RMLS™ subscribers may now purchase the appraisal program DataMaster for use with RMLS™ data. DataMaster is a desktop application that imports MLS data from RMLS™ and public records data from another source. The data is combined into an appraiser’s existing appraisal software in order to quickly create an accurate 1004MC report.

DataMaster aims to increase an appraiser’s productivity by offering automatic importing, accuracy, and creating a 1004MC report in seconds. The software allows for custom formatting, and is UAD compliant.

Visit the DataMaster website for more information about the product, or to download a free 14-day trial.

The archive of RMLS™ Market Action statistical summaries on RMLSweb has a fresh new look, thanks to RMLS™ Business Analyst/Policy Manager Christina Smestad.

If you have never seen them, statistical summaries compile many years of data from our Market Action newsletter for most areas in the RMLS™ region so readers can compare long-term market movements in key areas.

In order to improve the statistical summaries we standardized the data, added a few numbers not previously compiled, and reworked the layout to be more readable and printer-friendly. Our revised versions combine average and median sales price into one report and add inventory counts to the summary report. We think you’ll like what you see!

Available reports include average sales price, average and median sales price by area, closed sales, market percent and time by price, median sales price, new listings, pending listings, and a summary report. Affordability summaries are available for the Portland metro area, Clark County, and Lane County. Statistical summaries are currently available for those areas as well as Baker County, Columbia Basin, Coos County, Curry County, Douglas County, Mid-Columbia, Union County, and Wallowa County.

The treasury of statistical summaries may be accessed online two ways. Currently, subscribers logged in to RMLSweb may navigate to Toolkit->All Documents, then expand the folder titled “Market Action Statistical Summaries” on the left sidebar to find subgroups of specific geographic regions (see image at left).

As of March 28, a shortcut will be available allowing users to access quick links to statistical summaries directly from the RMLSweb menu. Subscribers logged in to RMLSweb may navigate to Statistics->Statistical Summaries for a more navigable list of geographic areas.

Moving forward, RMLS™ will update the statistical summaries more frequently than the annual updates of the past. We’re also working to expand the reports into other areas: Polk and Marion Counties, Grant County, North Coastal Communities, and Cowlitz County are planned additions for the future!

RMLS™ is changing password requirements on RMLSweb!

Starting March 27th, all subscribers who log in will need to change their Private ID (password). Moving forward, the system will continue to require a password change every three months (or if you’ve received notice about unauthorized access of your RMLSweb account).

Currently, Private IDs must be between 7 and 8 characters, include both letters and numbers, and are not case sensitive.

As of March 27th, new Private IDs will require the following:
• Private ID length must be between 8 and 12 characters.
• Private IDs must contain both letters and numbers.
• Private IDs can (but are not required to) contain the following special characters: ! @ # $ % ^ & *
• Private IDs are now case sensitive, but just changing case (“RMLS1234” to “rmls1234” for example) is not acceptable for a new Private ID.

Need to think of a great password? Check out “The Usability of Passwords,” “Why Multi-Word Phrases Make for More Secure Passwords Than Incomprehensible Gibberish,” or this great infographic about password security. Alternately, don’t use one of the 25 Worst Passwords of 2012.

Questions about the new requirements? Contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002, or (877) 256-2169 toll free.

Today’s post is courtesy of Gerry and Mike (left), who comprise the RMLS™ Training Department. If you’ve ever gone to any RMLSweb trainings in the Portland metro area, you’ve most likely met at least one of them. The department has some exciting news to share…

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The RMLS™ Training Department is excited to announce that we have extended our webinar library to include four new webinar classes in addition to the three already available!

Web-based seminars, or webinars, are online workshops that have been in use for many years, but did not really gain widespread popularity as a training tool until the late 1990s. RMLS™ has undertaken an extensive webinar project in an attempt to provide another educational opportunity for our subscribers.

All of our webinars are scheduled for a maximum of one hour. The classes focus on specific parts of RMLSweb and can be viewed in the comfort of your home or office.

The newest webinar classes are:

• Creating a Prospecting Profile
Ever wish you had a personal assistant that could take your buyer’s criteria, monitor the results, and email it to them? Welcome to the wonderful world of Prospecting Profiles! Learn how to customize an advanced search using specific criteria that matches your buyer’s needs and have those results automatically emailed.

• CMA Overview
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is one of the main tools that you will use to assist sellers in arriving at a suggested sale price. Our webinar includes an overview of setting up and producing a complete CMA report for your client.

• Searching with Map Range
Learn how to master the different ways to map an area using the rectangle, circle, and polygon functions to help narrow down a specific location.

• RMLSweb Statistical Tools
This webinar will direct you to the various statistical tools available to subscribers on RMLSweb.

…and don’t forget our existing webinars: Listing Load Overview, Navigating Search Results, and Customizing Search Results!

Signing up for one of our scheduled, live webinars is the same as signing up for any of our classes: simply log in to RMLSweb and select Toolkit/Training Registration from the blue navigation bar at the top of our home page. Once in the Training Calendar, click on the hyperlinked name of your desired webinar, read the class description, and click the button to register. You may also register by calling (503) 236-RMLS (7657) or (877) 256-2169 toll free. After receiving your request we will send you confirmation by email which will include class details and instructions on how to join the webinar.

Joining a session consists of a video and audio connection, in which the video uses a link to GoToMeeting, while the audio connects users to the RMLS™ conference call system, which has the advantage of allowing questions to be asked at any time during a presentation—much like a regular classroom.

RMLS webinars is another in our series of training tools for subscribers. Remember: at RMLS™, service is our last name.

New features and enhancements to RMLSweb are implemented regularly, including during our monthly scheduled outages.

Here are some of the changes we implemented in February to improve the site for subscribers…

Map Checked Switched to Bing Maps

RMLS™ is continuing to switch its map systems over to Bing Maps, and this month we’ve integrated Bing with the map checked feature of RMLSweb.

This means that when plotting multiple listings on a map for a client tour, the map will match other mapping features on RMLSweb and their enhanced map performance.

This is the third of a series of five rollovers into Bing. Our final two changes will be to switch the Listing Load mapping module to Bing, followed by switching Map Search. Look for the complete transformation in coming months!

RMLS™ Inventory on Desktop

Perhaps you’ve already noticed this new feature on the left sidebar of the RMLSweb desktop: we’ve added a feature showcasing collective listing data. In a glance, subscribers can see just how many active listings are in RMLSweb, the number of sold listings for the last 12 months, the dollar value those listings represent, and the total number of listings in the system. The numbers are updated daily.

Shorter Session Times

Starting this week, subscribers logging in to RMLSweb will be automatically logged out after 90 minutes of inactivity. This is a shorter session time than the site had previously (four hours), but we’re making the change based on some of the initial findings of our unauthorized access project on RMLSweb.

We’ve also got some exciting developments coming soon in March…

Chat with RMLS™

We will be adding a new way to contact RMLS™—chat! Access RMLS™ staff online by clicking the chat button at the top of the right sidebar. A chat window will open, and staff will assist you shortly.

Representatives from Help Desk, Training, Accounting, and Front Desk/Membership will be available during normal RMLS™ business hours. During the times when no staff is available, the pop-up window will allow you to send an email, and a representative will be in touch as soon as possible.

RMLS.com Facelift

Our client-facing website, RMLS.com, will have a new look starting March 5th! We think you’ll like what you see. Besides the new look, consumers will now be able to search listings by either an address or MLS number.

As Gail Hare, Executive Vice President, posted last week, the RMLS™ Board of Directors recently made tablet and browser compatibility for RMLSweb the number one priority for our technical team this year. Look to the RMLS Blog and RMLSweb desktop for updates as that major project progresses.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, email Help Desk at helpdesk@rmls.com or call us at (503) 872-8002, or outside the Portland area at (877) 256-2169.

Here’s a quick rundown of upcoming real estate events and education for March in Oregon and Southwest Washington. If you have an event that’s not listed here, let us know in the comments!

March 7: Top Producers Discussion (1 CE)
The Oregon chapter of the Council of Residential Specialists presents a panel discussion with top producers from Eugene, Bend, and Salem. Galand Haas, Shelly Hummel, and Amy McLeod will discuss their techniques for success, and answer questions. Contact Jane Robertson at (503) 228-9560 or oregoncrs@oregoncrs.org for more information or to register.
Location: George Fox University, Tigard OR — $10 for non-members

March 7: Owner and Manager Forum (1.5 CE)
Portland Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® presents “Something New, Something Old, Something SOLD: Updates, Trends, and Red Flags in 2013.” Company owners and managers are welcome to attend this event with Phil Querin, Evan Swanson, and Alan Brickley, legal professionals in real estate.
Location: Multnomah Athletic Club, Portland OR — $15

March 14: HOA and Condos (2 CE)
Ryan D. Harris of Vial Fotheringham LLP leads a class featuring the legal concerns of home owner associations and planned communities. Contact Andrea Milbrett at (541) 902-2560 or cocbrmls@oregonfast.net for more information or to register.
Location: Florence Event Center, Florence OR — $20

FREE RMLSweb Training

If you are an RMLS™ subscriber, we have many free educational opportunities at a location near you. View the current calendar for your area by clicking the link.

-Brookings
-Coos County
-Eastern Oregon
-Eugene
-Florence
-Gresham
-Hood River
-Portland
-Roseburg
-Salem
-Vancouver

Don’t forget to check out our webinars for training outside these areas, and the Open House hours at the Portland office each Friday (10am-noon) when subscribers may consult with our training staff for individualized attention.

You can also find ongoing education and training classes through a number of different associations in the Portland metro area and beyond. To search for classes in March, classes check out the current event listings at the following associations:

Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors® (PMAR)
East Metro Association of Realtors® (EMAR)
Clark County Association of Realtors®(CCAR)

RMLS™ is one of a handful of multiple listing services that does its own development work rather than purchasing a vended MLS system. At their annual leadership retreat each February, the RMLS™ Board of Directors sets priorities for the programming and development team for the coming year.

We recently held this annual retreat, and the clear mandate and number one priority for 2013 was decided: full browser and tablet compatibility for RMLSweb. This project will make our system fully compatible with current versions of Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer; and add compatibility for the iPad, Android, and Windows Surface tablets.

In the 2012 Subscriber Satisfaction Survey, 49% of our subscribers who responded were “very interested” in tablet and browser compatibility. This is not surprising, because tablets outsold notebook computers in the US in 2012, and are projected to outsell all PCs worldwide by 2016.

Each month, RMLS™ takes RMLSweb offline for a few hours in order to perform system maintenance and make improvements to the system. In January, RMLS™ will be implementing several small features designed to improve the site for subscribers.

Unauthorized Access

RMLS™ is embarking on a project this month designed to eliminate unauthorized access of RMLSweb. We will begin reviewing accounts which have a history of excessive duplicate logins and/or logins from multiple geographic locations (within a short timeframe) and work with those users to ensure the security of RMLSweb.

The program is designed to reduce potential security risks for both RMLS™ and our subscribers and also to improve user experience. We’d like every user to enjoy their RMLSweb sessions the way they were designed to work.

Rules Button
A new button will appear on RMLSweb‘s Agent Full and Data Only reports beginning January 31st that will enable subscribers to more easily submit concerns about a listing’s information to RMLS™ staff. Clicking the “Report an Issue” button below each listing on those reports will produce a pop-up window with a report subscribers can fill out and submit to the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Department.

School Names
RMLSweb will update school names using proper case (Dundee vs. DUNDEE) and spell out most abbreviations (Falcon Heights vs. FALCON HTS). This will involve updating RMLSweb search fields and saved searches as well.

Increased Prospect Notifications
RMLSweb subscribers may currently receive notification of a prospect match up to three times a day. Starting January 31st, that frequency will be increased significantly, matching REALTORS® with prospective properties up to eight times throughout the day. As is currently the case, until the subscriber logs into RMLSweb to clear the matche(s), additional prospect notifications will not be sent.

SSP As Default on Search
Currently, RMLSweb defaults to including Short Sale Pending (SSP) in default search parameters. The RMLS™ Board of Directors has requested this default be removed. Beginning January 31st, only ACT and BMP will remain as default statuses, and subscribers will need to select SSP if they wish to search those listings.

We hope subscribers find these tweaks to RMLSweb useful. If you have any questions regarding these changes, email Help Desk at helpdesk@rmls.com or call us at (503) 872-8002, or outside the Portland area at (877) 256-2169.

This week, we conclude our series featuring subscriber feedback gleaned from fall’s Subscriber Satisfaction Survey. (Check out our earlier posts: How Are We Doing?, How Do You Interface with RMLS™?, and How Do You Get Trained?)

RMLS™ strives to provide great value. In fact, our trainers find that many subscribers aren’t fully aware of the breadth of features available on RMLSweb. Lead trainer Gerry Chasse explains:

One principal broker I recently met put it succinctly: “most agent brokers log on to RMLSweb to learn the few functions they need to gather information for a client, never discovering the multitude of other useful tools this website provides.”

Our Subscriber Relations Representatives, Trainers, and Help Desk personnel repeatedly mention surprised reactions from subscribers, who exclaim “wow!” and “I didn’t know you could do that—is that something new?” when one or several of these tools provide a quick, informative, and efficient solution to a long-standing problem or question. Subscribers who continually examine the various parts of the website and educate themselves about the latest upgrades or changes are those who have the market advantage.

If you’d like to find out more about the capabilities of RMLSweb, check out offerings on the RMLS™ training calendar.

On to the survey…

How would you rate the overall value of the services you receive from RMLS™?

Overall, RMLS™ subscribers rated us a 3.9. Interestingly, the number of 3 and 5 ratings were tied at 738, and there was a strong amount of 4s (525).

Subscriber comments:
• “Without RMLS™ I could not do my job! Plain and simple.”
• “Nothing is perfect! And for the most part this is very good, in my opinion.”
• “I appreciate the Open House hours that you have. The one time that I signed up for a three hour class and I was to only one that showed up. I received personal one-on-one training and learned a great deal. She could have cancelled the class, but did not and that brought my attention to how grateful I am to have the RMLS. Keep up the good job!” [Ed. Note: Open House hours are at our Portland office each Friday from 10am-Noon.]
• “Thank you…I know pleasing all of us is not easy.”
• “My biggest complaint is RLMS not staying current with technology. There are lots of brokers using Apple products and smartphones with bluetooth. It’s time to address compatibility issues with Apple and switch to bluetooth lockboxes.”
• “I find the other websites to be more user friendly and have much higher profiles in search engines than RMLS. I’d like to see it be a marketing tool to advertise to clients as opposed to just an information exchange between agents with the funky rmls.com site for our clients.”
• “I practiced real estate in California and the dues you charge are a fraction of what it costs to be part of the MLS there.”
• “I appreciate the fact that RMLS™ keeps trying to improve. As I mentioned above, I
am personally looking for things which work well, not more things.”
• “I wish all the other mls organizations would consolidate with RMLS, which the
the best of the lot.”
• “The RMLS website has to be Mac friendly, period, it must work with Safari.”
• “PEACE 2 U.”

That’s it for this series. RMLS™ staff has been scrutinizing the results—subscriber feedback will be used by the RMLS™ Board of Directors to determine what projects we take on over the next year. Survey feedback impacts our work around the office every day. We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed reading results from the 2012 Subscriber Satisfaction Survey!

This week, RMLS™ continues featuring subscriber feedback gleaned from our Subscriber Satisfaction Survey. (Check out our earlier posts: How Are We Doing? and How Do You Interface with RMLS™?)

If you discover something in RMLSweb that you’d like to learn more about, our trainers are ready to help. In addition to holding classes at RMLS™ offices around the region, our trainers regularly hold webinars, or we can come to you!

How did you receive training from RMLS™ in the past year?

Nearly one-third of survey respondents (31.5%) received RMLS™ training at their office. Training via phone came in closely at second (29.1%). Online tutorials came in third (26.9%).  Just under a quarter of respondents (20.5%) have taken a class at an RMLS™ office.

How many times did you receive training from these methods in the last year?

The majority (49.8%) of respondents said they had accessed RMLS™ training once or twice in the past year. “None” came in second place (26.7%). And believe it or not, 33 people said they’ve used RMLS™ training 11 or more times in the past year!

Overall, were you satisfied with the training you recieved?

Our subscribers rated RMLS™ training a 3.7, just under halfway between “satisfied” and “delighted.”

What other types of training or topics would you like to see RMLS™ offer?

Naturally, answers to this question varied wildly. While RMLS™ may not offer a specific class each month, subscribers should keep an eye on the RMLSweb desktop and this blog. RMLS™ frequently posts training opportunities on the desktop, such as our upcoming Cloud CMA demonstration on December 7th. We also feature interesting classes on the RMLS™ blog once a month.

Subscriber comments:
• “Time-saving features of any kind!”
• “Statistical analysis of MLS data.”
• “Statistics for appraisers, architectural styles, proper listing of living areas, and how to better inform your buyer (and appraisers) for agents and brokers.”
• “Possibly more marketing-type classes to draw in new customers.”
• “Just basic training on things we use all the time and could use more efficiently if we had more training. Like Docusign, Listing Load, Zip Forms, etc.”
• “Continuing education training.” [Ed. note: check the RMLSweb desktop page! We post opportunities frequently.]
• “We had a few classes by the RMLS™ instructor at our office that were very helpful. They reviewed how the website works. I always picked up something new from each of those classes.”
• “I would like to see more in Eugene. I haven’t seen anything yet that makes me want to drive to Portland.”

Our series will wrap up next time with our subscribers’ overall experience with RMLS™.