RMLS™ is combining forces with HomeSpotter to bring an easy-to-use mobile app to RMLS™ subscribers on Monday, September 12th.
Activating the HomeSpotter app will give instant access to RMLSweb listing information to RMLS™ subscribers out in the field. HomeSpotter offers a simple interface for ease of use, and can call up details on a listing in less time than it takes to sign in to RMLSweb.
HOMESPOTTER FEATURES
HomeSpotter can easily find listings by typing in a MLS number, address, city, or ZIP code.
The app can also use location data to display a map of nearby listings that have been on the market over the last year. Zooming in on the map will reveal more listings than can be seen in the top-level view.
If all else fails, HomeSpotter can even use your phone’s camera and location to pinpoint a listing that’s right in front of you! Activate this feature, navigate the screen to the property in question, and HomeSpotter will deliver listing information in a flash.
HomeSpotter’s other tools include a menu item to quickly access your own listings, access to the RMLSweb agent roster to connect with with another RMLS™ subscriber, and a handy mortgage calculator.
SOUND INTERESTING?
Download HomeSpotter on your mobile device through the Apple App Store or Google Play. Activate your account with a unique activation code found on RMLSweb by clicking on “Homespotter” under the Toolkit menu.
Downloading the app and using this service is completely free to RMLS™ subscribers.
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:
There’s a listing I have in Hillsboro that hasn’t sold despite the low inventory and hot activity happening in the Portland metro area. I want this thing to sell! To that end, I’ve cancelled the listing on RMLSweb three times…and then created a new listing for the same property. This way, the days on market will stay low and I’ll get more eyeballs from area brokers. Why doesn’t RMLS™ teach people about this?
Hotsheet Harry
Dear Harry:
I’ve got some bad news for you—you’re doing a lot of extra work relisting your property for no reason!
On the back end of RMLSweb, changing a listing’s status to Pending, Sold, Withdrawn, Cancelled, or Expired will trigger an off-market date. If the property is relisted within 31 days of that off-market date, the listing will still show cumulative days on market (CDOM). Have a look at RMLS™ Document #1742, How CDOM is Calculated for more on this.
If the property has been off the market for more than 31 days and it’s relisted, that listing will just show regular days on market (DOM).
Here’s an idea. If your property isn’t selling (or even if it’s new on the market), try your hand at the Reverse Prospecting tool on RMLSweb. Reverse Prospecting searches for other brokers with a saved prospecting profile that matches the criteria for your listing. Check out RMLSweb Document #1772, Reverse Prospecting, and give it a try! This way, you can target your marketing efforts on those brokers with clients shopping for precisely what you’re selling.
TT:
Last week my eagle-eyed clients asked about the photo that appeared on a listing I sent them. The listing said the house was under construction, but the photo showed the exterior of the house, complete with landscaping! Was this a listing error I need to submit to RMLS™ staff or is Photoshopping really getting that good?
Those are bad examples, but RMLS™ has noticed some confusion about listing photos and just released a watermark feature in order to address the issue.
If your listing photo has what we in the biz call “virtual staging” (meaning someone used computer technology to add furniture and other decorative items to a listing photo), you’ll need to add the “Virtually Staged” watermark to the photo.
Similarly, if your RMLSweb listing is marked as Proposed or Under Construction but features photographs of an actual built house, you’ll need to add the “Sample Image” watermark to the photo.
If your listing photo features both a model home and has been virtually staged, you’ll need to add both watermarks!
My entire office staff consists of me, myself, and I. Instead of spending my day creating listing flyers in Microsoft Word, I’d rather be out in the world showing my clients some listings. Or snagging some new clients. Perhaps shopping for client gifts. In short, doing anything but wrangling with Microsoft Word! Do you have any suggestions on how I might be able to tackle listing flyers in a better way?
Sincerely, Riddled in Riddle
Great question, Riddled. We recommend the flyer module available on Realtors Property Resource® (RPR). Look for a direct link on RMLSweb under the Toolkit menu, then enter a valid RMLSweb listing number to open the flyer module in a new tab.
Data from your listing will already be pre-loaded—confirm the property address at minimum, and personalize the flyer as you’d like. Once the flyer is ready to go, select the delivery method and click “Run Report.” Your flyer will be ready to go in a jiffy.
Ever find an under construction listing on RMLSweb and wonder why an actual home appears in the photographs? Ever show an empty house and wonder where all the furniture in the listing photos went? We’d like to help.
RMLS™ will release a new feature Monday, August 22nd, designed to help clarify listing photos uploaded to RMLSweb. Two types of photos will now require watermarks: photos with virtual staging, and photos of a model home.
Photos that are virtually staged include furniture and other items that have been added electronically to a photograph. Under construction or proposed listings that feature an actual built house in photographs are not an exact representation of the listed property, and as such will need to be flagged as a sample image.
If you have a listing with either or both of these features, you can set the watermark(s) in Listing Load on RMLSweb. Open the photo loader, and check the appropriate box(es) in the right hand corner. Don’t forget to save the changes.
Checking these boxes will create watermarks on listing photos that read “virtually staged” or “sample image,” eliminating confusion about the photographs.
Saving a photo with checkbox(es) marked permanently alters the image stored on RMLS™ servers. This means if you accidentally add a watermark in error, you’ll need to delete the photo and upload a clean copy using the photo loader.
Do note that when preparing a new listing, the listing will need to be published before the Sample Image box is available in Listing Load.
REALTORS®, if you’re looking for an easy way to make a snazzy listing flyer, RMLS™ has just introduced a great solution. RMLSweb now features a direct link from the Toolkit menu to the RPR flyer module.
Look for the RPR Flyer option under the Toolkit menu on RMLSweb. Enter a valid RMLSweb listing number into the box that appears and click the Yes button. A new tab will open RPR reports with the RPR flyer module selected.
There can be some lag time between listings being entered in RMLSweb and data availability on RPR. If you just published or updated your listing, it could take up to four hours for the RPR data to catch up with the RMLSweb listing.
Once inside the RPR flyer module, be sure to confirm the property address and personalize as you wish. Once the edits are complete, select your desired delivery method (display now or send as an email) and click the Run Report button at the bottom. When the bell dings, your flyer will be ready!
Questions about this new option on RMLSweb? Contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169.
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-
Is there an easy way to get a listing report to fit on one page? Currently I click on PDF and then Print, but then the margins cut off the top of the page and leave lots of white space at the bottom. Sometimes the second page only has one or two lines of text, which is just a waste of paper.
Sincerely, Marginalized
Dear Marginalized:
First things first—whenever you’re printing from RMLSweb, use the Print button that appears on the site for best results. Here’s where to find it:
When you do not see a Print button within RMLSweb, use the browser’s File and Print command. You can get the same thing done by right-clicking and selecting Print.
Adjusting Print Margins
In the past there were specific margin settings to set in your browser to allow an Agent Full report to print on a single page. As browsers have evolved in number and versions, there are no longer “one size fits all” settings. Printing setup has become more complicated! Margin settings may vary between browsers and between printers, so you may need to set and adjust the margins on the machine you’re using to achieve your desired result.
If you’re embarking on a big print job, my colleagues at the RMLS™ Help Desk suggest that you test the print settings with a single listing first. If you need to alter the settings, you can do so before sending the whole kit and caboodle to print.
Here are some web links that provide instructions on accessing the print setup in a few major browsers:
• Firefox
• Chrome
• Safari
• Internet Explorer print adjustment can be tricky. We recommend reading Printing from RMLSweb (Document #1769) in RMLSweb Forms and Documents.
In some rare instances, no matter how much margin adjusting you do, there will always be an additional page printed out instead of just printing to a single page. If that happens, turn the document into a PDF first, then delete the extra page or just print the one(s) you need.
Good luck! If you have further questions, contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 or toll free at (877) 256-2169.
Sincerely,
Technical Terry
Hello Technical Terry:
RMLS™ has certainly been making a hullaballoo about this new billing system that’s coming to RMLSweb. What’s the big deal? Can you talk a little more about it?
Will Billerston
Hello Will:
Ever force yourself to squeeze into a pair of pants that were two sizes too small? That’s essentially what RMLS™ has been doing the last several years with its existing accounting software. A core team of RMLS™ staff has been working with vendors for over a year on this project!
Here’s what it means for RMLS™ subscribers:
• RMLS™ will be able to accept more forms of payment
• A friendlier user interface than subscribers saw in Internet Member Services (IMS)
• Increased credit card security
• RMLS™ staff will be able to assist you with multiple types of issues in one call or visit
• Dual licensees will have just one set of login credentials, switching back and forth between licenses easily.
Changing a system that is such an integral part of RMLSweb is no easy task, but we’ve been trying to roll out the change slowly in order to avoid disruptions to YOUR access of RMLSweb. RMLS™ staff are really excited about the new system and hope subscribers enjoy it just as much as we do.
RMLS™ will soon introduce this all-new payment system on RMLSweb—but the rollout will be a bit more gradual than originally reported in order to make the transition less disruptive to RMLS™ subscribers.
Instead of rolling out the new system in full on Tuesday, RMLS™ subscribers will have a week (May 24-May 30) to sort out their new login credentials. Beginning May 24, RMLSweb will offer subscribers the option of logging in with their existing RMLSweb credentials OR by using their email address and password.
IMPORTANT: Verify Your Login Information This Week
Beginning Tuesday, May 24th, subscribers are highly encouraged to log in to My.RMLS.com using their new login credentials to verify their information. Users will need to log in using the email address associated with their account and their existing RMLSweb password (Private ID). Once logged in, the system will require a password change.
The email address for logging in will be the one most recently specified in the Association Email address on Internet Member Services. RMLS™ recently sent an email to current subscribers about verifying/changing this address in preparation for this system change.
RMLS™ subscribers who do not verify their login credentials on My.RMLS.com before Tuesday, May 31st risk experiencing disruption to their business once the new system is live.
Full Rollout on Tuesday, May 31st
At approximately 9am on Tuesday, May 31st, the login screen for RMLSweb will change. All RMLS™ subscribers will log in using their email address and password as verified the previous week on My.RMLS.com.
Due to these changes, RMLS™ billing for the third quarter will take place a week later than usual. Bills will still be due on June 25th.
As always, users experiencing difficulties with verifying their information on My.RMLS.com or just unable to log in should contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 for assistance.
Big transitions can be difficult and result in longer wait times. RMLS™ staff have been trained for this transition and will do their best to assist subscribers quickly. RMLS™ thanks subscribers for their patience during this transition.
UPDATE (May 27, 2016):
Due to some technical issues experienced by users this week, RMLS™ will be delaying the roll-out of the new RMLSweb login screen. RMLS™ subscribers, watch the RMLSweb desktop page this week for the latest developments.
Activating the HomeSpotter app will give instant access to RMLSweb listing information to RMLS™ subscribers out in the field. HomeSpotter offers a simple interface for ease of use, and can call up details on a listing in less time than it takes to sign in to RMLSweb.
HOMESPOTTER FEATURES
