Hopefully you have heard the rumors about a new MLS vendor at Columbus REALTORS®.  Well, they aren’t rumors!   FlexMLS will be the new MLS vendor for the Columbus and Central Ohio Regional MLS as of February 3, 2014.

So, what does Flex look like?

View PDF flyers for Flex Desktop or Flex Mobile.

Flex has 2 different websites:  Flex Desktop (Web) and Flex Mobile (phones).  Flex “Desktop” version works only on full computers (Mac and PC) and iPad (not Android tablets).  The Microsoft Surface PRO only (not the RT variant) may be supported as well since it has a full version of Windows 8.  Flex “Mobile” will work on any up-to-date web-capable phone or tablet (iPhone, Android Phones, Windows 8 phone, Android tablet, etc). Flex Mobile will have limited add/edit capabilities.

Compatibility:

The most simple compatibility test is:  Can your computer, phone, tablet, etc. run the latest, most recent version of the standard browsers (Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Chrome).  If the answer is “no”, your device may not work for FlexMLS.

Conversion Schedule:

Training will begin in January 2014.  There we be a “parallel” period starting in mid-January which will allow you to acclimate yourself to the new system before it goes “live” on February 3rd.  During “parallel”, the listings and photos on Flex will be delayed.  The Tempo/Fusion database will still be the primary MLS and all add/edit functions will be in Tempo/Fusion only.  January 31st, the “lights will go out” for Tempo and Fusion.  There will be a 2 day “blackout” when Add/Edit will not be available on either system.  Finally, on February 3, Flex will go online as the only MLS web search.

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11/25/2013

On Tuesday, November 19, our vendor patched both the Tempo and Fusion systems to support Microsoft’s latest release, Internet Explorer 11. With this patch, users with Windows 7, Windows 8 and the recently available Windows 8.1 can safely upgrade to this new browser version. Recently, within the last two weeks, Microsoft has began to push Internet Explorer 11 as an automatic update within the Windows Update system. As such, if you find yourself with this installed on your system, there is no need to manually download the upgrade. Users with Windows XP and Windows Vista cannot be upgraded to Internet Explorer 11. (Last version for XP is 8 and for Vista, 9)

As with any new version of Internet Explorer, users can sometimes run into issues with websites that are no longer “compatible” with the updated browser. As with the last few revisions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft has included a “Compatibility View” that can help with access to sites. Microsoft has included instructions that can allow you to add any site to this list to help with potential issues. Instructions can be found through Microsoft via the link below:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/use-compatibility-view#ie=ie-11

As always, to access Tempo via Internet Explorer, there are several additional settings needed. For guides on how to make sure these settings are on your system, you can find information on the link below:

http://cbrmlsstatus.com/welcomescreen/setup-instructions-for-internet-explorer-and-cbr-tempo/?mls=1

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11/22/2013

As of late last week, Microsoft has began to push the new Internet Explorer 11 software to Windows 7 users via the automatic Windows Updates system. As with last months release for Windows 8.1 users, there are compatibility issues with this browser and the Tempo system. There are no current known issues with the Fusion system and this workaround is not required if you only access Fusion. The error one will receive when trying to go to the Tempo website is “This application was specifically designed for Internet Explorer 7.0 or greater. Your browser version is not supported. To download the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the Internet Explorer Downloads Web site.”

With this error message, you do not need to go and download anything. There is a setting that can allow access as usual. The steps to do so are as follows:

1. On the upper right corner of the Internet Explorer window, find the icon that looks like a gear(labeled tools) and click.
2. Select Compatibility View Settings.
3. In the box labeled Add this Website type the following: columbusrealtors.com
4. Hit the Add button and then hit the Close button.
5. Close out of all Internet Explorer windows.
6. Once closed out, you can then try to connect to Tempo.

In the upcoming week, our vendor will release a patch that will allow proper function with Tempo and the new Internet Explorer 11. This patch will allow users of both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to access the system without needing the compatibility view workaround.

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11/13/2013

The MLS Committee and the Board of Directors recently made a revision to MLS policies regarding how data maintenance fees are assessed.  This change affecting all policies was primarily made to ensure members address needed listing corrections promptly:

Current Wording:  REALTOR® will receive an immediate warning.   There shall be only one warning per licensee during each six-month period (Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec).  Additional offenses of the same identical data field occurring within the same six-month period (Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec) will be assessed an immediate data maintenance fee.  (Jul’12)

Amended Wording:  REALTOR® will receive an immediate warning.   First Data Maintenance Fee (DMF) assessment will be applied in the following manner if necessary:  Warning, DMF, DMF, Warning, $500.   The assessment is per licensee during each six-month period (Jan-Jun and Jul – Dec).  Second and subsequent Data Maintenance Fee (DMF) assessments for the same identical data field occurring within the same six-month period (Jan-Jun and Jul-Dec) will be assessed an immediate data maintenance fee and applied in the following manner if necessary:  DMF, DMF, Warning, $500.  (Oct ’13)

The typical timeframe between Warnings and each DMFs is 24 hours for members to make MLS requested data error corrections.

If a member is believed to have intentionally violated policies on a consistent basis by refusing to make required correction(s) in the allowable 24 hour timeframes and then being assessed a $500 DMF, they would be subject to a phone call from the Chair of the MLS Committee or an ethics’ complaint filed by the Chair of the MLS Committee.

A revised policy manual reflective of these changes will be on the CR web site soon.   Please be certain your broker, office manager and all REALTORS® are aware of these important changes to the MLS policies that are effective November 1, 2013 … thank you.

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10/28/2013

UPDATE:

Our vendor has stated that they believe the system issues have been resolved. If you are still seeing issues, please Sign Out of either Tempo/Fusion and close down your browser window. Once closed out, you may bring up a new browser window and try logging back into the system.

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The detail view in MLS is currently not functioning correctly. The full detail view (A2A Remarks) reports in Tempo or Fusion are both effected.  Either a blank page or a page with “Error Generating Page. try again later” will be displayed. This error will also prevent printing of the reports as well as print preview. The errors began appearing shortly before 10:30am this morning.

The vendor has been notified and is currently working to resolve the problem.

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Recommendation: DO NOT INSTALL Windows 8.1 at this time.

Microsoft is expected to release Windows 8.1 including a new version of Internet Explorer 11 on October 17^th, 2013.  Until CoreLogic has certified that IE11 is fully compatible with its MLS systems, we recommend that Fusion and TEMPO users do not install Windows 8.1.  (Windows 8 does not support earlier, certified versions of Internet Explorer, unfortunately.)

Known issues with IE11 (vendor is working to resolve):

• In TEMPO—the latest version of IE11 causes browser not compatible message at login.
• Note that TEMPO workaround is to add columbusrealtors.com to IE 11 Tools > Compatibility View settings.
• In Fusion—the Report Manager is not compatible with the latest version of IE11.
  • Note that Fusion workaround is to add the Fusion domain (i.e. fusionmls.com) to IE 11 Tools > Compatibility View settings.

Note:  Windows 8.1 is NOT an “automatic update” for current Windows 8 users that would be applied without the user’s action.  For Windows versions prior to 8.0, users must purchase Windows 8.1 and upgrade their computer or purchase a new computer with Windows 8.1 already installed.  If they do so, the only version of Internet Explorer they will be able to use is IE11 and they will encounter the issue above until they are resolved.

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10/14/2013

Realist will have a brief outage for maintenance on Sunday morning, October 13 at approximately 2am EST.  The outage should last no more than 1 hour.

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10/11/2013

Please be aware the Franklin County Recorder and Auditor’s offices will be closed for maintenance October 12, 13, 14, and 19.  The building closure will also cause disruption to online services during this period. The affect on internet searches will range from sporadic unavailability to complete inaccessibility according to the schedule below:

Schedule of Franklin Co. Auditor/Recorder Internet Downtime:

• Saturday, October 12th: 7am-7pm – Sporadic outages of all applications supported by the Data Center.
• Sunday, October 13th: 6am-(end time unknown) – Complete system outage.
• Monday, October 14: 7am-7pm- Sporadic outages of all applications supported by the Data Center.
• Saturday, October 19th – 6am-(end time unknown)- Complete system outage.

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Ever think about serving on the MLS Committee?    The MLS Committee is an elected committee with a limited number of seats determined by a weighted formula based on the MLS’s agents, listings, solds and offices.   The number of seats available can change each year based on this formula or elected members whose term ends.  Visit this page for more detailed information on this process.

Follow these steps to throw your hat in the ring:

1. Obtain permission from your broker to be considered for the ballot.
2. Submit a brief bio or resume (including photo) by October 31, 2013 at 5:00pm to the MLS at Columbus Realtors®

Your bio and resume will be presented to the MLS Nominating Committee at the Annual Business Meeting.   The five selected Realtors® that serve on the Nominating Committee then meet in November to select candidates.  A ballot is created for the December election where only brokers vote.   Members who wish to volunteer their time to serve are very much in demand by the Nominating Committee and always appreciated.

If you still have questions, please review the election information on the main Columbus Realtors® site,  E-mail Mike Gautier in MLS, or call (614) 475-4000.

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The issue with detail report display has been resolved as of 815pm Saturday night.

If you are still seeing blank reports or “Error Generating page”, you may need to empty your cache or simply refresh the page, log out and then back into the MLS.

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The detail view In MLS is currently not functioning correctly.The full detail view (A2A Remarks) reports in Tempo or Fusion are both effected.  Either a blank page or a page with “Error Generating Page. try again later” will be displayed. This error will also prevent printing of the reports as well as print preview.The errors began appearing shortly before 5pm Saturday afternoon.

The vendor has been notified and is currently working to resolve the problem.

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10/05/2013