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Showing Start Date Limited to 30 Days in Future of List Date The Showing Start Date will be limited to a maximum of 30 days in the future from the list date per MLS committee and Board of Directors’ decision. If originally set less than 30 days in the future, it can be extended. The extension cannot be further out than 30 days from the original List Date. This policy will be effective immediately based on the ability of the vendor to implement the changes. Current listings where the Showing Start Date is more than 30 days out will not be affected.
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Showing Start Date Displayed More Prominently on Public and Private Reports The Showing Start Date field has been added to the top of public and private reports in the MLS. It was added to the Full Report (1 page), Full 2-page report, and Brief with Photos report. The field appears directly below the List Price/Original List Price fields at the top right corner of these reports. Previously, the field was displayed only at the bottom of the private reports. The Board of Directors felt this was a high priority change since the Showing Start Date directly impacts buyers. They felt the field should be made much more prominent so that the buyers were aware of this critical field. Please make sure your clients know about Showing Start Date and that they will not be able to enter the property until the Showing Start Date passes.
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New Field & Policy Change: Showing Start Date – Repost
This is a reposting of the original announcement for the Showing Start Date field. The field originally went live on MLS December 14, 2015. This is just a reminder for those who are unfamiliar with the field. ————————————————————————————- The Showing Start Date field is now live on MLS. The field is required entry for all new and existing listings. Members are now able to promote those listings “not quite ready for showing” while still entering them in MLS. The Showing Start Date field enables members to enter an exact date when showings will begin. It is important to note that NO SHOWINGS SHOULD OCCUR FOR ANYONE prior to the Showing Start Date. New showing policy is also in place. Verbiage such as “No Showings until 12/30/2015” is allowed in the Property Description field. You may also include a reason for the delayed showings such as “new carpet being installed”. All wording in the Property Description field is still subject to MLS policies, rules and regulations. Read the Full Article for more information about this new field and how it will Originally posted on 02/17/15
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Updated MLS Policy Violation Manual now available. An updated version (20160101) of the MLS Policy Violation Manual is now available. You can download the PDF from the MLS Reference Materials section of the Columbus REALTORS® association website. Download the MLS Policy Violation Manual Now You’ll be asked to provide your License Number (Generally a 6 or 10 digit number, example of 455688 or 2015000001) and MLS Office ID (5 Digit number, example of 01455) in order to login and download the manual.
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Primary Photo Now Required Within 5 Days The MLS committee has changed the MLS photo policy to require a primary photo on all listings within 5 business days. With the proliferation of digital cameras and cell phone photography, the previous requirement of 15 days was deemed too long. Only a primary image is required by policy. The auditor photo (public domain) can be used if no other image is available. It is always a good idea to upload at least a primary photo to a listing prior to upload. There is no limit to the number of photos that can be uploaded prior to going live on the MLS. There is a stigma for listings with no photos (or even “not enough” photos). Adding 10 or more photos to your incomplete listings prior to activation ensures that your listing will not be “skipped over” because it has no photos for the property. Assumptions are often made by other agents and even clients that property with limited photos has hidden damage or poor quality. This new “primary photo required after 5 days” policy is in effect now. Warnings and data maintenance fees for missing primary photo will be assessed after 5 business days. The photo waiver form is still available if your client chooses to have no photos on the listing. The photo waiver must be provided to the MLS within the same 5 business days. Upon receipt, the placeholder image “photo waiver on file” will be uploaded by MLS staff.
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Showing Start Date – Live on MLS The Showing Start Date field is now live on MLS. The field is required entry for all new and existing listings. Members are now able to promote those listings “not quite ready for showing” while still entering them in MLS. The Showing Start Date field enables members to enter an exact date when showings will begin. It is important to note that NO SHOWINGS FOR ANYONE are permitted prior to the Showing Start Date. New showing policy is also in place. Verbiage such as “No Showings until 12/30/2015” is allowed in the Property Description field. You may also include a reason for the delayed showings such as “new carpet being installed”. All wording in the Property Description field is still subject to MLS policies, rules and regulations. Read the Full Article for more information about this new field and how it will work.
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Schedule a Showing? Don’t Forget About Showing Start Date All agents and brokerages must adjust their showing schedule to comply with the Showing Start Date on the MLS. Most 3rd party showing services offer the ability to set a start date for showings. This will mirror the Showing Start Date in MLS. Listings cannot have showings for ANYONE prior to the Showing Start Date. Any brokerage that does not use a 3rd party showing service should make sure that all staff are aware of the new Showing Start Date. Showing Start Date is now live and required entry for all listings. Please make all staff aware of this new field and it’s significance when scheduling a showing for a listing that has a future Showing Start Date.
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DELAYED – Showing Start Date Field Implementation of the “Showing Start Date” field has been delayed due to programming issues. The projected release date is now December 14. New showing policy is in place. Verbiage such as “No Showings until 12/30/2015” is allowed in the Property Description field. You may also include a reason for the delayed showings such as “new carpet being installed”. All wording in the Property Description field is still subject to MLS policies, rules and regulations. Previous Message from 11/24/15: Showing Start Date field – New Field in MLS Our MLS has developed a solution to assist our members in promoting those listings “not quite ready for showing” while still entering them in MLS. A new “Showing Start Date” field will be added to our MLS to enable members to enter an exact date when showings will begin. Target date for implementation is December 1. For an explanation of the reasoning behind this new field and how it will work, Read the Full Article.
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Buyer Broker, Sub Agency, and Listing Agreement Type: Field Format Changes A recent industry-wide standardization of data fields (RESO) required a new format for several fields in the MLS. Buyer Broker Tenant Rep (BBTR),Sub Agency (SA) and Listing Agreement Type were modified. The new format for BBTR and SA is simply 3 fields for each. Previously, BB/TR Amount and SA Amount were entered as “$3000” or “3%”. There will now be a discreet field for each. The Listing Agreement Type field was split into 2 fields. See details of the new fields formats below. New Format for Buyer Broker/Tenant Rep and Sub Agency Fields: Buy Brkr/Tenant Rep (Yes/No) – Yes will require entry of fields below. Sub Agency (Yes/No) – Yes will require entry of fields below. New Format for Listing Agreement Type field (New field added): Listing Agreement Type (ERS and EA) – Required entry. The data for existing listings should have converted automatically to the new fields. It is recommended that you review these fields to make sure the automated processes correctly transferred the selections in these very important fields.
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New Construction Properties: Permit Required, but Not Required to be Attached Listings in MLS that do not have a building permit are required to be marked “Build-to-Suit” in the Sub-Type field. The trigger event for a listing to be marked as “New Construction” is acquisition of a Building Permit. Prior MLS policy has required that the building permit be attached to the listing. NAR has recently reviewed this requirement and advised that we no longer require “attachment” of the PDF building permit. MLS policy still requires that a property marked “New Construction = Yes” in the MLS has obtained a building permit. This listing can be marked Condo or Single Family in the Sub-Type field. The only change is that the PDF of the permit does not have to be attached to the listing when it is entered into the MLS. The building permit PDF can still be uploaded as an optional attached document, but attachment is no longer mandatory. Listings without a building permit are still required to be marked “Build-to-Suit” in the Sub-Type field.
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