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 Ask Technical Terry:
I’m confused! I’m a dual licensed REALTOR® and since the RMLSweb facelift how I log in has changed. Can you please explain in layman’s terms how the process works? What is the best way to access my two unique accounts on RMLSweb?
Login-challenged Loretta
Hi Loretta:
Of course! The RMLS™ Help Desk has told me that our recent changes to RMLSweb have created some uncertainty among subscribers so let me demystify the new process.
There are three basic scenarios that come in to play when logging in to RMLSweb.
Once you are logged in to RMLSweb with either of your options, you can change to the other login (state) by clicking on the Help menu and choosing “Switch License,” as seen below.
If you need to set or change either password for RMLSweb just log in to the account in question, then go to User Preferences/My Account Information to edit.
Dear ATT:
Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting emails from RMLS™ about some survey. It seems like I’ve gotten one for the last few years since I joined RMLS™. Why do you keep sending me these?
Demotivated Dana
Dear DD:
Indeed! RMLS™ conducts one big survey per year of all RMLS™ subscribers—the RMLS™ Subscriber Satisfaction Survey—usually in September. We aim to hear from 20% of you, which is a pretty big response rate—but that’s because the survey is pretty important to RMLS™.
You may have read about how the enhancements process works. It is a process, and the Subscriber Satisfaction Survey is a large part of that. We are asking our members to give us feedback about specific projects that RMLS™ may be undertaking in the next calendar year, but we also use the opportunity to get feedback about nearly every aspect of RMLS™.
Every single comment collected in the survey is read by a RMLS™ staff member. The data is also used in aggregate by the RMLS™ Board of Directors to steer the ship, so to speak. Even so, if you’re reluctant to take the survey anymore because RMLS™ just won’t add “Clown Car Parking” to the Advanced Search options (even though you’ve suggested it 27 times!), keep in mind that you may be the only person requesting that particular change.
Why do we keep sending you emails about taking the survey, then? We really do want to hear from you! Our response rate has also been a little low so far and we’re aiming for that 20% before we close things up for the year.
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 Ask Technical Terry:
What a shock—I logged in to RMLSweb this morning, and the website has completely changed! Where’s Listing Load? Where did everything go? I can’t find anything!
Al K. Seltzer
Dear Al:
Yikes! I’m sorry to hear that the update to the login screen, RMLSweb desktop, and navigation bar has stirred you up. We haven’t completely changed the site yet, just those three components. We understand why it made a big splash with our subscribers though.
Be assured that little to no content got dropped when RMLSweb rolled out the new desktop page. We did make the desktop page less text-heavy, added graphics, and relied on layout to do some of the heavy lifting. There are some links and other components that moved, but they’re still there.
Listing Load, for example, is accessible via a button on the very top of the RMLSweb desktop page, along with our prospecting module, CMA, map search, and advanced search. These are the most commonly used components of RMLSweb so we put them front and center.
If you’re having a tough time finding your favorite part of RMLSweb, contact the RMLS™ Help Desk. They’d be happy to guide you to the new home of the feature you find indispensable!
Technical T. Terry
Hello Ask Technical Terry:
Wow, RMLSweb looks so different! I think I’m starting to adjusted to some of the changes, but there’s one I haven’t quite figured out yet. How do you log out?
Ammon from White Salmon
Dear Ammon:
Thanks for writing in—lots of things changed when we debuted the new look on RMLSweb, didn’t it? It’s easy to understand why it might be difficult to find where the option to log out lives when the entire interface is new to your eyes. Now when you’re done with RMLSweb, look under the Help menu in the navigation bar—the link to log off is on the lower left.
Ask Technical Terry from the Internet
Greetings, ATT:
I was in the process of writing The Great American Novel—focused on real estate, of course—on my RMLSweb notepad. Where’d it go?
N. Onymus
Greetings, N.:
The Scratch Notes feature of RMLSweb, which used to be on the right sidebar, now lives under the Help menu in the navigation bar.
In your case, however, I read your novel and thought it was the finest piece of literature I had ever read, so I’m currently working on shopping it around to New York publishers to get you the best advance. You’re welcome!
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 was recently working to pull some comparables in RMLSweb and I noticed there were several properties that were coded as the wrong property type.
I specialize in listing condominiums, and the condo I was working on is completely detached from the other units on the property. What I encountered while looking for price comparables was pretty slim. I found several more properties that had been entered as Detached Single Family units, but which were clearly still condos.
Are REALTORS® identifying condos this way because they think they’ll find a wider market in those looking for a single family home? Do they just not realize that detached condos exist? Incorrect identification complicates my job, and I know it creates more work for the appraiser and the Data Accuracy staff at RMLS™. What gives?
Minnie Kondo
Dear AA:
Understood! I’m confident that the misidentification of properties in RMLSweb is not done intentionally, and we do our best to quickly resolve any data inaccuracies that appear in live listing data.
RMLSweb does have a document, Residential Property Types, that users may refer to in order to discern which property type to use on RMLSweb. That said, properties in the scenario you describe should be entered as Property Type=Condo and Condo Unit Location=Detached.
I reached out to the City of Portland for some assistance on the finer points of property type information, and they referred to their list of residential structure types that start on Page 27 of their planning and zoning definitions. These descriptions are generic, and while they were produced by the City of Portland they can be used as a reference. Naturally you should contact your local government for clarification for your city.
I provide these examples in the hope they will help our REALTOR® subscribers in identifying the property type correctly. If confusion persists, I’d highly recommend contacting our Data Accuracy staffvia email or by phoning (503) 236-7657 or (877) 256-2169. They are intimately familiar with RMLSweb and various parties using the data, so they’ll steer you in the right direction.
Technical Terry
Hey TT:
After a cool decade working in Hot-lanta, I moved to Portland last month and joined RMLS™. I’ve been hearing rumblings about the market has been cooling a little, and I want to find out more. I’ve really appreciated getting Market Action sent to me each month but is there somewhere where I can find historical data?
Sincerely Yours,
Penelope Peachtree
Hey PP:
Welcome to Oregon! I think you’ll find we’re pretty cool here too, although it certainly has been hot so far this July! At any rate, RMLS™ is somewhat unique in the amount of statistics it publishes—it’s a point of pride for the organization.
In addition to publishing 15 editions of Market Action each month, we also compile much of the published data in our statistical summaries documents, easily available on RMLSweb. Access the statistical summaries documents by hovering over the Statistics tab on the main navigation bar, then click on Statistical Summaries to pull up a list of links divided by sub-regions of the RMLS™ service area.
The statistical summaries documents aren’t the only place you can find statistics on RMLSweb, but it’s certainly enough to get you started. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, I highly recommend signing up for our statistics class. Contact RMLS™ Training at (503) 236-7657 or (877) 256-2169 to learn more or sign up for our next class!
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:
We recently had a RMLS™ trainer out to our office to discuss the new CSN status. During the presentation they mentioned the importance of the Date Marketing to Begin field. I asked about this new field only to find out that it’s been in the listing contract for years! While the trainer did a wonderful job of explaining the new status I’m still a little fuzzy about that field. When would I use that, and why?
Confused in Carver
Dear CC:
Honestly, you’re not the only RMLS™ subscriber surprised by the Date Marketing to Begin field. And I’m happy to review:
There are primarily two scenarios where this field can play a role…
In the first scenario, you are meeting with sellers who agree to use you to list their home but they need some repairs (or just some time) before they’re ready for the property to go live on RMLSweb. You, on the other hand, really want to get your listing contract signed that day to ensure you’ve got the sellers under contract.
In this scenario you would have the sellers sign the listing agreement but choose a date in the future (Date Marketing to Begin) when the repairs (or whatever) will be done and the home will be ready to market. You would publish the listing on RMLSweb on that date.
Here’s an example of this scenario highlighted in the listing contract:
In the second scenario, you are meeting with sellers who agree to use you to list their home but the sellers want to create some buzz about the home prior to it being active on RMLSweb. You again want to get that listing contract signed the same day.
In this case, using the new Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) status may work well. Choosing CSN will give the sellers up to 21 days of exposure in RMLSweb prior to their listing converting to active (ACT). In this scenario you would have the sellers sign the listing agreement but choose a date in the future (Date Marketing to Begin) within 21 days in the Coming Soon-No Showing section of the listing contract.
You would publish the listing as CSN, which is accessible only to RMLS™ subscribers until RMLSweb converts the listing to ACT on the date specified on Date Marketing to Begin.
Here’s an example of this second scenario highlighted in the listing contract:
Of course you also have the option of excluding the listing from RMLSweb for the life of the listing contract plus 30 days by choosing the “Excluded from MLS” option in the listing contract:
Still got questions? We also recently made a short video about Date Marketing to Begin.
Hopefully walking through Date Marketing to Begin was helpful! Don’t forget, we are always happy to provide additional assistance as you need it. Simply contact the RMLS™ Help Desk at (503) 872-8002 or (877) 256-2169 and we can answer your questions until it’s crystal clear!
TT
Hello Technical Terry!
Ever since an incident I had a few years ago I’ve been more conscious about my safety in the field, and that’s why I’m curious about the new agent safety features of SentriSmart™. Can you tell me more about them?
Cautious in Coburg
Hello Cautious!
I’m really glad to hear that you take your safety seriously. Surely you’re aware of the high-profile case of Beverly Carter, but even on the local level RMLS™ regularly receives reports from agents receiving harassing phone calls or contact from “potential clients” that just don’t check out.
One tool that SentriLock has given to its users is on the SentriSmart™ app. The agent safety feature allows REALTORS® to alert selected contacts in the case of an unexpected or potentially dangerous situation when showing a listing.
When the feature is enabled, the agent safety feature will launch when SentriSmart™ is used to open a lockbox. The feature will automatically alert designated contacts when you do not confirm that you are safe.
Download the latest version of SentriSmart™ then enable the agent safety feature by selecting the Settings tab. Scroll down to Agent Safety, select, then enter your PIN to configure your agent safety settings. Next to Safety Notification Contacts, touch the plus sign and select yes to allow the app to have access to your contacts. Choose at least one contact from the list as your emergency contact, then select Enable Automated Safety Check. (SentriLock has a series of videos demonstrating how to set the feature up on a variety of devices.)
Once you’ve opened a lockbox, SentriSmart™ will ask if you want to use the agent safety feature. If you press the start button, note that you will need to keep checking the app every 90-120 seconds to confirm you are still safe.
If you don’t periodically confirm your safety, your emergency contacts will receive a message from SentriSmart™ and you’ll start receiving a flurry of phone calls and/or text messages from those contacts. (I mention this as RMLS™ has heard reports from users who learned this lesson the hard way.)
The agent safety feature also integrates with the facial recognition/Touch ID features that are part of the new SentriSmart™ update. If you haven’t updated the app for a while, be sure and do so! And if you haven’t started using SentriSmart™, it’s available through both the Apple App Store and Google Play, and well worth checking out.
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,
I can’t thank RMLS™ enough for putting great tools into RMLSweb for us to use. In the case of ShowingTime, however, it feels like a layer of tech that I don’t need. I realize it is a great tool and that many folks will use it but in my case, I’m just too old for this! Is it possible to disable ShowingTime on my listings? I’d rather the REALTOR® just call or text me.
Frustrated in Fanno Creek
Dear FFC:
Understood completely. Having come over on the Mayflower, I also struggle with some newfangled technology. Whatever happened to the quill pen and parchment paper?
But back to ShowingTime. Yes, you can certainly disable the tool on either an individual listing or for all your listings. Here’s how.
Individual Listing
When logged in to RMLSweb, head to Listing Load. Click on the ShowingTime icon.
Select your preference for that specific listing by choosing Yes or No.
Don’t forget to save your changes…
All Listings
If you’d like to turn off ShowingTime for all your listings, click the same Listing Load ShowingTime icon as above, then turn your attention to the line that says “Allow Agents to Request Appointments Online?” Set your preference, and don’t forget to save your changes!
That’s all there is to it! As you can see it’s quite easy to control your use of ShowingTime, either on a per listing basis or globally.
TT
Hello Technical Terry!
Help! I’ve been so busy this year helping clients that my license renewal snuck up on me and I need to get some elective CE credit pronto. What am I going to do?
Ida in Felida
Hello Ida in Felida!
Ah yes, the clamor of REALTORS® in need of CE to renew their licenses—what a beautiful sound! Don’t worry, RMLS™ has some resources to help.
Of course the RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair is a major event that RMLS™ holds each year to offer lots of free CE to subscribers. The event has passed for this year, but we also bring our Broker Education Series (BES) events to subscribers across the region. In fact, there’s a BES event happening in Lincoln City on May 22nd!
Aside from RMLS™ events, we also help industry organizations promote their classes and opportunities. Two great places to check for upcoming CE opportunities is on the RMLSweb desktop page and the RMLScentral events calendar (which has 12 event listings in May alone!).
So Ida, when you’re in need of some CE, check out our resources! And if you want to share a class or event with other industry professionals, send the details along to us and we’ll take care of the rest.
