We recently made a change that some of you may have noticed. We have updated the way the Report Issue button works. The reason for this change is that we have recently upgraded our data review and correction processes with a new suite of software called Listing Data Checker. This new software allows us to review listings more efficiently and to notify our subscribers of any corrections that need to be made to keep the data accurate. A part of this new software suite is improved reporting functions for you. The new interface is streamlined and all that is needed is a brief description of the issue that you are alerting us to. That is all. Since the report goes directly into the new software we can match it up to specific issues and send out notices to get the data updated. We are also able to group reports together if we receive multiple notifications for the same listing. This will allow us to track the issues that our subscribers are reporting and make changes to the system as they are needed. Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve the quality of the data you rely on. Remember, all you need to do is give us a brief description of the issue and we will take care of the rest.
Coming
soon to RMLSweb will be the ability
to see and track the listing reports that you send to us using the “Report
Issue” button found on listings within RMLSweb.
We
will be adding a new column in the Back Office dropdown at the top of the
page. The new column will be called
Listing Issue. In the new column will be
up to 4 new options depending on the access level of your account. The new buttons will be:
Reported By Me
This will allow you to see the status of issues
that you have reported.
My violations
This will allow you to see all of the issues
that have been reported on your listings.
If you are the Participant broker for your firm
this will allow you to see all the issues that have been reported for your firm.
Both listing violations and courtesy notices
will be shown here.
My Open Violations
This will allow you to see only the issues that
are currently unresolved
My Notifications
This will allow you to see and read any of the
notifications that were sent to you.
This should list only the notifications on one
of your own listings regardless of your status in the firm.
If the idea of no longer paying additional costs for contact data sounds appealing, you’re in luck. All RMLS™ subscribers now have the option to use the Remine Pro service upgrade, which offers a wealth of new features, including enhanced search, financial, and prospecting tools. Sharpen your professional toolkit with these new capabilities:
Save yourself individual contact fees. Contact information, including email, phone numbers and Buy Score, is free and unlimited in Pro.
Track up to 10,000 property contacts. Instead of being limited to 250, you can now track a virtually inexhaustible number of contacts. You’ll also be able to export 125 public record data fields, up from the previous limit of 12.
Customize nationwide searches with new MLS layers. Overlay neighborhood maps and school maps, or sort your listings according to home equity, flood zones, property valuations, and more.
Share saved properties directly with your contacts. The Engage system also allows real-time feedback from your clients.
Use robust analytics to track customer behavior. See which properties your customers have saved and shared.
Take advantage of streaming tours. Remine Live allows you to schedule live streaming tours of active listings, which is especially helpful during the pandemic.
Remine Pro, which offers a one-stop shop for contacts, property searches, and prospecting, is available on mobile and desktop. Learn more about service features here. Access your Remine Pro account by going to RMLS.Remine.com.
Homes.com is now available on RMLSweb! This consumer-side search portal generates leads for REALTORS® who register for a free profile on the site. The Homes.com lead management system includes a lead and contact manager, email marketing, and a monthly newsletter.
Explore Homes.com under the Toolkit menu on RMLSweb by selecting Homes.com under Third-party Links.
The Rules Roundup provides a monthly accounting of RMLS rules violations and courtesy notifications. Our Data Accuracy team manages all reports of property listing errors, tracking 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy whether those are submitted via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, through email, or by phone. When there are increases in specific violation types, we often place notifications on RMLSweb in order to alert subscribers so that they can avoid violations.
JUNE HIGHLIGHTS
We are seeing a greater number of listings that are being entered and not able to be shown right away. As a reminder, if a listing has been entered into RMLS it must be available for showing unless it meets criteria laid out in rule 3.27 of the RMLS Rules and Regulations:
Availability for Showing. With the exception of Commercial Lease, Auction, and Coming Soon-No Showing listings, all active listings shall be available for showing immediately upon entry into the RMLS system, excluding listings which require all offers to be made contingent on interior inspection. Listings cannot restrict showing until a future date.
Though there may be valid reasons for your client to restrict showings, such as a renter occupying the property or the property being unsafe, but in cases like this agents should add a statement to the listing remarks that explains that all offers are contingent upon an interior inspection. It may be helpful to provide a brief explanation as to why showings are unavailable. If a home is simply not ready to be shown but you want to let people know it will available soon then publishing as Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) would be appropriate. This allows other RMLS subscribers the chance to know about your listing so that they can share it with their clients while still affording your client up to 21 days to finish getting their home ready for showings.
It is also important to follow the showing instructions. As listing volume increases with the sunny weather, it can be easy to get excited and not double check the instructions before taking a client into a listing.
The committee reviewed one case in June 2021 that resulted in a fine of $250.00.
5.1.l – Unauthorized use of lockbox system: A Buyer’s Agent did not follow showing instructions.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS & COURTESY NOTICES
In June 2021, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 35,446 listings in addition to the 505 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,380 violation notices and 2,065 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition, our team handled 515 phone calls.
Category
June
Missing Tax ID
350
Personal Promotion
183
Missing School
182
Incorrect or Missing Information
143
No Showings
133
Duplicate Listing
69
Missing Owner Name
48
Incorrect Status
41
Incorrect First Photo
40
Property Condition
39
Incorrect Property Type
38
Is Property a Condo
36
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area
18
Inaccurate Lot Size
14
Conditions to Compensation
13
Address Issues
9
Missing Condo Unit Number
7
Partial Bathrooms 5+
7
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories
6
City Unknown
2
HUD
2
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in June 2021:
Category
June
Listing Still Pending
661
Listing is Set to Expire
558
Multiple Owner Names in First Field
354
Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours
331
Listing Still in OMS, Public Records Indicate SLD
90
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours
71
Questions about RMLS Rules and Regulations or the accuracy of specific listings can be directed to the RMLS Data Accuracy department at dataaccuracy@rmls.com or 503.395.1916.
In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to report issues and inaccuracies to our Data Accuracy department. In Part 2, we discussed how issues are reviewed and processed. In this edition, we’ll cover how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter. In Part 3, we covered how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter.
For Part 4, we’re looking at how some of the recent statistics stack up to each other. In comparing 2019 to 2020 data, we’ve noticed some interesting trends.
Missing Tax ID, Personal Promotion, and Incorrect/Missing Information were the top three issues in both 2019 and 2020.
Total reported issues decreased 8.1% from 2019 to 2020 (15,574 down to 14,309). The sub-category of reported issues submitted via the ‘Report Issue’ button decreased 5.7% (5,387 down from 5,715).
Data Accuracy department staff run proactive audits to look at common potential data inaccuracies. It is interesting to compare these two years because you can see the way the pandemic has impacted different categories. 2020 had fewer listings and subsequently fewer issues than 2019. On the other hand, our Data Accuracy team handled a significant increase in the number of calls.
In 2020, staff reviewed almost 332,000 listings that resulted in 36,800+ issues being resolved, a decrease from the 394,000+ listings reviewed and 37,600+ issues resolved in 2019.
There was a 34.7% increase (3,451 in 2019 vs 4,650 in 2020) in the number of phone calls handled by the Data Accuracy team.
When we compare the first 5 months of 2021 to the same period in 2020, we see some interesting takeaways.
Two of the top three issues are the same, Missing Tax ID and Incorrect/Missing Information, but other top three spot is currently Missing School. This may have to do with changes that various school districts are making regarding school names.
In 2021 we are ahead on Reported Issues (2559 vs 2224) and Violations (6338 vs 4883) but are behind on Courtesy Notices (7169 vs 8686) and calls (1749 vs 1799).
We are slightly behind the 2020 monthly average of 6847 new listings added per month with 6685 new listings added per month so far for 2021.
Ultimately it will be interesting to see at the end of this year how 2021 compares to 2020. Our Data Accuracy team continually examines statistical trends to improve issue resolution and improve accuracy.
