Revision:

Our MLS Vendor, FBS, has changed the label, not the functionality on the Open House screen. In April of 2020, the “Virtual Open Houses” was added to our MLS. This caused some confusion as “Virtual Open House” shared a similar name to “Virtual Tour,” which implied a prerecorded video.

This change is intended to clarify that “Livestream” open houses are not prerecorded. When “Livestream” is selected, instructions appear directly below the “Link URL” field reminding members that Livestream Open Houses are live and not pre-recorded.

Original post:

Virtual Open Houses: Video Overview Now Available

Video now available: Add Virtual Open House links in MLS.

Your Columbus REALTORS® MLS staff has been working hard to bring you innovative options to keep our central Ohio housing market strong.  We are happy to announce that our MLS vendor has responded to industry needs with a new option:  Virtual Open House links.

How is a Virtual OPEN HOUSE different than a Virtual TOUR?
Simple. Virtual Open Houses are streaming LIVE!  They aren’t pre-recorded, stored on the internet, and viewed by anyone, anytime. “Canned” video or pictures and sound is a Virtual TOUR.  Virtual OPEN HOUSES are the live, online equivalent to an in-person open house. They are conducted to a live “audience” at a scheduled time.  Only the live, online attendees see the information at the specified time.

CAUTION: Get written permission from the seller BEFORE you start streaming!

Show that home virtually instead of in-person!
Flexmls has a brand new option for Virtual Open Houses.  The new option is in the Scheduled Marketing Activities section.

As an alternative to in-person open houses, you can now enter a link to a STREAMING, Virtual Open House using a variety of online communication services such as Facebook Live, GoToMeeting, or Microsoft Teams. Homebuyers or agents can join your Virtual Open Houses/Tour of Homes. The live attendees can view video streamed from your phone and ask questions during the “virtual walkthrough”.

There is help text right on the Add/Edit screen to remind agents that only online streaming sources can be entered in the URL address field. 

If you enter a URL that is not recognized as a live streaming/conferencing service, Flexmls will pop-up a warning.  There is a link to the list of recognized URL addresses for known web conferencing services (ie GoToMeeting, Facebook Live, etc.) right on the warning bubble.

There will certainly be a few “bumps in the road” and definitely some “growing pains”, but the new Virtual Open House is here now, and here to stay.

For additional information and the full details of this new feature in Flexmls, click here.

Full URL – https://flexmls.com/flexmls-academy/product-news/introducing-virtual-open-houses-tours-of-homes/

Original post: 20200406
Revision: 20200814

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08/14/2020

What does this mean?

Sometimes you may want to receive the same email that your clients get with their email subscription. Doing this lets you see exactly what they see so you can better communicate and coordinate with them, like with especially high-profile clients. Other times you may decide that you do not need these emails, like with a client who is casually searching for a home with a very wide set of criteria, potentially meaning many emails. In this guide, we will teach you how to edit this setting inside the Columbus Realtors MLS.

First, locate the Subscription that you want to edit email settings for.

To do this, we’ll go to Subscriptions in the MLS, as seen below.  

Your view may be different depending on your settings, but Subscriptions can always be found by searching in the Menu button. Simply open the Menu, click the search bar, and type “Subscriptions” to bring the option up

Next, open the Subscription.

Now, you simply need to click the Subscription name to open the editing page. From there, you will notice a few options at the top of the page like the Subscription name and where new notifications go to. Notice the checkbox labeled You (sender). If this is checked, you get the same listing emails your client does. If unchecked, you do not get the listing emails. By default, this is usually turned on. Once this is edited to your liking, click Save at the bottom of the page.

Viola!  

Your email setting is now edited in just a few steps, giving you more control over your email box.

Did you enjoy this MLS tip? Keep an eye out for a new one next week!  

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08/11/2020

Do you need to report a Clear Cooperation Policy Violation?

Call: (614) 528-1135

Email: mlspolicy@columbusrealtors.com

The MLS Policy Violation Hotline can be used to report a Clear Cooperation Policy violation or any other MLS violation. Contact information is requested but is not required. You may submit the violation report anonymously. The voicemail recording will explain what is needed to report a violation. 

Violations may also be reported by email. Additional details in the form of PDFs, photos, and screenshots are extremely helpful and can be sent to mlspolicy@columbusrealtors.com. 

The name of the person reporting the violation will not be disclosed whether it is reported to the hotline, email, or both.

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07/14/2020

A new version of the Residential MLS Exclusive Right to Sell Listing Agreement is available now. Very important changes have been made to the date fields on the new Listing Agreement. The Delayed Showing Authorization Form has also been updated.

Download New Documents Now:

Residential Listing Agreement

Delayed Showing Authorization Form

Definition of Date Fields on Listing Agreement:

1. (Contract) Commencing Date: Contract begins with seller to represent the sale of the property.
2. MLS Entry Date: Listing will be entered on MLS on this date. MLS Entry Date will be entered in the List Date field. Days on Market begin.
3. Showing Start Date: Showings begin on this date. If showings are delayed after List Date, the Delayed Showing Authorization form is required and rules must be followed.

Additional Details and Usage of Date Fields on Listing Agreement:

1. (Contract) Commencing Date – The existing date field labeled “exclusive right commencing ” has been augmented with the word “(contract)”. This was done to clarify that the contract with the seller commences on the date specified. This opens the door for the more notable addition of MLS Entry Date.
2. MLS Entry Date – This new field now clearly identifies the date upon which the listing will be entered on the MLS and Days on Market will begin to accumulate. There is no longer ambiguity about the “List Date”. MLS Entry Date on the Listing Agreement is the “List Date for MLS Entry.”
3. Showing Start Date – This field has been added to the Listing Agreement to make the timeline of contract date, list date, and showing date are clearly identified. The Delayed Showing Authorization form is still required if the Showing Start Date field is used to “delay showings” until a date after the MLS Entry Date (aka List Date).

Delayed Showing Authorization form has also been updated to include the wording:

All dates must match listing agreement

This updated language is to remind listing agents that use of the Delayed Showing Authorization to delay the showings of a listed property will require that the Showing Start Date listed on the form must match the Showing Start Date that is entered on the newly updated Listing Agreement.

Why the change?

There has long been confusion about the “List Date” on the MLS and the “Commencing Date” on the Listing Agreement. This was exacerbated by the Office Exclusive listings in regard to Clear Cooperation.

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04/30/2020

Some properties in MLS are not traditional Single Family homes where the buyer owns the land and the structure.  Some properties may also have income requirements that must be verified to determine eligibility.  There are now 3 new options in the MLS to help identify and search for these properties.

1. Leasehold has been added in the Sub-type field – The selection of “Leasehold” can now be used to indicate that the LAND under the unit is on a long-term lease (ie 99-year lease) by a third party such as the Army Corps of engineers or Community Land Trust.
2. Income Restricted has been added in the Additional Acceptance Conditions field – Income restricted will allow agents to identify and search for listings that have income requirements that will determine eligibility to purchase the property.
3. Land Trust was previously added to Additional Acceptance Conditions field – This should be used to specifically identify properties that are part of a Land Trust (eg COCLT)
4. Agent to Agent (A2A) Remarks can always be used for further explanation such as identification of the leaseholder and specific information about the property. A2A is visible only to agents. Please remember that public field Property Description is not permitted to have any branding of any kind.

Please contact the MLS department if you have any questions.

MLS Policy questions –  mlspolicy@columbusrealtors.com

MLS Listing Entry questions – mlscorrections@columbusrealtors.com

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04/28/2020

The password reset requirement has been extended to 180 Days

These are trying times.  There is plenty of stress without having to change your MLS password 4 times every year.  What if password changes only happened every 180 days instead of the current 90 days?  Would that really hurt anything? No, probably not.  Let’s do it.

Recent studies in the technology and data security sector have pointed to a couple of recommendations regarding passwords.  The first recommendation is that passwords be more difficult to hack. A short password consisting of a few letters and numbers is not enough.  A longer password of nonsensical words is harder to guess or hack.  The second is that frequent password changes don’t really help that much.  In fact, they lead to simple passwords that are easier to remember and easier to steal.

Your MLS login will no longer force-change your password every 90 days.  You will still have to change your password, but only twice a year.  Please make your new password longer and more secure as described below.  This will make your password safer as you take advantage of the “less password changes per year”.

What does an insecure, weak password look like?

1. happy123 – Too short. Too easy to guess.
2. michelle1  – Too short. Easy to guess.

What about stronger, more “secure” passwords?

1. hippojumpMoonbeamshark1970  – Longer, upper case letters and numbers.  You can even make a jingle to remember it!
2. Y0uCAn!tHackTh1s!Hamm3rPaNtz  – Longer, special characters, numbers, non-words.  Did we mention LONGER?

Takeaways:

1. Change your password to something secure like the example above!  Make it LONGER.
2. Enjoy not changing your password as often!

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Did you miss the Realist 2020 webinar on April 13th?

The webinar was recorded live on April 13, 2020 with an audience of central Ohio real estate professionals. Watch the recording to learn about the new features available now in the new version of Realist for 2020.

Please note: You will be taken to a “registration” page that will require you to enter a name and email to watch the video.

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*This only applies to Flexmls Pro used on Android Devices*

We have had many reports recently of Android users having issues with Flexmls Pro. These issues have been reported to FBS and it is not just in our market the issue appears. If you are seeing an issue, please continue to some steps for a resolve. When FBS provides a fix, it will likely come as an update to the app you’ll simply download via your Play Store updates.

The Issue

If you are a user of FBS’s app, Flexmls Pro and are seeing white or blank screens when attempting to log into your app to view the MLS, here are some instructions that can help. Please note, with Android based devices, these instructions may not *exactly” match your particular device. Please use these instructions below as a basic guild line.

1. First, you’ll want to reboot the phone. This way, you’re running a clean startup environment. For most phones, you can simply hold in the power button and you’ll be given a prompt with options. Select “reboot” or “restart”
2. After the restart and the phone is back to your main screen, wwipe down from the top of your phone to bring up the notification section. You’ll likely see an option labeled “Settings”. This may also appear as a gear shaped icon. If you do not see it from the notifications bar, open up your list of all applications and look for an option called SETTINGS. Click this.
3. Once in settings, find APPS (or it may be labeled “Apps & Notifications”. Click this
4. It may list your apps or you may have to click “See XX apps” where XX is the count of apps on your device. Click See XX Apps if needed, and then find Flexmls Pro. Click on this
5. On the screen, if available, click FORCE STOP. You may be prompted to hit YES. Hit Yes.
6. Look for an option labeled “storage”, “data” or “storage & cache”. Click on this
7. Click “Clear Storage” or “Clear Data”. You may be prompted to hit YES. Hit YES to continue. You should then see the option you clicked grey out. < this is the most important step.
8. Close out of settings and try to open Flexmls Pro. You will be prompted to provide your login details again. This is EXPECTED as the app will be running fresh.
9. Once your provide your details, it should log in.

Here’s an example from a real device: The below is based off a Google Pixel 3A XL. Please note, your device may be similar but not exactly the same:

1. Open Settings
2. Click Apps & notifications
3. Click “See all XXX apps..”
4. Find and Click Flexmls Pro
5. Click Force Stop
6. Click Storage & Cache
7. Click Clear Storage < – this is important
8. Back out of all menus and try app again

This link will take you to a generic page that goes over the generic steps for the process above. This link is NOT about Flexmls Pro specifically, but the general steps you can use on Android. This link provided for visuals. Link is also listed below:

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04/16/2020

Register now for New Realist Training webinar to be held live this coming Monday.

Date: Monday, April 13, 2020
Time: 10:30am-11:30am ET
Website: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5650225734506593291

Learn about the new features, new interface, and updates that are available now in Realist. Adobe Flash is no longer a required install in order to use Realist!

IMPORTANT: Please visit the link and make sure your computer is ready to view the webinar PRIOR to the start time.

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04/10/2020

Video now available: Add Virtual Open House links in MLS.

Original post:

Your Columbus REALTORS® MLS staff has been working hard to bring you innovative options to keep our central Ohio housing market strong.  We are happy to announce that our MLS vendor has responded to industry needs with a new option:  Virtual Open House links.

How is a Virtual OPEN HOUSE different than a Virtual TOUR?
Simple.  Virtual Open Houses are streaming LIVE!  They aren’t pre-recorded, stored on the internet, and viewed by anyone, anytime. “Canned” video or pictures and sound is a Virtual TOUR.  Virtual OPEN HOUSES are the live, online equivalent to an in-person open house. They are conducted to a live “audience” at a scheduled time.  Only the live, online attendees see the information at the specified time.

CAUTION: Get written permission from the seller BEFORE you start streaming!

Show that home virtually instead of in-person!
Flexmls has a brand new option for Virtual Open Houses.  The new option is in the Scheduled Marketing Activities section.

As an alternative to in-person open houses, you can now enter a link to a STREAMING, Virtual Open House using a variety of online communication services such as Facebook Live, GoToMeeting, or Microsoft Teams. Homebuyers or agents can join your Virtual Open Houses/Tour of Homes. The live attendees can view video streamed from your phone and ask questions during the “virtual walkthrough”.

There is help text right on the Add/Edit screen to remind agents that only online streaming sources can be entered in the URL address field. 

If you enter a URL that is not recognized as a live streaming/conferencing service, Flexmls will pop-up a warning.  There is a link to the list of recognized URL addresses for known web conferencing services (ie GoToMeeting, Facebook Live, etc.) right on the warning bubble.

There will certainly be a few “bumps in the road” and definitely some “growing pains”, but the new Virtual Open House is here now, and here to stay.

For additional information and the full details of this new feature in Flexmls, click here.

Full URL – https://flexmls.com/flexmls-academy/product-news/introducing-virtual-open-houses-tours-of-homes/

Original post: 20200406

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