Would you like to work together with RMLS™ to find solutions to your challenges in RMLSweb? RMLS™ is gathering individuals who want to play an active role in our new direction—and I, Beth Raimer, am the Product Manager who will be the intermediary between subscribers and our website developers.
You may already know me from listening to Real Talk with RMLS™, the podcast I’ve been hosting for RMLS™ since May 2017. My time at RMLS™ began in Spring 2015 when I was hired to be a customer service representative at the front desk in the Portland office. In 2017 I was promoted to training where I taught RMLSweb classes, then I became Product Manager last October.
Prior to RMLS™ I sold properties in south Florida for seven years, closing 317 townhomes and 676 condos. (I cherished helping individuals find their dream home!) Before real estate I worked at a software development company for eight years, facilitating enhancements.
As RMLS™ Product Manager I have been able to travel around the entire RMLS™ region—Oregon and Washington—to host focus groups and user group sessions. At these sessions I’ve been gathering feedback and listening to subscribers’ wants and needs. Each geographic area I’ve visited has had specific requests for usability changes—sometimes quite unique to their county or town! Although playing this role is challenging, I am passionate about understanding the needs of each group and bringing those desires back to the RMLS™ staff and board.
What’s an enhancement? Think of it as any noteworthy change or improvement to RMLSweb. Examples could range from adding a map layer to changing the color of a button to make it more visible to users.
Enhancements and additions to RMLSweb are decided on by your Board of Directors, all of who are working brokers just like you. RMLS™ staff does not make these decisions. Requests from subscribers are gathered by RMLS™ staff year-round. We have a monthly meeting to discuss and categorize enhancement requests, separating out bugs to get them fixed in short order. Anything that is deemed to be an enhancement request is kept on the list. We also gather a lot of enhancement requests from the annual subscriber survey that we conduct each September.
In December/January, we take all the requests we’ve received from subscribers throughout the year—including those items from the subscriber survey—and create packages of projects for our annual board retreat that occurs in February. These projects are made up of like-minded enhancement requests combined into a larger project, such as “CMA enhancements,” or “prospecting improvements.” The projects are based on the volume of requests we receive through the year.
The packages with all associated enhancements are then printed on boards, so you may hear staff or board members referring to these projects as “voting boards.” Leading up to the annual retreat the voting board projects are also rated by our board’s technology committee, which adds or removes additional requirements to the projects before they are finalized.
Finally at the annual board retreat our directors discuss each voting board project, ultimately voting for projects they think should be the highest priorities for RMLS™ over the next year.
Once projects are board-approved and development work begins, I will set up focus groups with subscribers to make sure our internal project plans match what brokers are expecting. Whenever enhancements are released, I’ll also sit with the RMLS™ Help Desk staff to learn about challenges subscribers are experiencing with each release.
Would you like to be a part of one of our focus groups? Contact me via email at beth.r@rmls.com or via phone at (503) 872-8065. I welcome feedback from subscribers through these channels as well. I would love to meet with as many users as possible as we move forward with the next phase of RMLSweb. I look forward to identifying RMLS™ subscribers’ wants and needs and to make sure the developed solutions meet subscribers’ expectations.
Changes are happening now on RMLSweb—I invite you to be an active part of our new direction!
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,
RMLS™ has done a great job finding products that provide great benefit to its REALTOR® subscribers, but at times it seems like there are just too many options! It seems like we have new tools to learn on a daily basis. Just recently I went to a training session for a new product called Remine, and now I understand there is another product coming soon called Homesnap. Can you tell me why I would choose one over the other? What are the differences?
Overloaded in Orenco
Dear OO,
Understood completely! It’s not just you—it’s even a challenge for our support and training staff to keep abreast of the rapid pace of innovation around RMLS™ these days.
Here’s a brief overview of the products you mention above.
Homesnap Pro
Homesnap Pro combines agent-only MLS data on a web portal with a mobile app for use in the field.
Provides real-time information to agents on the go, giving them the flexibility to research homes, interact with each other, and collaborate with clients from their mobile devices. Agents and consumers can use the same platform to seamlessly share real estate information and communicate directly.
Additional features of Homesnap Pro include real-time access to agent-only MLS information, information about any home, messaging with clients and agents, customized email marketing, CMA generation from a mobile device, and information about other agents.
Remine
Remine provides some of the same capabilities as Homesnap, but it really excels more for data mining. This means Remine provides users the ability to “watch” homes, neighborhoods, and people to best understand market motivation. Users can use this data to scientifically allocate marketing efforts toward specific properties or people that indicate potential motivation.
Remine has three main components on its app: Discover, Track, and Engage.
Discover: This is the map, where you can use layers to narrow down properties you want to target and set up farming areas to find opportunities.
Track: This is the list of properties and people you’re tracking. You can upload contacts to track data that will help you prioritize who you should reach out to, and when to reach out. You can use this page to export spreadsheets to use for mailers, call lists, or email campaigns.
Engage: This is your client dashboard, where you can keep track of your clients’ activities, invite new clients, and manage your leads.
Both Homesnap and Remine provide great benefits, but they have different strenghts. Homesnap provides great tools to engage clients, and Remine specializes in farming activities. Both products have amazing support portals available, containing plenty of how-tos in both written and video formats, there to help you decide which might work best for you.
The RMLS™ trainers are developing classes for both products, so keep your eyes on your local training calendar in the coming months!
TT
Hey Ask Technical Terry!
Homesnap seems like it’s going to be great for my workflow and working with my clients! My assistant told me that RMLS.com will be going away because of Homesnap—is this true?
Snappin’ for Homesnap
Hey Snappin’!
It is true: RMLS.com will redirect to Homesnap’s Broker Public Portal once RMLS™ rolls out the project on May 7th! We recently published a video about the change:
It’ll be a big change, but one that we think will better serve our REALTOR® subscribers and their clients. We can’t wait to hear what you think once Homesnap is live!
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,
First—thank you, and thanks to RMLS™—for keeping subscribers updated with the latest in lockbox technology. In doing so though, it puts stress on us REALTORS® to make sure we have the latest phone, computer, or tablet, and sometimes that gets confusing. Take the new SentriLock Bluetooth lockboxes—while I’m sure they’re a nice piece of technology, I’ve had a few issues getting mine to open. Do you have any general troubleshooting advice you can give? Keep in mind I’m generally in front of clients when the lockbox won’t open! Darn that Murphy’s Law!
Confused in Coquille
Dear CC,
You’re spot on—the new SentriLock lockboxes are a better piece of technology overall, but they also require the user to familiarize themselves with basic Bluetooth troubleshooting tactics to avoid embarrassment in front of clients like what you’ve experienced. Here’s my advice:
Make sure your cell phone is running the minimum operating system for SentriLock Bluetooth support. On Android devices, this means operating 6.0.1 or higher. On Apple devices, this means iOS 8 or higher.
Ensure your cell phone is running the latest version of SentriSmart™: the current version for both Android and iOS is 3.7.2. You can check your version by opening the app, selecting “Settings,” then scrolling down to “Version.”
Check that Bluetooth is turned on in the phone you’re using! This may sound simple, but the RMLS™ Help Desk has had calls from more than one subscriber whose Bluetooth radio was not turned on in their cell phone. Most phones provide access to a settings menu to control various aspects of your cell phone. You should find the on/off switch for Bluetooth in this area of your phone.
Make sure the Bluetooth radio is on in the lockbox! Remember that you need to press the ENT button on the face of the lockbox (shown below) in order to switch the lockbox’s Bluetooth radio on.
Turn off the Bluetooth radio on your phone for five seconds, then turn it back on again.
Close other apps that may be running on your phone. Depending on the type of phone (Android or iPhone) the process for closing running apps will vary.
Reboot your cell phone. When was the last time you restarted your cell phone? Much like a computer, rebooting the phone can make a world of difference.
Make sure the lockbox you’re attempting to open via Bluetooth is indeed a Bluetooth lockbox! The older NXT lockbox (shown below) looks the same as a Bluetooth lockbox with one exception: Bluetooth lockboxes have a white front, not a blue front. [We really do want to see all the older NXT lockboxes out of the marketplace—if you happen to encounter one, let us know and we’ll contact the subscriber to get it swapped out.]
In the big picture, you may need a bit more understanding about how Bluetooth works with your specific cell phone, including some routine maintenance tasks (closing apps and rebooting the phone on occasion) to make your usage of the new Bluetooth lockboxes more successful.
CC, I hope this was helpful! Don’t forget, you can always contact SentriLock at (513) 618-5800 or the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 [toll free (877) 256-2139] for assistance.
Technical Terry
Dear Technical Terry,
One of my listings is a solid hour from my office—two hours round trip. Yesterday I made the trip in order to put a lockbox on the listing. Then this morning I received an email from SentriLock about updating the lockbox firmware! Do I really need to drive all the way back to do that before anyone can access the listing?
Yours in Real Estate, Fern in Forest Grove
Dear Fern:
How frustrating it would be to get that email right after making a long trip! Rest assured, you don’t have to return to this listing before it can be shown.
Here’s the story: the Bluetooth lockboxes we received for the upgrade events last fall have the newest firmware that was available at that time. SentriLock did issue a new firmware version at the end of December, but it’s not a required update. In fact, none of the firmware updates that SentriLock has released are required! The lockboxes will still function without updates! These updates just fix issues with battery life and working with Bluetooth radios on newer phones. They are good to apply, but are not required for the lockbox to function.
If you do want to update the firmware on your Bluetooth lockboxes, there are two ways to do it. If you have easy access to the lockbox—say it’s sitting on your desk—I’d advise using SentriSmart™ as the lockbox owner or as an agent with ownership privileges (aka team members) and select the “update firmware” option under Lockbox Tools.
The second way to do it is through a passive update. Passive firmware updates happen when the box receives small pieces of the update every time a broker opens that box to show a listing. The incremental update could take 15 or more container accesses, since agents may walk away from the door while showing the property. When the update is initiated and stops prior to completion, the next agent to access the lockbox using the app will start the firmware update from where the prior connection left off. (Think of this as the torrent version of updating your lockbox.) Once again, updating this firmware manually is not required.
As you can see, firmware is nothing to fret about!
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 am loving the new Bluetooth lockboxes! The conversion ran smooth as silk and I’ve had no issues whatsoever with accessing the new boxes. I do, however, have some concern about the new “single key” policy that allows me to use ONLY SentriSmart™ OR my SentriCard® each day. What is the rationale for that policy?
Concerned in Coquille
Hello CC:
I’m glad to hear your SentriLock conversion experience went smoothly—they really are a fantastic company to work with!
About single key: the RMLS™ board had become very concerned about the amount of SentriLock key access violations being reported and discussed on social media. These reports are not unique to our market, so SentriLock had been working on the single key concept to tighten up lockbox access misuse for some time. One of the key events that lead to the board deciding to move to single key was the report of a RMLS™ subscriber updating their SentriCard® then giving it to their assistant to use while the subscriber used SentriSmart™ for the day. Clearly a violation of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations!
Here’s what you need to know about the single key process:
Once SentriSmart™ is opened on your cell phone, that becomes your key for the day.
SentriSmart™ provides you with a complete set of lockbox management tools, so it is the preferred method for accessing the SentriLock system.
If SentriSmart™ is your preferred method for using SentriLock, do not keep your SentriCard® in the desktop reader or RAD. The SentriCard may update overnight, leaving you unable to use SentriSmart™ the remainder of that day.
Keeping your SentriCard® in your wallet or bag is highly recommended—it can become your key for the day either if SentriSmart™ or your phone stop working.
If SentriSmart™ or your phone stop working after the app has been opened for the day, you can still get an update code from SentriLock for your SentriCard® and use it for the rest of the day. Just contact SentriLock using the phone number on the back of your SentriCard®.
Keep in mind that if you update your SentriCard® after 4:00 PM Pacific, it will be your designated key for the following day as well.
The bottom line is that the single key concept was implemented to provide additional security and tighten up the potential for misuse of the SentriLock system by unauthorized users. All you really need to remember is to open the app on your phone prior to going out to show properties for the day AND keep your SentriCard® on hand just in case as a backup.
Technical Terry
Dear Technical Terry,
Oh NO! This weekend I was KonMari-ing my garage, and I found four more NXT lockboxes! (Let me tell you, these things do not spark joy.) Can I still turn them in for Bluetooth lockboxes? What are my options here?
Decluttering in Damascus
Dear DD:
Great question, and just in time! Once you thank those lockboxes for their service to your real estate business, head to your local RMLS™ office with them. We can still upgrade NXT lockboxes to the newer Bluetooth model—at no cost to you—before Friday, February 1st. Hurry in, you don’t have much time left!
For the week of October 15-21, 2018, these charts show the number of times RMLS™ subscribers opened SentriLock lockboxes in Oregon and Washington. Activity increased in Washington but decreased slightly in Oregon this week.
