In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to report issues and inaccuracies to our Data Accuracy department. In this edition, we’ll cover how matters are reviewed and processed.

Step 2: Review

Our Data Accuracy team will begin processing these submissions in the order they are received. Sometimes we receive several notifications about the same issue at different points in the resolution cycle – these are grouped together and handled collectively.  

After reviewing the particular issue, we reach out to the Seller’s Agent and sometimes their Principal Broker to determine if the listing data is accurate. For example, a listing that says ‘waterfront’ may in fact only be ‘water view.’ If the data needs to be changed, we request that the Seller’s Agent either make the change or give us permission to make the change for them. Once the change has been made, we mark the reported issue as corrected in our tracking system.

Issues in the system will show as Active (review ongoing), Corrected (information adjusted), Reviewed and Already Corrected (report sent after information already corrected), Not a Violation (no adjustment required), Duplicate (this issue is already in the process of being reviewed), or Agent Asked (agent-submitted question instead of reporting an issue).   

In Part 3 of this series, we’ll cover how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter.

Without accurate data it would be very difficult to perform real estate transactions with any confidence. RMLS has a number of tools to identify inaccuracies in the data but our subscribers are the most important by far. Subscribers are experts in their fields and in their neighborhoods and communities. RMLS relies on them to spot data issues that a machine would surely miss.

Here’s how the process of reporting an issue with listing data works.

Step 1: Reporting

It all begins with alerting RMLS to the issue. There are a few ways to report an issue, including emailing dataaccuracy@rmls.com or calling us at 503.395.1916, but the easiest is the ‘Report Issue’ button that is on the bottom right of each listing in RMLSweb, or by going to RMLSweb and choosing ‘Help’ from the navigation menu. Under the ‘Help’ sub-section, choose ‘Questions/Comments/Feedback’ and select ‘Data Accuracy/Rules and Regulations’ for the message subject.

When you find an issue in a listing the first step is to press the ‘Report Issue’ button. A new screen will open. On this screen you can enter a detailed account of the issue in the ‘Note Text’ section – please be as descriptive as possible.

Once finished, press the ‘Submit’ button and the issue will be routed to our Data Accuracy team for review and resolution. You will receive a popup notification confirming the submission.

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll discuss how issues are reviewed and processed.

Beth Raimer hosts Real Talk with RMLS™, a podcast designed for REALTOR® subscribers to get the scoop about all things RMLS™.

This week, Heath Bennett runs through the top ten listing inaccuracies on RMLSweb.

Music: “The Major Trend” by AG Music (via MelodyLoops.com)

It’s not that important to be absolutely certain about listing details before publishing a listing on RMLSweb, is it?

As a matter of fact it’s very important, both to RMLS™ and your fellow REALTORS®.

Accurate listing information is vital to the smooth operation of the real estate market. Correct listing data also facilitates cooperation between REALTORS® engaged in a transaction. This is why RMLS™ puts staff time and resources into reviewing listings. Our staff also relies upon help from subscribers—REALTORS® like you—to help us quickly identify inaccuracies and get them cleaned up for the benefit of all.

In 2016 the RMLS™ Data Accuracy team addressed 6,355 listing inaccuracies that were reported to RMLS™ on RMLSweb. That’s nearly 25 issues addressed each business day! Our Data Accuracy also conducts daily audits which identify additional inaccuracies that get corrected (but that’s another blog post for another time).

What are the top 10 most common listing inaccuracies on RMLSweb? We compiled a list to help RMLS™ subscribers focus their efforts as they’re entering listings using Listing Load. We encourage REALTORS® to get familiar with the details of each of these issues in order to help RMLSweb the most accurate it can be.

1.  Year Built and Year Built Description
Resolved: 1,296 (20.4%)
These can include the Year Built Description not being changed from Under Construction or Proposed to the correct state of construction on the property. If the property is completed at time of closing the Year Built Description value should be changed to New before being marked as Sold. Another common error can occur by accidentally setting the Year Built Description to New when it should have been Resale, because the property was previously occupied.

2. Incorrect/Missing Information
Resolved: 1,153 (18.1%)
This can include many different issues within a variety of fields. Examples are listing the incorrect number of bedrooms, incorrect number of bathrooms, or having the incorrect number of levels listed. This also includes listings with inaccurate square footage and/or not dividing the square footage between levels.

3. Personal Promotion
Resolved: 1,094 (17.2%) [See RMLS™ Rules, Section 3.24]
The rules don’t permit information in the public fields of a listing that identifies the listing agent or their brokerage. This includes names or contact information (or links to such) in the public remarks, photos, or virtual/video tours containing yard signs or other types of branding. Promotion is only allowed in Private Remarks.

4. Address
Resolved: 847 (13.3%)
Adding extra words to a street name, not using the selection boxes for street direction/street suffix, or failing to submit the unit number can cause problems with mapping and/or searching for a property. When these items are found the Data Accuracy team will work to correct the address fields as appropriate. If you know of an issue with the published address, let Data Accuracy know.

5. Owner Name
Resolved: 589 (9.3%)
There are reasons why a seller may wish to have their name withheld from a listing.  If this is the case, use Document 1261 (Owner Name Omission Form) and submit the form to RMLS™. After this form has been submitted, enter “Form 1261 on file” into the Owner Name field on the listing.

6. No Showings
Resolved: 380 (6.0%) [See RMLS™ Rules, Section 3.26]
Any active status listing that is published on RMLSweb must be made available to be shown to prospective clients.

7. Residential Property Type
Resolved: 310 (4.9%)
Is the property attached? Detached? A condo? In a park? Proper property type is essential to ensure that the listing shows up in the right search results and gets seen by the people who would be the most interested in your listing. Document 1270 (Residential Property Types), found on RMLSweb, can be helpful in determining what property type should be noted.

8. Photo(s)
Resolved: 293 (4.6%) [See RMLS™ Rules, Section 3.7]
Common issues found with photos include:
• First listing photo is not of the exterior of building
• Text or graphics appear in photos
• Missing watermarks for “Sample Image” or “Virtual Staging”
• Photo contains children or other inappropriate content.
If the seller wishes to omit listing photos, please submit Document 1263 (Photograph Omission Form).

9. MLS Area  
Resolved: 172 (2.7%)
A listing is sometimes entered with the wrong MLS area or has been listed in two different MLS areas. This can have an impact on details like making the proper school choices available or allowing the correct county to be selected.

10. Duplicate Listings    
Resolved: 131 (2.1%)
Sometimes properties are listed more than once by mistake. This typically happens if two different people in an office input the same listing. It could also happen if a property is being relisted and the old listing does not get canceled prior to the new listing being published.

Have you noticed any of the above issues as you’ve perused listings on RMLSweb? Data accuracy on RMLSweb starts with you, the subscriber. Be sure information in your own listings is correct, and contact RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff if you see issues in other listings—just click the Report Issue button at the bottom of the listing. We appreciate your hard work and enjoy working with you to ensure that RMLSweb listing data is as accurate as possible.

Wanda Kennedy and Vallerie Bush – the RMLS™ Data Accuracy Team

MLS Insight is a series about how things work at RMLS™.

The accuracy of data in listings posted by RMLS™ is something we take very seriously. Data accuracy makes the MLS real estate marketplace hum with the least possible friction. Because we understand that the reason we have rules and regulations is to facilitate a fair and efficient platform for our REALTOR® subscribers, RMLS™ has always focused on education and data correction instead of punishment and income for the MLS.

In fact, we renamed our Rules and Regulations Department to the Data Accuracy Department to reflect this mission!

Of course we still have a process for taking formal complaints—the standing Rules and Regulations Committee to review complaints and impose sanctions (fines in most cases), and the Hearings Committee, whose job it is to conduct hearings if sanctions are appealed. (Hearings are conducted in substantial accordance with the procedures applicable to Professional Standards.) This year, the Rules and Regulations Committee is chaired by RMLS™ Director Rick Jenkins and the Hearings Committee is chaired by RMLS™ Director Mark Meek.

However, the great majority of the work of the data accuracy process is proactive at RMLS™. We respond to all inquiries, questions, and complaints from our subscribers and also conduct regular audits and data checks. To give you some idea of the scope of this effort, here are some numbers from 2014 to ponder:

• Our Data Accuracy staff, Vallerie Bush and Wanda Kennedy, responded to more than 8,000 issues—an average about 670 per month.
• Of these, about 5,300 came from the REPORT ISSUE button that appears on the lower right corner of all Agent Full reports in RMLSweb.
• The department took over 3,100 phone calls.
• In proactive audits, 399,541 listings were reviewed and 6,400+ violations identified. (For frame of reference, 81,594 listings were added to RMLSweb in 2014.)

We also try to analyze Listing Load to prevent inaccuracies at the data collection source if we can. For example, we have blocked the ability to mark both Short Sale and Bank Owned/REO with a YES at the same time. Entry of a sold price with a +10% difference from the listing price will produce a warning message. If the property type INPARK is selected, then the style options become limited to the manufactured home types.

The system also runs auto-checks for certain potential issues upon the publishing/saving of a listing, automatically sending an email to the listing agent to alert them of a possible problem. Emails are automatically sent when there is a missing school, missing tax ID, or when the status has been pending (PEN) for over 3 months.

News Flash! One of the reasons for an extended pending is a lease option. The Board of Directors approved a new status for pending listings with lease option terms.  The “POP” status will be available later in 2015.

One of the responsibilities of the Data Accuracy Department is to comb for possible fair housing violations. Some history is relevant here. In 1995, RMLS™ entered into a conciliation agreement after a fair housing complaint. The particular complaint was due to a listing that advertised “available for adults over 40.” As a result, RMLS™ promised to conduct fair housing/HUD checks on all listings in the future and to promote fair housing on RMLSweb. RMLS™ also paid $30,000 in the settlement, which was a lot of money for a company only three years old. Today, there is a list of words that are flagged in Listing Load upon the publishing/editing of listing remarks. Staff members review a system-generated fair housing/HUD file daily with a more extensive list of possible word violations, and all remarks (public, private, supplemental remarks) are reviewed.

Data accuracy makes RMLS™ better. I encourage you to click the REPORT ISSUE button if you think you see a possible problem on a listing. If it isn’t really an issue we’ll let you know, and if it is we will contact the listing agent to get that data corrected! You will remain anonymous, unless you are submitting a formal violation report that you intend to have reviewed by the Rules and Regulations Committee.

The next post will focus on RMLSweb development projects that were approved by the Board of Directors for 2015. If you have any questions you would like to have answered, I encourage you to post a comment.