RMLS™ subscribers, get ready—RMLS™ is putting the finishing touches on a new reverse prospecting tool! We plan to premiere the new system the morning of Thursday, July 16th.

What should you expect? Here’s a preview:

Map Capability

Need to find buyers specifically looking in your geographical area? Reverse prospecting will now feature map capability, meaning REALTORS® can connect with agents who have clients looking in the specific area where your listing is situated. Net result? A more effective search!

NOTE: Agents using auto-fill to populate information from a ML# in Reverse Prospecting, take note: the map pin will be placed where it was entered in Listing Load. It can be adjusted in this new Reverse Prospecting interface, but it’s always good practice to verify the map point of your listing in Listing Load!

If the map isn’t useful to you, minimize it by clicking “Map Point Selection Map” above the upper left corner of the map window. This will give you easy access to the other search fields that appear below the map.

Saved Searches

Just like our other search options, users will now be able to save searches in reverse prospecting. These saved searches can be accessed via tabs at the top of the screen.

A Refreshed Look

The current RMLSweb reverse prospecting system is a bit dated, and we’ve been working to bring a consistent look and feel to the site as a whole. You’ll notice a big difference in the visual design of the reverse prospecting system as soon as we roll it out.

Don’t forget, if you find yourself with questions as you navigate around the new system, the RMLS™ Help Desk is available to assist you via telephone [(503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169], email, or by chatting directly from RMLSweb.

“Where did my in-progress listing go? I’ve entered it three times and now I can’t find it again!”

The RMLS™ Help Desk frequently receives calls like this, and we’re happy to announce that one of the new features being released on RMLSweb Wednesday, May 27th should solve this frustrating issue.

In-Progress Listing Changes

Help Desk Technician Joanne Fulgaro reports the Help Desk receives over 50 calls a month from subscribers unable to find a listing they had saved in their in-progress list. “This was not only time consuming, but frustrating for our subscribers,” she notes.

After Help Desk staff describes a work-around to access the correct listing, the subscriber could then continue their work where they left off. (At this point, multiple in-progress listings for the same property would exist.) As of Thursday this work-around will not be needed, as the in-progress listings page will function differently, displaying the most recently saved in-progress listing at the top (above).

Sidebar Improvements

Subscribers will also notice changes to the right sidebar of the RMLSweb desktop page starting Thursday. A new tabbed interface allows users to toggle between sidebar features without scrolling. The system will keep the last accessed tab at the top, so if a user only uses a certain feature of the sidebar, the tab will remain on top when they come back. A front/back toggle button also means subscribers utilizing custom columns on searches can send the sidebar behind their search results if needed.

Responsive Menu Bar

Finally, on Thursday we’ll be changing the way the RMLSweb menu bar behaves. Users who tire of scrolling up each page to access different parts of RMLSweb will rejoice, as the menu bar will remain fixed at the top of the browser window for convenience. This was a project prioritized for 2015 by the RMLS™ Board of Directors.

We’re always trying to make RMLSweb better for subscribers, and hope this latest round of changes will be helpful. Subscribers can always contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169 with questions or suggestions for future improvements.

DON’T FORGET: the monthly RMLSweb outage usually scheduled during the last Wednesday of each month from 10pm-2am Thursday will be a little longer this month. RMLS™ technicians will not only be executing new features to the site and performing system maintenance, but also replacing hardware. RMLSweb will be in maintenance mode from 10pm Wednesday, May 27th until 4am Thursday, May 28th.

RMLS™ released a round of site improvements and bug fixes to RMLSweb that went live this morning. RE Technology is now available for free to RMLS™ subscribers, detail view has been expanded again, and a comparable mapping component has been added to the CMA report! Those are just a few of the improvements you may notice around the site starting today.

RE Technology

RMLS™ is now offering subscribers access to RE Technology free of charge. RE Technology is an educational resource for real estate professionals that shows agents how to use technology to find more leads, close more deals, and boost the bottom line. The site contains useful tools in addition to connecting REALTORS® to the knowledge to leverage these tools adeptly.

New users of RE Technology will need to create an account to begin using the site. Once you have an account, logging in to RMLSweb will also enable access to RE Technology without signing on again.

Access RE Technology on RMLSweb by navigating to one of the two links menus: either on the left sidebar of the desktop page, or under Toolkit in the navigation menu.

Detail View Grows Again

Detail view on RMLSweb has been a hit with users, so RMLS™ continues to integrate the feature throughout the site. Starting today, subscribers will be able to access the detail view tab on search results for taxes, hotsheets, open houses, and broker tours.

Detail view presents a solution to some common problems subscribers encounter. Users can switch between reports without reloading an entire page, meaning a subscriber can browse listings more quickly without losing their place in a long list of search results.

Map of Comparables in CMA Report

Where are the comparable properties located in relation to the subject property? The CMA report now includes the option to include a map of comparables in the report.

Access this feature by navigating to the Report tab in CMA Profiles. Under “Options,” check the box that includes “Map of Comparables to Your Home,” then generate your report as usual.

Easy!

More Improvements…

Several other improvements and bug fixes were released along with the new features named above.
• Certain error messages on RMLSweb that used to appear in black text now appear in red, a visual popout that helps subscribers see what needs to be changed for a search to work.
• Subscribers using Chrome may have experienced issues clicking on the calendar button to select a date. This bug has been fixed.
• Did you know that it is impossible to search for bank-owned and short sale properties at the same time? It’s a common error, and RMLSweb now sports an error message clarifying the problem when it occurs.

And Even More Improvements!

Even more minor changes were made this week—housecleaning business that subscribers may never notice because we’re aiming to create a seamless user experience.

If you ever encounter something you think may have changed, consider looking at the deployment history of RMLSweb or contacting the RMLS™ Help Desk for assistance at (503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169.

UPDATE (February 4, 2015)
RMLS™ has discovered an issue with the new CMA mapping feature, so it has been taken offline temporarily. We are working hard to resolve the issue and restore the feature as quickly as possible.

RMLS™ is adding a detail view tab to several searches on RMLSweb as part of the regular monthly outage scheduled for Wednesday, April 30th. Detail view provides a list of properties on the left and a window showing selected reports on the right. (In the sample below, the Agent Full report is shown.) Users can select tabs to navigate through the various available reports.

Listing Load got the detail view treatment last summer, and this spring we’ll be expanding the feature to the following areas:
• Map Search
• Quick Search
• Advanced Search
• Street(s)/Address Search
• MLS Number Search
• Actual Expireds Search
• Radius Search

The RMLS™ development staff expanded the use of detail view on RMLSweb as it offered an answer to some common problems. Users will be able to switch between reports without reloading the whole page. Not only is this process faster than waiting for each to reload when browsing listings, but the user won’t lose their place in a long search results list after reading details in each listing.

RMLSweb will remember which view the user used last. This means that if you find yourself using detail view more than list view, you won’t need to toggle to your preferred setting each time you run a search!

Detail view makes browsing easier for users, but doesn’t have the same capabilities as list view. To print search results, you will need to use the list view tab. Also, detail view doesn’t support printing reports directly—if you want to print a report from detail view, you’ll still need to navigate to the report using the report menu (upper right hand of the screen) and then use the print button. And if you have custom columns set up, you’ll only be able to use them in list view.

This is the first rollout in this year’s search improvement project—one of the main projects RMLS™ will be implementing this year. (More on the RMLS™ development process here.)

We hope you find detail view to be helpful as you’re browsing properties for clients. Keep watch on RMLS™ this year, as we have more improvements in the works!

Improvements to the RMLSweb menu bar are set to go live the morning of Thursday, October 31st, as part of this year’s browser compatibility project.  These improvements are specifically targeted to improve usability for more web browsers, tablet computers, smartphones, and other mobile devices, but other users may be delighted at the changes as well…

What’s Rolling Out?

We’ll be making design changes to the menu bar (above)—it will be larger, sport a lighter color, and be responsive to the user’s screen size.

Drop-down menus will be easier to navigate, graying out menu bar headers with no link (left) and clearly nesting sub-menus.

Clicking the RMLS™ logo on the left corner above the menu bar will return the user to the desktop page.

Users needing to change their RMLSweb user preferences will be pleased by a new shortcut. Simply click on the user’s name in the upper right corner, and a shortcut will drop down below. (User preferences are currently accessed under the Toolkit option in the menu bar.)

Finally, chatting with RMLS™ will be easier than ever! The chat button will be moved out of the right sidebar (which many RMLSweb users keep minimized) and placed at the top of the page for easier access. Chat was rolled out in February and has been immensely popular.

These improvements will be rolled out during the monthly maintenance outage, scheduled this month for October 30th from 10pm until October 31st at 2am. RMLS™ will continue rolling out browser compatibility improvements through this year, so watch the blog for more in the coming months!

RMLS™ staff is constantly working on ways to improve RMLSweb, either by improving existing features or adding new ones. In July, subscribers will see the following improvements to our system…

Bing Maps Coming to CMAs

As of this evening, the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) tool on RMLSweb will allow setting the map point for the subject property using Bing Maps! This is one of the final pieces in our conversion to Bing, meaning a CMA subject property map will now sport the enhanced map performance and graphic look found elsewhere on RMLSweb.

Office Email Designation

Principal brokers will now have the ability to set an officewide email address to appear on all listings that originate from their brokerage.

In order to set up your office’s email address, navigate to Toolkit in the RMLSweb navigation bar and click on “User Preferences.” Select the “Company Email/Logo” tab, and fill in the email field at the top. (Don’t forget to save!)

Office email information will appear in both the office roster and in the Agent Full and Data Only reports on RMLSweb.

Coming Soon: New Map Search and More!
We’ll be rolling out a new map search interface on RMLSweb. Watch the RMLScentral blog for more information in the coming weeks!

And don’t forget, as the year continues we’ll be working on our biggest project of the year, full browser and tablet compatibility!

Subscribers seeking assistance with these changes or any other RMLSweb features may contact the RMLS™ Help Desk for assistance by calling (503) 872-8002, emailing helpdesk@rmls.com, or by clicking the chat button on the right sidebar of RMLSweb.

All of us at RMLS™ hope subscribers will appreciate these improvements to RMLSweb!