The new redesign of the menu bar is here! If you have not yet configured your menu bar during the preview period, you will have been shown a video explaining the new features during your initial log in since the change. If you skipped or missed the tutorial video and documents, you can find and view them below:

Watch the Video Tutorial now

View the Menu Quick Start Guide PDF

Original Announcement from May 25th, 2017:

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Big Flex Change in June: Customizable Menus

Soon you will have access to a new, easy to use menu in Flexmls. The new design provides a modern look, and allows one-click access to your favorite menu items. This update will be made available sometime in June.  The new feature will be rolled out in waves in June.  The exact date it will appear in Columbus is yet to be determined.

Initially, the new menu will be optional, so you can choose to turn it on or choose to continue using the old menu. After 30 days, the new menu will no longer be optional; all users will be moved over to the new menu.

Turn on the New Menu
When the new menu is available, you will receive an invitation to turn it on when you login to Flexmls. If you don’t turn it on immediately, you will be able to click the Use the Customizable Menu button to turn it on. You can also click the What’s this? link to access more information about the custom menu before you decide to turn it on.

When you turn the menu on, you’ll answer a question about your role: are you an Agent, an Appraiser, etc. Your response will determine the default items on your Favorites bar.

When setup is complete, you’ll see a Menu button and your Favorites.

Menu
Click on Menu to see the fully expanded menu. All the menu items are here in the same groups and in the same order as the old menu. Click a menu item to go to that feature. For example, click Quick Search to start a new search.

Type into the search box (“Search the menu…”) to easily find a menu item. For example, if you type “sav” in the search box, the menu will bring the Saved Searches link to you. Click the link to go to Saved Searches. It’s faster than looking through the whole menu.

To exit the full menu, click Menu again.

Add and Remove Favorites
Favorites give you one-click access to features you use the most. You can easily add, remove and rearrange Favorites to match how you work.

To mark a menu item as a Favorite, open the Menu, hover your mouse over an item and a Favorite star will appear. Click the star to create a one-click shortcut to it on the Favorites bar.

If you want to remove an item from your Favorites, click on the star next to an existing Favorite. The item is instantly removed from your Favorites and the star changes to an outline.

If you have more menu items in your Favorites than can be displayed on your screen, there will be a More link in your Favorites. Click More to access your remaining Favorites.

Reorder and Remove Favorites
To rearrange the order of your Favorites or remove an item from your Favorites, click the Reorder link on the menu bar.

Click and hold a menu item to drag and drop it into a new order.

You can also remove an item from your Favorites by clicking Remove. Click Save when you are done managing your Favorites.

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07/27/2017

Beginning August 1, 2017, listings that are in Under Contract/Pending status will now expire on their expiration date.  This policy change has been approved the MLS Committee and Board of Directors.  Previously, listings in Under Contract status would ignore the expiration date and remain in that status indefinitely.

Contingent Listings to Expire Also – Date TBA:

This same change will occur for Contingent listings in the coming weeks.  The change will occur on August 1st for Pending, but will take longer to program for the contingent listings.  Additional notice will be posted on this MLS Message Board when the date is finalized for contingent listings to begin expiring on their expiration date.

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06/29/2017

Realist data coverage counties have been expanded to a total of 23 counties within MLS.  An additional 10 counties have been added to the tax data coverage area. The new counties are available now in Realist.  You can now access the Realist detail page by clicking the parcel number in Flexmls on reports or on the Flexmls map pop-up (after clicking the green property icon on the map.)  These counties are also available for auto-population of tax data when entering a new listing.

New Counties:
Athens
Champaign
Clark
Clinton
Coshocton
Highland
Logan
Marion
Richland
Ross

The following counties were already available prior to the expansion: Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Hocking, Knox, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Muskingum, Perry, Pickaway and Union.

Champaign County Listings please note:  There is a bug for the Champaign county data in Realist.  The tax district field is currently showing only the first letter of the tax district.  (ie “K” instead of “K41”).  Please contact the MLS departement if you need assistance correcting this field for your listings in Champaign county on MLS.  Realist has already been made aware and is working on correcting the field within Realist.

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Beginning August 1, 2017, all photos uploaded to an MLS listing that do not show the property as it actually exist must be be labeled “Not Actual Property”.  Previously, only the primary photo was required to be watermarked “Not Actual Property”.  This policy change was made because it was determined that secondary photos could be equally misleading as to the condition of the property as the primary photo.

This new policy requirement will become enforced on August 1, 2017.  If a listing is found to have photos that are not the actual property, as it actually exists, a fine will be issued with no warning prior to assessment.  If any photo on a listing is a 3D rendering, sketch, model, etc., it must be marked “Not Actual Property” according to the requirements in the policies below.

Please begin updating your listings immediately. 

MLS Policies affected by this change:

1.03.04 – Improper Display of Photos Fine with No Warning
The primary (first) photo on a listing in MLS shall predominantly display only the property that is for sale, lease or exchange. If multiple photos are used as the primary photo in a collage format, collectively they must still predominately display the property for sale. The primary or any additional photos can display floor plans, staged photos, identical models, 3D renderings, artist renderings, etc. except for the following:
(1) Any Build-to-Suit listing whose primary (first) photo must display one of the MLS images provided. (Please see MLS Policy 1.01.07.)
(2) All images that are not images of the actual property are required to display, on that image, the words “Not Actual Property” in 36-point type or larger.
(3) Any image submitted for display in the MLS may not be modified in such a manner as to misrepresent the true condition, as it currently exists, of the actual property.

1.03.05 – Unallowable Data on Photos and Public Documents Fine with No Warning
No marketing devices of any type (e.g., logos, readable for sale signs, company names, phone numbers, Web sites, e-mail addresses including embedded, overlaid or digitally stamped information etc.) shall appear on or with any photos or public documents except for the following:
(1) Any listing with the MLS watermark “CR” must allow it to remain visible on the photo.
(2) Any Build-to-Suit listing whose primary (first) photo must display one of the MLS images provided.
(3) All images that are not images of the actual property are required to display, on that image, the words “Not Actual Property” in 36-point type or larger.
(4) An image may have text overlays added on primary and secondary photos provided it is descriptive or informative of the property and it is not misleading, branded or leads to branding, i.e., no agent or brokerage information.
(5) No people are permitted in the primary photo. People may appear in secondary photos.

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On June 13, you will be able to see more contacts at once on the Contact Management screen.

Select Contact Management from your menu and you will see your contact list fill the entire screen.

Click a contact, and a popup containing all of that contact’s information will appear. Select a specific tab to view and edit information for that contact. Click the Close link to close the contact and return your contact list.

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06/09/2017

On June 12, the Hot Sheet in Flexmls Mobile Web will have an updated design based on the Hot Sheet in Flexmls Pro, providing you with a more consistent user experience across platforms.

Just as before, tap the Hot Sheet icon to go to the Hot Sheet. Tap Filter to change the search criteria for listings to include in the Hot Sheet.

Filter by specific locations, set the Time Frame (Today, Past Two Days, Past Three Days, or Past Week), and select the specific property types you would like to include. Click View Events to view the the results.

The same Filter options will be applied the next time you run the Hot Sheet from the same device.

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Beginning July 1, 2017,

the Accessibility Features worksheet will be required AND MUST BE ATTACHED to the listing when Yes is selected in the Accessible Features Y/N field. This requirement is for any property with Accessibility Features.  Previously, completion of the worksheet was required but the worksheet was not required to be uploaded with the listing.  Wording on the Add/edit screen help text will be updated to reflect that the form must now be uploaded to the listing in the MLS as an attached document.

Failure to upload/attach the Accessibility Features Worksheet will be a Tier 1 fine (with warning) if the field Accessibility Features Y/N = Yes but the form is not attached.  Please complete and upload the Accessibility Features worksheet to your existing listings or correct the selection in the Accessibility Features Y/N field if the property does not have Accessibility Features.

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06/05/2017

Effective June 1, 2017, there is a new MLS policy regarding photos that are virtually staged.  View the full text of the MLS policy below.  The MLS Policy Violation Manual has been updated to reflect this new policy.  You can download the latest version of the Policy Violation Manual here.

1.02.14 – Virtual Staging                                                                                                        

Fine with Warning prior to fine assessment.

Progression: Warning, then $100, $200, $500 for subsequent violations.

Virtual Staging is defined as using a photo editing software to create a photo or conceptual rendering of what the interior room(s) and/or interior of the property could look like if it was staged or lived in.

A Virtually Staged Photo in the MLS:

• Must state in a clear and reasonably sized font on the image the phrase “Virtually Staged”.
• The unaltered photo must appear directly before or after the virtually staged photo so the two views can easily be compared.
• May only be used for the interior of an existing structure.
• Cannot be used for Build-to-Suit or Under Construction properties.

Permitted Uses of Virtual Staging in the MLS:

• Modifying photo(s)/rendering(s) to include personal property items not conveyed with the real property is permitted. Permitted personal property modifications include, but are not limited to:
• Applying digital photos of furniture, mirrors, artwork, plants, etc. into a photo of a room.
• Removing existing furniture from a photo and replacing it with digital images of furniture, mirrors, artwork, plants, etc.
• Appliances that are virtually staged must be clearly identified as such in the property description.

Prohibited Uses of Virtual Staging in the Service:

• No photos of the exterior of the property shall be virtually staged.
• No permanent fixtures of the interior shall be removed, altered or added.
• Modifying photo(s)/rendering(s) to include visual elements not within a property owners control is strictly prohibited. (Example: Editing in a view of Lake Erie, and or popular landmarks that are not physically possible from the specified location in the real world.)
• Modifying photo(s)/rendering(s) to exclude negative visual elements is strictly prohibited. (Example: Holes in the wall, exposed wiring, damaged flooring, etc.)
• No branding is permitted. Except as otherwise permitted, the use of people or persons and/or words on any property photograph submitted to the Service is strictly prohibited.

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06/01/2017

On May 30, 2017, Flexmls CMAs will have a new look and several improvements. The changes will include:

• New Design– the new format includes larger text, photos, and maps;
• New Charts – two new Price Analysis charts are available: List, Sold and Adjusted Prices and Low, Average, Median and High Prices;
• Automatic PDF – to ensure optimized appearance for printing and emailing, the CMAs will be automatically created as PDF files when possible.

NEW DESIGN
When you create CMAs in Flexmls, they will display a larger photo of the subject property, a larger map, larger font, and updated color schemes for the headers and text. These changes are intended to make your CMAs more readable, attractive, and professional looking.

Just as before, you can adjust the color scheme on the Finish tab. With the new design, the color scheme controls the color of the headings, headers, and footers–the background will remain white.

NEW CHARTS
There are two new Price Analysis charts available that provide a quick, visual comparison of price statistics: List, Sold, and Adjusted Prices and Low, Average, Median and Low, Average, Median, and High Prices. These charts can be added to the CMA on the Finish tab if Statistical Summary is checked. To include the charts in your CMA, check the Display Charts option.

List, Sold, and Adjusted Prices
The List, Sold, and Adjusted Prices chart will only display if you’ve included Closed listings in your comps. It shows the List Price, Sold Price, and Adjusted Price for the first eight closed comps (as arranged in the Comps tab). If you do not have any adjustments, the Adjusted Price data points will reflect the listing’s Closed Price.

If your CMA includes Low, High and Recommended Price for the subject property, they will also be shown on the chart.

Low, Average, Median, and High chart
If your CMA includes Closed listings, the Low, Average, Median, and High chart will show Sold Price statistics for the comps that are Closed in relation to the Low, High, and Recommended List Price for the subject property.

Please note, if your CMA does not include Closed comps, the chart will still display. It will include List Price statistics for Active comps only. If your CMA does not include Closed or Active comps, the chart will display List Price statistics for all comps.

AUTOMATIC PDF
The CMA report will be delivered in PDF format when possible to provide consistent appearance. This helps solve the problem of inconsistencies among browsers, printers and operating systems in how they print web pages. In PDF format, the CMA you present to your clients will look the same as the CMA you email to them.

When there are too many comps in a CMA to generate and deliver a PDF report, the report will be delivered as a web page that you can print or email. Note that some browsers (e.g. Edge and Chrome) are able to save web pages as PDF documents for download to your computer.

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05/25/2017

As of May 15, 2017, you are able to search for contacts when sending manual emails. This makes sending manual emails easier by eliminating the need to scroll through long lists in order to find specific contacts.

The lookup bar appears on the manual email screen. Use the lookup to find contacts or click the Add New Contact button to create a new contact.

If you click in the contact search box without typing, a list of all of your contacts will appear and you can scroll through to find and select specific contacts.

Start typing a contact’s name or email address into the search bar to search for a specific contact. Click the contact to select them as a recipient.

If a contact has multiple email addresses, each address will appear separately.

If you are working on behalf of a contact who has more than one email address and you manually email listings to them, all of their email addresses will be selected by default.

If you would like to remove a recipient, click the X next to the email address you’d like to remove.

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