Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Technical Terry:

I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about RMLS™ subscribers having to resort to using products from other brokerages to deliver new listings or changed listings to their clients in a timelier fashion. This seems contrary to the mission of RMLS™, is it not? Why do we not have tools available either within RMLSweb or within one of your approved third-party vendor integrations?

Frustrated in Fairview

Dear FF:

I understand your frustration and concern. I do have some good news for you in this area. Remine recently added some new functionality to an already great product that should solve the issue you mention above regarding delivery of new / changed listings to your customers in a timelier way. Here are some details on that new set of functionalities:

Saved Search

Stay up to date on property updates through the Saved Search
feature! When you save a search, you’ll receive email notifications when new
properties meet your search criteria, or when property characteristics change,
like MLS status or listing price. You can also automatically update your client
on the newest properties that meet your Save Search criteria.

How to get started with Saved Searches?

1. Log into Remine!
2. Set up your agent home page
3. Create a saved search
4. Manage your saved searches

Carts

The product feature formerly known as Track is now
called “Carts.”

Carts enable agents to share specific properties or
groups of properties with their clients and receive quick and easy feedback.

Previously, RMLS™ subscribers could maintain up to
100 properties with the Track feature, that number increases to 500 properties
in Carts.

Consumer Portal Improvement

As
a RMLS™ subscriber, you can create your own public-facing portal as a free lead
capture system. To participate, you simply need to activate your Remine account
and invite your contacts. The more invitations you send, the more visible you
are to future clients.

You
can invite unlimited contacts to your portal, to keep them tied to your
business and the MLS.

Additional Enhancements from the recent Remine update:

• New User Interface: A
  cleaner, more modern and intuitive user interface is now available, on both the
  desktop and mobile applications.
• CMA 360: An improved CMA experience.
  Remine offers the only CMA in the industry that searches MLS and off-market
  comps.
• Property Details Page:
  Format and layout have been improved
• Tax Data: Tax data has been improved as
  well.

Technical Terry

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Technical Terry:

Aaaaargh!!!! Does every subscriber have the same issues I do when uploading or reordering photos in the Listing Load Photo Manager? I’ll reorder photos, save my work, then discover that not only was my new order not saved but sometimes the photos disappear! Am I the only one having this issue? What can I do?

POed in Portland

POP:

Not all RMLS™ subscribers are having the issue but you’re not the only one who is. And I’m glad to tell you, today is a new day! Our development team has created a tool you can use if you’re having that issue again.

Behold—the new Refresh button on the RMLSweb Photo Loader!

Here’s how it works: if you’re using the Photo Manager and believe your listing photos have disappeared, reordering hasn’t happened, or are experiencing some other issue, click the Refresh button above the image preview (see above). This will refresh the work done inside the Photo Manager (like refreshing a web browser) and the issue should be resolved.

If you find that this new tool is not resolving the issue, there could be something else at play. One behavior the RMLS™ Help Desk has noticed while working with subscribers is that if someone is uploading a batch of photos and closes the Photo Manager window before processing is 100% complete, using the new Refresh button is not going to magically restore the whole batch.

The majority of Photo Manager issues have been fixed by using the Refresh button though, and that should have a profound impact on you and other subscribers who have been experiencing this issue. If you use it and the issue persists though, contact the RMLS™ Help Desk and they’ll do their best to assist!

Technical Terry

Dear ATT:

I remember hearing a while back that the RMLS™ office in Portland is going to move. When is that move happening? Where will you be?

Roman Realtor

Dear RR:

What a timely question! The Portland office will be moving in just a couple of weeks, but other parts of RMLS™ will see some impacts as well.

First things first: as we reported back in August, the new office location will be in Southwest Portland at 16101 SW 72nd Avenue. The office in Northeast Portland will close its doors at 12:00 PM (noon) on Friday, November 1st. On Monday, November 4th, the office will remain closed, but we plan to be open and available for RMLS™ subscribers on Tuesday, November 5th! We also plan to invite subscribers in for an open house a few weeks after we’ve settled in.

While the office in Portland is in transition, the RMLS™ Help Desk and Front Desk will still be available for questions by phone and via email, as we utilize staff across the region to assist subscribers through those methods.

Once the Portland office has moved, the RMLS™ office in Clark County will close at 12:00 PM (noon) on Friday, November 8th in order to do some office maintenance involving furniture. We’ll still have staff on email and phones ready to assist, and otherwise Clark County REALTORS® are advised to plan to do any office business that morning.

We’ll have up-to-date information posted on the RMLSweb desktop as needed, so don’t forget to check there for the latest!

Technical Terry

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dear Technical Terry,

My-oh-MY is the market abuzz about the upcoming Coming Soon-No Showing status and the changes to Authorization to Exclude! I think I’ve also heard rumor of a forms change rollout and a new showing scheduler being added to RMLSweb. I’m really concerned that much of what I’m hearing is just rumor. Can you guide me to where I can get more info on these important changes?

Concerned Clarice in Clackamas

Hi CCC-

Why, yes I can! Your perspective that the market is “abuzz” about the upcoming changes is spot on.

RMLS™ communicates information in a variety of ways. We understand that some subscribers rely on the RMLSweb desktop page for information, others rely on the RMLS™ Weekly Report, sent on Monday mornings, and others still really like subscribing to our blog on RMLScentral for information.

For example: on the day I’m writing this, the RMLSweb desktop page has links to an array of useful information about the projects you mention:

We send out the RMLS™ Weekly Report at 6 AM every Monday morning. In it you will find much of the same information shown on the RMLSweb desktop. The email address we use to send RWR is the address you provide to us in the User Preferences section of RMLSweb, shown here:

(If you’re not receiving the email, it could be that your email account filters the email to your junk or spam folder. Check there!)

Last, but certainly not least, is the RMLScentral blog. You can find articles on the blog that cover the same topics and others, with the added benefit of visible subscriber feedback and questions. Access the blog from the RMLSweb desktop page by clicking on the appropriate link in the Links section, seen here:

I sure hope this information helps, Clarice. We realize that your days are very busy, and as such we try to provide information in a variety of channels/formats, hoping one or more will work well for you.

TT

Hey, Technical Terry!

Clarice is my team member and while she may have plenty of time in the office to subscribe to the RMLS™ blog and read news as soon as it’s released, I am in my car all the time. Showings, trips to the RMLS™ office, picking up closing gifts—it seems the hours I spend in traffic every day take me away from RMLS™ communications. Any suggestions there, smartypants?

Cody Clark, Clarice’s Coworker in Clackamas

Hey…CCCCC!

First things first: don’t read this (or anything else from RMLS™) while driving!

That said, I do indeed have the very thing for you: Real Talk with RMLS™, our podcast! We unveiled our first episode just about a year ago, and our audience has been growing steadily ever since. Episodes are offered regularly, and listeners can expect that big projects like the ones Clarice was interested in will be covered in an episode very soon.

Real Talk with RMLS™ is available on iTunes and Google Play. We hope you will pass some of your time sitting in traffic by learning about RMLS™ projects this way!

Technical Terry

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dear Technical Terry,

I’m a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest. I was also a REALTOR® back in Atlanta and our MLS often gave us good, common sense tips about being a REALTOR®. Does RMLS™ do anything like that? As I’ve been reading some local chatter online, it seems like there is a real need for something like this!

Ethical Earlene in Estacada

Dear Earlene-

Your timing couldn’t be better—RMLS™ just released a new document called Best Practices, Courteousness, and Great Tips for REALTORS®!

I hope you will find the new document helpful in your day-to-day activities as a REALTOR® in our market. While reading through the document you may find that some of the items are common sense or we’ve listed things you think every REALTOR® should already know. What I know from watching our industry for many years is that things that are logical to you or me may not be to others.

RMLS™ has always believed that education is the best way to create a predictable and ethical working environment for our subscribers, and we’re hopeful that the new document will assist in doing that.

Technical Terry

Dear TT:

One of my coworkers claims that RMLS™ is going to be converting to a SentriLock lockbox that uses Bluetooth. When I asked him when it would happen, he didn’t know. Can you tell me about this? And why would we be swapping out our SentriLock lockboxes already—didn’t we just get these?

Imin U. Gene

Dear IUG:

The reason your coworker cannot give you a date is this: there isn’t one to give! The RMLS™ Board of Directors has discussed the possibility of doing a conversion to SentriLock’s Bluetooth lockboxes but nothing firm has been decided yet. Your view that we “just” transitioned to SentriLock NXT lockboxes is only partly true—it has been 4.5 years since we did our most recent conversion!

In fact, here are a few fun facts about SentriLock at RMLS™:

• Lockboxes currently in distribution at RMLS™: 56,450
• RMLS™ lockboxes per active/pending listing: 3.64 per listing
• Lockboxes per active RMLS™ subscriber: 4.04 per subscriber

That being said, the new SentriLock Bluetooth lockboxes really do offer a lot compared with the NXT lockbox. Two of the biggest benefits are that the lockbox can be opened via the SentriSmart™ app on your smartphone even when you’re out of cell range, as it uses Bluetooth instead of cellular; and many of the lockbox programming functions can be performed using SentriSmart™ instead of your SentriCard®. (If you haven’t started using SentriSmart™ yet, get it on the Apple App Store or Google Play!)

If you have a lockbox that has suffered battery failure, you can simply plug in a “battery jumper pack” into the side of the Bluetooth lockbox to provide the power for it to open. If you’ve ever needed to use the Power Paddle to get an NXT lockbox open after its batteries have died, you’ll realize what a benefit this is!

If this project moves forward, we’ll surely inform RMLS™ subscribers through the RMLSweb desktop page, the RMLS™ Weekly Report, and our blog on RMLScentral. Keep your eyes toward us!

Technical Terry

Not all REALTORS® who subscribe to RMLS™ have an intimate familiarity of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. This is why the Data Accuracy staff work hard each day to reach out to subscribers and correct issues that have been spotted in listings or address other concerns called in by fellow REALTORS®.

As Data Compliance Manager I’m relatively new to RMLS™ but one of my roles is to educate subscribers about the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations in our ongoing effort to ensure data accuracy on RMLSweb.

One of the most basic questions our subscribers may ask themselves is this: what happens when a RMLS™ subscriber breaks one of the RMLS™ Rules?

The answer depends on the rule, and whether a formal complaint was received. There are two types of issues that get sent to us. The most common of these is done using the report issue button that is found on the listing in RMLSweb, calling the RMLS™ Help Desk, or sending an email to rules@rmls.com. This is an anonymous process and is helpful to us in identifying errors on listings as well as rules violations.

The second type is the formal violation. A formal violation is not an anonymous process and involves accusations of rule breaking that could carry a sanction. These are far less common but we take them very seriously when they happen. Between January and July 2017 RMLS™ had received six formal violations. All of them were regarding various misuses of a lockbox (Section 5.1.l. Lockbox Access). Of those, three were for not following showing instructions, two were for entering a property while it was in pending (PEN) status and the last was for using it, the lockbox, for something other than real estate business. The six violations were reviewed by the Rules Committee and a total of $1,350.00 in fines were sanctioned. In one case, lockbox privileges were suspended.

The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee has requested that reports about the number of formal violations, the type of violation, and the result get shared periodically with subscribers. RMLS™ will be reporting updates throughout the year, so keep watching for these reports throughout the year!

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dearest Technical Terry,

Oh em geeee! I’m atwitter thinking about the upcoming eclipse and how our SentriSmart™ app and SentriLock lockboxes won’t work during that time. I have clients that are convinced that their perfect home can only be discovered during the time of totality! What am I going to do?

Clueless in Coquille

Dearest Clueless,

Not to worry! Not only is Coquille not in the path of totality for this eclipse, but the eclipse will have ZERO bearing on your use of the SentriLock system.  SentriLock’s technology should not be impacted in any way by the solar eclipse.

Traffic, on the other hand? I’m thinking you may just want to pick another day to cruise around looking for your clients’ perfect home. But what do I know? Isn’t the customer always right?

Technical Terry

Dear TT,

I was just discussing days on market with my clients the other day and had a hard time explaining the difference between DOM and CDOM is. Can you help?

Dum DOM in Damascus

DDD,

Of course I can help! Days on market, or DOM, is a standard industry term used to describe the number of days between list date and the off-market date. When you have a listing that simply goes from a single list date to a single off-market date (let’s say in 50 days for an example) the calculation is quite simple. In this example, DOM and CDOM would both be 50 days.

It’s when you have a property that you list for sale, then cancel it, then relist it with a new MLS number that the calculations get a bit trickier.

Picture this: you list a home and after 30 days you haven’t received any offers and the seller wants to do some repairs. You cancel the original listing and then relist once the repairs are done. The second listing gets a new MLS number. When the gap between your cancellation of the first listing and the relisting date is fewer than 31 days, any off-market gap will not be counted in the CDOM calculation.

So if the first listing had 30 days of market time, the time when the listing was off-market for repairs was seven days then the new listing sold/closed in 21 days, the CDOM would be 51 days. This scenario is called linear relisting.

A final scenario is when you have a listing for sale and cancel it to get a new MLS number with NO gap between the cancellation of the first and second listings. In this case, CDOM would reflect the number of days the property was on the market from the original list date of the first listing through the off-market date of the second listing. This is called an overlapping relisting.

Does that help? RMLS™ also offers Document #1742, How CDOM is Calculated, if you want to read further.

TT

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dear Technical Terry,

Much like your post about saving ML numbers for future searches (THANK YOU!), I’m desperate to figure out if I can customize my search results to contain only the fields I want to see for a specific client. Is that possible?

Carol in the ‘Couve

Excellent question, Carol! You can, in fact, create “custom” displays of the initial search results based on your specific client needs. You’ve been able to perform this customization for several years on RMLSweb, but much like the process for saving ML numbers, it does require a bit of orientation.

Check out Customize Your Search Results (Document #1749) available on RMLSweb in Forms and Documents. This document explains in detail all aspects of creating and saving custom search results displays to meet a specific need. As you review the document you’ll see that in addition to data elements, you can also include both a thumbnail image and a map image. You can also look at your custom layout to ensure it meets your needs in the Preview section of the layout window. Keep in mind that the tool will allow you to create layouts that will exceed the typical print margins of a standard 8 1/2” x 11” page. All of this information and much more is included in Customize Your Search Results (Document #1749). Additionally, the RMLS™ Help Desk and Training Departments are always happy to walk you through the process if you need any help.

Dear Technical Terry,

Will we ever be able to upload photos on Listing Load using a Mac like PC users do? The current option for Mac users is really clunky…

Manzana Macintosh

Yes…in fact, the timing of your question could not be better!

On October 15th RMLS™ will deploy a brand-spanking-new photo loader for RMLSweb. This new module eliminates the need to use Microsoft Silverlight so the module will work the same for Mac users as it does for PC users.

The improvements are numerous, but let me touch on just a few:

• Up to 32 high resolution images can now be loaded.
• Multiple photos can be uploaded at one time. (Note: this process is bandwidth-sensitive so if you’re on a slow internet connection, you may find uploading photos one at a time is more efficient.)
• Users can upload photos from a mobile device.
• The new module can recognize photo orientation: if the photo is uploaded in landscape orientation but should be in portrait orientation, the module will adjust the photo automatically.
• Photo editing will be possible in the new photo loader: you can crop, rotate, and change brightness and contrast.

RMLS™ staff is hard at work on preparing a video and other materials that will provide subscribers with the information they need to efficiently use the new photo loader. Keep an eye out for it!

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Hey Technical Terry,

Something still confuses me about SentriLock: why do we have to wait for the buyer’s agent’s SentriCard®, phone, or RAD to find out about showing notifications, rather than the lockbox giving us notifications like the previous RMLS™ lockbox system?

Cheers,
Carl in Coburg

Thanks for the great question, Carl! In order for a lockbox system to send out showing notifications, it must have some form of cellular radio component. Both the SentriLock and Supra systems use similar technology in respect to this functionality: both systems rely on a cellular radio component that is not contained within the lockbox itself, but rather a secondary device. This could be the RAD, using the SentriSmart™ app on your cell phone, or inserting your SentriCard® into the desktop reader connected to a computer. While the perception remains that the Supra system worked differently in this area than the SentriLock system, they are actually quite similar.

Technical Terry—

HELP! I’m desperate to create a watch list of specific MLS numbers to keep my eye on. Is there a way on RMLSweb to save a list of MLS numbers?

Big Barry is Watching

You’ve got the will to do it, and we’ve got the way, Barry.

Keep your eye on a particular group of listings by following these steps:
• Create and run a search on RMLSweb.
• When on the results page, simply ‘check’ the listings you want to save.
• Remove listings that you do not want to save by clicking on the Checked button. This will keep ONLY the listings you’ve checked. (Note: the maximum number of listings you can save in one search is 300.)
• Navigate to the Search menu on the RMLSweb navigation bar and click on MLS #.
• When the MLS Number Search screen appears, click on the Checked IDs button in the middle of the screen. Your MLS numbers will appear in the blue box. Magic!
• Now click on the Save As button and name the group of MLS numbers to save the search. Notice there is a tab that says “Saved” next to the Search Criteria button to access your saved groups of MLS numbers.
• Access the list of saved MLS numbers by going back to the MLS number search option, clicking on the Saved tab, and choosing the list of MLS numbers you wish to search.

We’re happy to help you keep watch on those listings!

Ask Technical Terry is a series RMLS™ aims to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dear Technical Terry,

I noticed I’m getting SentriLock showing notifications sent to my email address. Is it possible to get them via text message?

Cheers,
New in Newberg

Fear not, New, you can certainly change how you get showing notifications. You just need to change a few preferences with your SentriCard® on the SentriLock website.

Insert your SentriCard® into the SentriLock card reader attached to your computer. Log in to the SentriLock website. On the left side of your screen, click on “Manage My Account.” Make sure the correct cell phone number is listed!

Toward the top of the screen, below the green bar, click on “Preferences.” Choose the showing notification preference you desire, and the delivery method desired, then click to save the changes to your SentriCard®.

Once that’s all done, you should get text messages as soon as the SentriLock system registers a showing—a much easier option than checking your email every few minutes. Good luck!

Hey Technical Terry,

How can I get my SentriLock notifications immediately? Like, as soon as the box is opened?

Cheers,
Listing Lisa

Thanks for your question, Lisa! The short answer is yes, there is a way for the SentriLock system to send out immediate showing notifications—but it is dependent on whether the agent showing the property follows SentriLock best practices.

Using a cellular device to open the lockbox—meaning either a remote access device (RAD) or the SentriSmart™ phone app—will send information immediately, provided the device is in cell range.

Using a RAD

Ideally an agent’s SentriCard® will stay in the RAD at all times, and he or she will access the SentriLock lockbox using a PIN.

If the lockbox is out of range of the RAD, an agent can use his or her SentriCard® at the box—they’d just need to place the card back in the RAD as soon as possible after opening the lockbox. The RAD will communicate showing information using its cellular radio—again, as long as the device is in cell range.

Using SentriSmart™

SentriSmart™, an app that is free for RMLS™ subscribers with key service, sends immediate showing notifications with no further action needed on the part of the agent showing a property.

RMLS™ subscribers are increasing their use of the SentriSmart™ app—about 17% of subscribers started using SentriSmart™ when it was released, versus about 27% of subscribers who use it now.

SentriSmart™ is free for RMLS™ subscribers who have key service. Download it for Android or Apple devices here:
• Android SentriSmart™ phone app
• Apple SentriSmart™ phone app
You’ll need to be running Android 2.2 or iOS 6 or higher to use SentriSmart™.

When using SentriSmart™, be aware that a showing notification is sent to the listing agent as soon as you generate a code to open the lockbox. If you generate a code just to see how it works, use one of your own lockboxes to avoid falsely generating a showing notice!

And one more note about RADs: RAD users, charge your RAD for a minimum of four hours weekly using a wall charger. The car charger is not intended to supply a full charge to the RAD, only to keep the RAD battery topped off while it’s in your car.

Hopefully that helps, Lisa. As more people learn about how vital the RAD is and/or start using SentriSmart™, the less you should be receiving delayed notifications. Tell all your REALTOR® friends!

This month RMLS™ is proud to debut Ask Technical Terry, a series we aim to offer once a month. RMLS™ subscribers will drive the content—we encourage you to submit any question about RMLS™ to Technical Terry in the comments or by emailing communications@rmls.com. Don’t be shy—we won’t identify you by name.

Dear Technical Terry,
For some reason, the menu bar at the top of the RMLSweb homepage is appearing vertically and none of the drop-down menus will open! The site worked fine yesterday, and nothing has changed on my end. What’s the deal?
Sincerely,
Top Producer Teresa

Ah yes, the old “site worked fine yesterday and nothing’s changed on my end” issue. Are you using the Safari browser to access RMLSweb?

RMLSweb works best with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome across all platforms. In most cases, when you experience an odd view or functionality symptoms on RMLSweb, it will either be browser add-ons (that you may not realize were activated when you downloaded some unrelated software) or using a web browser that does not play well with RMLSweb, such as Safari.

Dear Technical Terry,
I’m on vacation, using my iPad, and I need to enter a new listing. I can’t seem to find the button that will allow me to add a new listing. Can you help?
Aloha,
Heidi in Hawaii

Heidi, you need to use the Google Chrome web browser on your iPad to achieve full functionality on RMLSweb. And stop working on vacation!

Dear Technical Terry,
I just love the RPR website! I would like to search on the RPR website for a property not currently listed on RMLSweb. How do I do this?
Thanks in Advance,
REALTOR® Rebecca

Yes you can! Either gain access to RPR by clicking through to RPR from within RMLSweb (use the small RPR button on a listing in RMLSweb) or go directly to RPR’s website.

If you access RPR from a listing in RMLSweb, when you land on the RPR page for that listing, you will notice a “find a new address” link immediately to the right of the property address—simply click on the link to open a new screen allowing you to enter any address in the search box. If you go directly to RPR using the link above, you will land on a screen that will allow you to enter any address in the search box.

Good luck!