax data is then deployed to RMLSweb each week on Tuesday evening.

Depending on availability and other factors, sales are updated either weekly, quarterly, or biannually. Some counties do not provide sale data at all. It is important to remember that regardless of the update schedule, RMLS™ data will always lag a little compared to data from the county itself. This is especially true of tax amounts due to the volume of processing required.

Along with a defined primary set of property data (tax ID, acres, site address, market values, sales data, etc.) each county also has a unique set of ancillary data (heating, foundation, parking, etc.). Each data item also has a “fill factor” unique to each county. For example, in Baker County 98% of properties have a zoning value, in Jackson it is 83%, in Tillamook it is 72%, and in Benton it is 0%. RMLS™ analyzes these data items and factors and then displays the most relevant data on the tax report. Every county’s tax report is therefore slightly different.

The property and tax data also contains errors and omissions. Humans, computers, and governments are involved in the process and mistakes do occur. Whenever a subscriber encounters such a situation, they should contact us (you can reach me at kim.h@rmls.com) and provide sufficient details (county, tax ID, description of error) so that research can be done and the proper correction made. Most cases are resolved with the next update from the county. In the meantime, subscribers are advised to put a comment about any tax issues into the listing’s private remarks field.

Did you know?

• The National Association of REALTORS® expects new home sales to increase by 62% in 2013.
• The median new home price exceeds resale homes by 41%.
• 54% of home shoppers may consider buying a new home.
• 47% of new home buyers will contact an agent before visiting a builder community.

However, only 63% of new homes are actually sold by agents, and only 50% of new homes will be listed on an MLS!

REALTORS® need ways of targeting new homes for sale. New Home Source Professional, now live on RMLSweb and available to all subscribers at no cost, provides this important tool.

Subscribers can connect to New Home Source Professional via the link in the left-hand sidebar of RMLSweb or by navigating to Toolkit in the navigation bar and clicking “New Home Source.” Once on the New Home Source Professional site customized for RMLS™ (left), subscribers can search for and view a variety of builders’ community listings to find that perfect new home for their client.

New Home Source Professional provides RMLS™ subscribers exclusive community information and details about each home such as pricing, rooms, square footage, story, and amenities. The site also provides photos, floor plans, maps, directions, contact information for builders, and exclusive promotions for agents and consumers. Users will also receive weekly email updates on new inventory and incentives. Read more about New Home Source Professional.

As resale inventory shrinks, access to information about new homes become increasingly important. New Home Source Professional can help you find these opportunities, and RMLS™ is happy to help.