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.

Hello Technical Terry:

A RMLS™ trainer recently advised me to confirm the tax data on my listing before publishing the listing on RMLSweb. It’s a good thing I did…the tax data that came up on RMLSweb was out of date compared to what I found on the county website! Why is that?

Elizabeth P. Unum

Great question, Elizabeth. Of course the county is going to have the most up-to-date data—they’re the source!

Tax data on RMLSweb covers the entire state of Oregon as well as part of southern Washington—a one-stop shop. In order to provide that much data, we work with four intermediate data providers, and in a few cases the county itself. In nearly all those cases, the data still comes initially from the county.

RMLS™ will always have less up-to-date data than the county assessor.

When you enter in a listing on RMLSweb with a Tax ID, the system fills in some values for you. Confirm these values and if they’re not 100% accurate, you may edit them before the listing goes live. After the listing is live, you’ll need to contact RMLS™ to make changes.

One last note: RMLS™ updates different counties on a schedule. Tax data for some counties is updated once a year (like those in southeastern Oregon), and some (like Multnomah and Clark County) are done weekly.

Technical Terry—

I’m not finding my client’s property in the tax system on RMLSweb. How can I enter the listing?

Penny Gerettet

Through the front door?

But seriously. A property tax ID (APN) is required to enter a listing into RMLSweb.

If you’re not finding the correct Tax ID, skip it. The system will enter Not Found into the Tax ID field. Every week, the RMLSweb servers find listings without Tax IDs and tries to match them up with tax data using several components of the property address.

If the property has been subdivided, added, or reassessed within the past year, RMLS™ will likely not have updates until the next yearly update—late fall for Oregon and early spring for Washington.

Dear Technical Terry,

The tax information on my client’s property is just flat wrong. How did this happen?

Sincerely,
Ron R. Ronger

When you enter in a listing on RMLSweb with a Tax ID, the system fills in some values for you. Confirm these values and if they’re not 100% accurate, you may edit them before the listing goes live.

If tax information is incorrect on your published listing on RMLSweb, the first thing to do is note the incorrect data in the private remarks so that other agents will know there’s a potential issue. Next, email RMLS™ tax staff and describe the problem, making sure to identify the county, Tax ID, and MLS number (if appropriate). Attach any relevant documents.

When RMLS™ receives this information, tax guru Kim Hutchinson will attempt to verify the data with the county. (If the county’s data is incorrect, contact them directly to resolve the issue.) If the county verifies RMLS™ data is incorrect, Kim will update the data on RMLSweb and work with the data provider for a long-term solution, emailing you about the outcome.

After all, we wouldn’t want you to be taxed by the details.

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’ve heard my fellow REALTORS® talking about access codes for the SentriLock system that they can give to contractors or fellow REALTORS®. I have no idea what they’re saying! Can you explain what they’re talking about?

Sincerely Yours,
Lost in Lockbox Land

Thanks for reaching out to us, Lost. Of course I can explain what they’re talking about!

The SentriLock lockbox system provides a few ways to open a lockbox using codes that you can generate yourself. I’ll explain the codes and who can use each.

First are codes that can be generated by RMLS™ subscribers using the SentriSmart™ app. SentriSmart™ Mobile Access Codes (SMACs) are generated by using the SentriSmart™ app on a smartphone instead of using your SentriCard®. Never give a SMAC to anyone—this is like giving out your SentriCard® and is subject to the same rules and sanctions.

The other type of codes are generated by the owner of a lockbox.

One of these codes is the one day code. These can only be generated by the lockbox owner. The one day code will only work for a limited period of time—one hour from the time the code is initially used to open the lockbox.

A contractor code is used to allow access to someone with whom you and the homeowner have agreed can gain access to the property. This code can also be generated using SentriSmart™, by using the SentriLock website, or by calling SentriLock.

The big difference between using a one day code and a contractor code is that a contractor code can be used any day, over and over, as long as it falls within the access times programmed into the lockbox.

Now you’ve got the concept…how do you generate codes?

One Day Codes
One day codes can be created the following ways:

• using the SentriCard® Utility or the SentriLock website.
• using the SentriLock Card Authorization Renewal System (CARS) by calling (513) 618-5800.
• using SentriSmart™.
• by contacting SentriLock technical support.

Contractor Codes
First, contractor mode must be enabled on your lockbox for contractor codes to work. Lockbox owners are assigned three contractor codes for use, and these codes will work indefinitely as long as contractor mode is active on the lockbox.

When you turn on contractor mode, anyone with the lockbox’s contractor codes can use them to open the key compartment without a SentriCard®.

How to Turn on Contractor Mode
1. Insert your SentriCard® into the lockbox. Wait until the CODE light displays, then press your PIN and Enter.
2. After the READY light comes on, press FUNC + 6 + 1 and Enter. If you would like to turn contractor mode off, enter FUNC + 6 + 0 and Enter.
3. Remove your SentriCard® from the lockbox.

You can use the SentriCard® Utility or SentriLock website to find a lockbox’s contractor codes.

How to Find Your Contractor Codes using the SentriLock Website
1. Use the SentriCard® utility to log in to the SentriLock website. Insert your SentriCard® into the reader attached to your computer. The SentriCard® Utility should display the login window with your SentriLock ID appearing automatically. Type your password in and log in to access the main menu.
2. Click My Lockboxes. On the Lockboxes window, click the serial number of the lockbox.
3. On the Edit Lockbox window, click Default Lockbox Settings or Custom Lockbox Settings.
4. The Contractor Code fields on the Default Lockbox Settings or Custom Lockbox Settings windows will display the contractor codes for the lockbox you selected from the Lockboxes window.

One more (important) thing—your brokerage may have policies about the use of one day and contractor codes. Before you start using either, be aware of your company’s policies!

Have we helped you find your way, Lost in Lockbox Land? If you have trouble with SentriLock lockbox codes or have other questions, SentriLock technical support is the best resource for SentriLock issues. The RMLS™ Help Desk is happy to answer lockbox questions as well.

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.

What can I do about all these emails I keep getting from RMLS™ about my pending listing? It’s got a lease option right now and I don’t need more emails in my inbox!

William Wesley Wiewel

Hey WWW-

Did you know about the Pending Lease Option status we introduced on RMLSweb last month? This status is for listings which have offers accepted with lease option terms.

Just mark your listing as POP and enter in the anticipated lease end date. This will change when you receive status change reminders from RMLSweb. You’ll see fewer unnecessary emails.

When searching for listings on RMLSweb, you can also include or exclude the POP status from your search.

Good luck on taming that email inbox!

Dear Technical Terry:

I’m sure the RMLS™ office move to the Portland airport area made perfect sense for many reasons—but those of us on the west side of Portland really feel left out! It’s such a long way to drive for a training. What do you suggest?

Alan of Allen Boulevard

I feel your pain, Alan! The Portland metro area is slowly becoming Bay Area North as far as traffic is concerned. I’m pleased to report we have been working on a sustainable solution for this very issue for some time.

Starting this month, we’ve begun offering training classes in Beaverton at The Round (the Beaverton City Hall building). We chose this location for several reasons: it’s close to Highway 217, it has free parking, and they offer a variety of classroom sizes and configurations.

Our very first day of classes was met with great success! We heard many positive comments about the facilities, location, and so on.

Tell all your west side REALTOR® friends of this exciting new training location! We’ve reserved space at The Round for the next three months and expect the location to be very successful (which would result in us reserving space going forward) but the decision to keep training at this location will be somewhat influenced by REALTOR® attendance.

Take a look at the Beaverton training calendar for November and December on RMLSweb (login required).

Remember—the RMLS™ trainers love doing office trainings/presentations as well. If you want a trainer to come to an office meeting, just let us know! Email training@rmls.com or call us at (503) 236-7657 to set up an appointment.

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!