RMLS™ recently announced a handful of upcoming changes to the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. These changes, effective December 17th, include  changes to the time limits allowed for new listing input and status changes, and other changes that clarify online marketing issues for listings in Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) status.

The RMLSweb CSN status has generated a high volume of questions and feedback from subscribers and we anticipate these rules adjustments to garner more questions. Following are some of the most common questions we anticipate receiving in light of the upcoming rules changes.

I am the seller’s agent for a CSN listing which is published in RMLSweb. I have placed a sign on the property that includes the words “Coming Soon.” I received a call from a prospective buyer who saw the sign and would like to know more information about the listing. Can I share information about this CSN listing with the prospective buyer?

Yes, you may share information about this listing with that prospective buyer.

I am the seller’s agent for a CSN listing which has been published on RMLSweb. Can I send an email to my fellow agents with information about this CSN listing?

Yes, you may send an email to fellow agents assuming they are all active RMLS™ subscribers.

Can CSN listings be published on home search sites outside of RMLSweb, such as Realtor.com and Zillow?

No, they cannot. While a listing is in CSN status, it can only be published on RMLSweb.

I have a private Facebook group that includes other RMLS™ subscribers and my clients. Can I share my CSN listing with members of that group?

You may share your CSN listing with your private Facebook group as long as only your clients, current customers, and active RMLS™ subscribers are members of this group. If any member of the group is not your client, customer, or is an inactive RMLS™ subscriber, you may not share the CSN listing.

I am the seller’s agent for a CSN listing. I have not yet published the CSN listing on RMLSweb. Before I do so, I want to publish it as a Coming Soon listing on a public internet site first. Is that okay?

No, that is not permitted. The CSN listing must be published on RMLSweb and cannot be published on any public internet site.

I am the seller’s agent for a CSN listing. Can I post a vague statement on social media—without the listing address—that I have a CSN listing coming soon in a certain neighborhood, and to contact me for more information?

No, that is not allowed. Once published on RMLSweb, CSN listings can only be shared privately with a broker’s clients, current customers, and active RMLS™ subscribers, and must be published on RMLSweb.

My clients said they were ready for their listing to go live, then two days later they had an emergency and wanted the listing to go back to CSN. I logged in to RMLSweb but I’m not seeing CSN as an option anymore. What gives?

Your question is addressed by our prior set of CSN questions from August. What we’ve answered above only reflects those parts of the CSN rules that will be changing effective December 17th. Everything else about CSN listings—the 21 day limit for a listing to be in CSN status, the inability to change a listing back to CSN status once it’s active—were all addressed when the CSN status was introduced earlier this year.

That said, RMLS™ is happy to guide you through a specific situation or answer questions you may have about CSN listings or anything else. Contact the RMLS™ Rules staff at (503) 236-7657, they’re happy to educate subscribers who reach out!

As our subscribers are no doubt aware by now, RMLS™ released a new listing status—Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) back in early May, along with making related changes to the Authorization to Exclude from MLS Addendum.

The changes we made had a notable impact. In the last three months, over 1,600 CSN listings have been added to RMLSweb! On average, listings have stayed in CSN status for six days before being changed to Active (ACT) status. Prior to the changes, the number of Authorization to Exclude from MLS Addendums submitted to RMLS™ was in the hundreds per month. Since the change, just 59 forms have been submitted.

These changes are still relatively new, and RMLS™ continues to get questions about how the new system works. Here are some of the most common questions we receive about the CSN changes, answered:

I am about to list a property in CSN status. What do I need to do in Listing Load to ensure that it is published as a CSN status?

Before publishing the listing in Listing Load, you should check two things. First, make sure the checkbox for “Publish as Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN):” is checked. Second, make sure you’ve filled in “Date Marketing to Begin.” This is the list date—a date greater than today, but not more than 21 days in the future. These two things will ensure that the listing is published as CSN in RMLSweb.

My seller wants their property published as a CSN for just ten days, not the full 21 days. Is this possible?

Yes it is! You and your seller can have a listing published on RMLSweb as CSN for as little as one day or as many as 21 days, but not more than 21 days.

I have a CSN listing that is supposed to be in CSN status for ten days. Today is the ninth day and the seller has decided that they need five more days to prepare the property. What should I do?

Edit the listing in Listing Load and change the “Date Marketing to Begin” field to reflect the new date. For example if you originally made August 1st the date marketing to begin and your seller needed five additional days, you would change it to August 6th. Save the changes and you are good to go. The listing will convert to Active (ACT) status on August 6th.

Caveat: if adding five days takes you over that 21 day limit, you’ll need to withdraw the listing until it is ready for market.

My CSN listing changed to Active (ACT) status by itself. I didn’t change it. How did this happen?

Once the date you’ve set as the “Date Marketing to Begin” hits, the system will automatically convert the listing status from CSN to ACT.

My sellers and I agreed to list their property as a CSN listing in RMLSweb for 18 days. Today’s the eleventh day and they’ve decided that they are ready to put the property on the market. Can I change the CSN status to ACT?

Yes you can. Anytime during the period when a property is in CSN status, the Seller’s Agent (that’s you!) can change the status to Active (ACT) or Withdrawn (WTH).

I want to install a sign with flyers on the property of my CSN listing. Are there requirements regarding the sign and flyer that I should know about?

Yes. The sign and/or flyers must contain the label “Coming Soon.” This will let folks know that that they can expect to see the property on the market soon.

Okay, I have published a listing as CSN in RMLSweb and posted a sign at the property that says “Coming Soon.” Can I email or share details about this property with my clients?

No you may not. If one of your clients ask about this property, let them know the date when it will be active on the market—you can follow up with them at that time.

Can CSN listings be published on internet sites outside of RMLSweb, such as Realtor.com or Zillow?

No, they cannot. While a listing is in CSN status, it can only be published on RMLSweb.

My seller has opted to exclude their property from the MLS. I have a signed listing contract noting this decision. Is there anything else I need to do?

Since the seller has chosen to exclude their property from the MLS, Document #1260, Authorization to Exclude from MLS Addendum or an equivalent form will need to be filled out and signed by the seller(s), Seller’s Agent, and the Principal/Designated Broker. The form must then be submitted to RMLS™ within 72 hours. You can submit this directly within RMLSweb by going to Back Office -> Submit Excluded Listing. Click “+Add a PDF” and follow the instructions. Information on the form will not be made available to other subscribers—just you, your Participant/Designated Broker, and RMLS™.

My seller wants to exclude the property from RMLSweb for 30 days and then include it. Our listing contract is effective for three months though. Is it possible to do what they are requesting?

No, it is not. When a seller elects to exclude the property from RMLSweb, they do so for the life of that listing contract. In this case, all three months.

My sellers excluded their listing from RMLSweb and the listing contract expired. Now the sellers want to list the property. How soon can I publish it?

You will need to wait for 30 days after the listing contract has expired. Once those 30 days are up, you can publish the listing in RMLSweb. At the time that the seller excluded the property from the MLS they filled out, signed, and agreed to Authorization to Exclude from MLS Addendum, which states the “Broker’s Firm shall not enter this property into the MLS until 30 days past the Expiration Date” (Page 2).

I have a client who wants to sell a property but it needs major work. The work won’t be completed for 45 days. CSN is not an option, because they need more than 21 days. What can I do?

Fill out the listing contact and choose the first option: “AN ACTIVE LISTING (ACT).” Since no marketing will occur while work is being completed, set “Date Marketing to Begin” to the 45th day out. For example, if today is August 1, 2018, you would set “Date Marketing to Begin” for September 14, 2018. You have secured the listing contact and the sellers will have the time they need to prep the property for the market. Once the work is complete, then publish the listing on RMLSweb on September 14, 2018 and begin your marketing efforts.

Read More:

What’s Coming to RMLSweb: Coming Soon-No Showing Details
What’s Date Marketing to Begin? Ask Technical Terry