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

This week, host Beth Raimer chats with Traci Colwell and Terry Romel about the annual RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair coming up on Friday, March 16, 2018!

Listeners may now subscribe to Real Talk with RMLS™ on iTunes and Google Play!

Music: “Tropical Summer” by ArtIss (via MelodyLoops.com)

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,

Around the water cooler the other day, my coworkers were abuzz about some form of showing appointment system they think is coming to RMLSweb. Is this true or just a rumor? What can you tell me about it?

Nosy in Newberg

Dear Nosy,

The rumor is true! The RMLS™ Technology Committee advised—and the RMLS™ Board of Directors agreed—that ShowingTime should be integrated into RMLSweb. We anticipate the debut of this new product to coincide with the annual forms change—roughly late April or early May.

RMLS™ subscribers will have access to a free, basic version of ShowingTime through RMLSweb. Here are some of the features:

• Listing agents can configure an online appointment calendar for each listing that will display blocks of time when the listing is available to be shown.

• Three settings can be used for a listing. Appointment Required requires an explicit accept/decline from the listing agent or seller for the showing appointment to be finalized. Courtesy Call automatically accepts a scheduling appointment, sending a notification to the listing agent/office staff who then notify the seller of the showing. Go and Show is immediately accepted, also sending a notification to the listing agent but without any seller notification required.

• Basic notifications are sent via email, one-way text messaging, and through alerts on the ShowingTime mobile app.

• ShowingCart allows a showing agent to create a tour of listings using an interactive feature on the site. The agent can then submit all the appointment requests in one group once the order is finalized. The agent can even get driving directions for their client tour!

• Basic showing feedback is solicited.

• Listing activity reports are available.

ShowingTime has tech support available via phone, email, and chat seven days a week. They’ll be offering webinar training to RMLS™ subscribers before ShowingTime goes live on RMLSweb, with a dedicated training site available after the launch with short video tutorials.

ShowingTime will offer a premium subscription version for RMLS™ subscribers to purchase individually. The premium version will have even more tools including options for more detailed showing feedback and brokerage branding.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it, Nosy? Have a look at ShowingTime online so the next time your coworkers are gathered around the water cooler, you’ll be able to teach them a thing or two!

Technical Terry

Dear TT,

I’m so excited to come to this year’s RMLS™ trade fair in Portland! One of my favorite parts of the event is cruising around the trade fair hall entering drawings. I know there’s a trade fair exhibitor list, but will information be posted in advance about the prizes available at the event?

Q. D. McGraw

Dear Q.D.,

I’m so excited to hear you love our annual event so much! I’ve got some bad news for you though—we do not generally release information about prizes in the on-site drawings in advance of the event. There are several reasons for this, including that we often don’t get information about some prizes until a day or two in advance!

Speaking of the prize drawings though, it’s worth noting that the system for entering drawings will change this year. In the past, trade fair attendees could take a map to designated vendors for a stamp and every stamp would earn the attendee one entry into the drawing. If you visited four of the six designated vendors to get a stamp, you could return to the RMLS™ booth and give us four business cards to enter into the raffle bin.

This year, attendees will need to visit every designated vendor on the map to earn one entry. This entry will be valid for all the prize drawings that happen at the RMLS™ info booth. In the above example then, you’d need to visit six vendors to submit one card for the drawings.

Why are we making this change? We want to cut down on wasting the business cards you’ve paid for, for starters. We also wanted to make the prize drawings more streamlined for our staff at the RMLS™ booth as well. Everyone will have an equal chance to win each prize, and by design the prizes will be distributed more evenly among attendees.

We’ve got some higher-value prizes lined up for this year’s drawings, Q.D., so definitely make time in your day to visit the trade fair vendors! And those of you who could care less about drawings, register for classes or our keynote session sooner than later or you could miss out!

T. 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 TT-

I am SO frustrated just getting logged in to RMLSweb. Why, for gosh sakes, are there two login buttons on the login screen? Which one should I be using?

Frustrated in Fairview

Dear FF-

Understood completely! Let me explain the concept behind the two unique login options and how they will eventually transition to a single login for RMLSweb.

As you may be aware, last year RMLS™ transitioned into a new customer relationship system. This is how RMLS™ manages your subscriber information. An important part of the project was replacing Internet Member Services (IMS) with My.RMLS.com—the website where subscribers paid RMLS™ dues.

This transition required a more stringent password system for access due to the new system being PCI-compliant. RMLS™ built up a single sign-on process so that subscribers would be able to access both RMLSweb and My.RMLS.com with one set of login credentials.

Our new vendor needs to prove their uptime meets our strict requirements before RMLS™ will rely solely on the new login option. We’re still running analytics on the vendor’s uptime and once we’re confident they can match or exceed our expectations we will eliminate the dueling logins and subscribers will transition to a single login using their email address and password to log in to both RMLSweb and My.RMLS.com.

In the meantime RMLS™ provides both options: the Public/Private ID which provides access to RMLSweb, and the email address/password which provides access to both RMLSweb and My.RMLS.com.

It may sound like a lot of work just to transition to a new payment website. If that was the only benefit I might agree, but the new system offers more billing and payment options, a single login for REALTORS® with dual licenses, and other features we’ll be rolling out as time goes on.

Imagine, for example, a central location for downloading CE certificates from RMLS™ education events, so you’d no longer need to chase down paperwork when it’s time for license renewal. The new system has a more robust registration process for training classes and events, including confirmations, reminders, and wait list management.

While the transition period may be frustrating as RMLS™ works out the details, the net gain to RMLS™ subscribers like yourself will be worth the wait!

Technical Terry

Dear Technical Terry:

My Thomas Guide is always at the ready, but I’ve been increasingly finding listings on RMLSweb without Thomas Guide coordinates. Why would REALTORS® fail to include such a key piece of information?

Lloyd Multnomah

Dear Lloyd:

It’s great that you still have your Thomas Guide for fast reference, but not everyone has easy access to this useful tool anymore. Rand McNally (owner of Thomas Guide) ceased publishing any street guides for Portland or Oregon, and you may recall in 2013 RMLS™ halted the map coordinates requirement for new listings.

There’s more news than that though, Lloyd.

Do you have any saved searches on RMLSweb that search using map coordinates? If so, an important change is on the horizon: RMLS™ will be eliminating map coordinates fields with the RMLSweb forms change coming this spring. This means that any saved searches you have that utilize map coordinates through Thomas Guide (or Pittmon Maps) will need to be updated with a map shape to replace this geographic component of each of your saved searches.

Adjusting your search may sound difficult, but RMLS™ will help subscribers effected by this change as much as possible. Look for a video in the coming weeks about how to replace map coordinates in a saved search with a drawn shape on a map.

You may be wondering why RMLS™ is eliminating these fields from RMLSweb. Usage of these fields has been steadily declining. Brokers who search using these fields are missing active properties on RMLSweb—a big problem in markets with low inventory! The RMLS™ Forms Committee recommended removal as part of its annual set of RMLSweb forms changes.

Sorry to break the bad news to you Lloyd, but we’ll be doing our best to make the transition as smooth as possible for you.

Sincerely Yours,

Technical Terry

Hey Technical Terry—

This is the first year I’ll be able to attend the RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair. I’m making the drive from The Dalles to take the SentriLock class. Really looking forward to it. Do you have any tips you’d recommend for someone who has never been to this event?

It’s Gorge-ous in the Dalles

Hey Gorge-ous:

What a great question! It’s great that you’re making the trek from The Dalles to attend the event. Even if you weren’t taking the SentriLock class, there’s still plenty of aspects of this annual event that will make the trip worth your time.

Top tips for a first-timer:

• Bring plenty of business cards. Business cards will not only be useful when you’re chatting with industry vendors and networking with other REALTORS®, but they’re also your key to prize drawings! This year RMLS™ has 50 door prizes lined up valued at nearly $6,000.

• Waitlisted? Show up! Class registration may be full, but not everyone makes it the day of the event. If you’re on the wait list, we can’t get you into a class if you’re not there! Show up for class and there’s a good chance we’ll have a spot for you.

• Sign in AND sign out for classes. If you’re going to a class, make sure to sign in when you arrive AND sign out when you leave. Without a signature, time-in, and time-out, you will not receive a CE certificate after the event.

• Parking advice. If you’ve parked inside the DoubleTree parking structure, check in at the RMLS™ info desk for a $3 parking voucher. If you don’t have a voucher, your parking will be more than $3. There’s also a parking pay station located inside the DoubleTree event space, if you want to pay before heading back to your car.

If that’s not enough, I’d also keep your eyes peeled for the basketball tournament happening inside the trade fair hall. REALTORS® will be shooting hoops all day, and the winner will receive a free quarter of RMLS™ dues!

We hope to see you at the event, Gorge-ous! Be sure to stop by the RMLS™ info desk and say hello.

RMLS™ invites subscribers to attend the 2015 RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair, taking place Thursday, March 19th at the World Forestry Center in Portland.

Class registration is now open! Visit the registration page to view a complete schedule, read class descriptions, and see a list of exhibitors.

Special thanks to our annual sponsors:

DIAMOND

PLATINUM

WANTED: Pending or Sold

The RMLS™ Spring Education Summit and Trade Fair will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2015, from 8:30am-4:30pm at the World Forestry Center in Portland.

FREE CE hours are available for both Oregon and Washington REALTORS®, but classes are filling quickly. Register ASAP to ensure a seat.

Plan your day:
• View a complete schedule of classes
• Read class description and instructor bios

Sprinkled throughout the World Forestry Center campus, trade fair exhibitors will be on hand to offer the best in services, technology, and tools for your business needs. Subscribers are encouraged to bring business cards for easy entry into door prize drawings.

Thanks to our generous sponsors!

DIAMOND

PLATINUM

SILVER

RMLS™ will be offering a trade fair for our southern Oregon subscribers. Join us!

SCHEDULE

8:30am-4:00pm
Trade Show Floor Open
No registration required to attend the trade show. Food and beverage will be available in the exhibit hall. Plan to stop by and meet with vendors and enter to win door prizes!

9:00am-12:00pm
Negotiation for Real Estate Professionals
Do you “flinch?” Do you “nibble?” are you tired of “mudslinging” and does the “poison pill” make you crazy? Negotiation is a basic skill for REALTORS®—how prepared are you? Negotiation for Real Estate Professionals teaches the dos and don’ts of negotiating great deals for your clients. Agents will learn principled negotiation skills, tools for planning and conducting successful negotiations, and a variety of ways to utilize or combat classic negotiation tactics.

1:30pm-3:30pm
Exclusive Buyer Agency Agreements
Step-by-step training on how to successfully present, negotiate, and sign exclusive buyer representation agreements. This course provides great tools for qualifying buyers, negotiating professional service fees, signing representation agreements, and overcoming broker and buyer objections to exclusive representation.

Register for the RMLS™ Fall Trade Fair in Florence.

Hit a home run with RMLS™!

The RMLS™ Spring Education Summit and Trade Fair will be held on Thursday, April 11, 2013, from 8:30am-5:00pm at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

Classes are filling quickly—register online today to ensure enrollment! FREE CE hours are available for both Oregon and Washington REALTORS®!

Exhibitors will be on hand to offer the best in services, technology, and tools for your business needs. SentriLock will be in attendance for subscribers who would like to preview the lockbox equipment that RMLS™ will transition to later this year.

A special guest will also be on hand to keep the day memorable, and refreshments will be available for purchase. Don’t forget to bring business cards for door prize drawings!

Thanks to our generous sponsors!

DIAMOND

PLATINUM

SILVER

Eastern Oregon & Washington agents enjoy day of education & networking