May 2008
Listing
Reminder: Please remember to update information
such as assessments, taxes, stage of completion for new construction, and age
if your listing has been on the market awhile. Also, if you include time-specific
information in the remarks (such as no showings until a certain date), please
remove that information once the situation no longer applies.
Updates
to Paragon History Program & Report: The history program and report received
a few upgrades/bug fixes last week. For a long time now we have been
struggling with history entries that appear out of date order. This
problem has been fixed. Another issue we have struggled with is not being
able to run a history on a specific unit within a condo project. This functionality
has been added. In addition, the map on the history report was
upgraded to a Virtual Earth Map which allows you to right click to zoom in and
out and switch to an aerial view, and the photo box was upgraded to include a
slide show. Simply click the photo to open a slide show box.
If your office has not
picked up their new iBoxes
from the MLS, please do so asap.
It is essential that all old grey AEII lockboxes are replaced with new blue iBoxes before new keycards are distributed in early June,
as the new keycards cannot open the old lockboxes. To
keep the cost of this new system down, we negotiated a significant credit
against the cost of the new iBoxes for each old AEII
lockbox turned in by May 15. Offices will be assessed a fee of $35 for
each old lockbox still outstanding after May 15.
April 2008
Adding Virtual
Customizing the Paragon Spreadsheet - Adding # of Acres: The spreadsheet that displays after doing a search in Paragon is customizable for each agent. To add a field such as Lot Size/Acres to your spreadsheet, click on Customize on the tool bar directly above the spreadsheet. A box will pop up showing two lists of fields. The list on the right contains fields already on your spreadsheet, and the list on the left contains fields that can be added. Please note that the list on the left is alphabetical. Find the field you want to add, click on it, and then click the Add button between the two boxes. The new field will be added to the bottom of the list on the right. You may need to scroll down to see it. You can also remove fields by moving them from the right box to the left box. There are also move up and move down buttons in between the two boxes that will allow you to set the order of display. Click the Save & Close button at the bottom when you are done. This new format will be your default. If you want to switch back or if you make a mistake, there is a Revert to Default button next to the Save & Close.
March 2008
New Lockboxes: New infrared lockboxes will begin showing up on listings
over the next few weeks. Click here
for a picture of the new box. To open this new box, press the same
buttons on your DisplayKey, but instead of placing
the key in the box, point the infrared panel at the top of your DisplayKey towards the infrared panel on the lockbox.
The new boxes do not automatically drop the key compartment like the old
boxes. Your DisplayKey will tell you to
"press the key container", at which point you should push up on the bottom center of the box to release
the key container.
Farm Saved Search BUG: We have verified that some farm saved searches did not
convert entirely. Please double check the saved searches for your
prospects looking for farms. You may need to re-enter acreage
requirements. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
-Recent Changes: The MLS database has been modified as
follows: Farm listings have been merged with Residential, a new feature
group has been added for Environmentally Friendly Features, a
new School District field has been added, and the class Residential has
been renamed Single Family & Residential Income has been renamed Multi
Family. Click here for detailed information.
Link
to new Profile Sheets
Link to new
Farm Associated Document
February 2008
-The MLS offers
a 3-hour advanced Paragon class which covers: Map Searching, Driving
Directions, Customizing your Search, Setting up your E-card, Creating Mailing
Labels, Copying and Building Customer Reports, and Q&A. There
is no charge for this class unless you register and do not show.
Click here to register.
-The MLS also offers customized office training. If you have at
least 8 people in your offices who would like instruction on a common
feature or features within Paragon, please call Rick at the MLS to schedule a
training session for your office. There is no charge for this customized
Paragon office training.
-New Report Added -- We have recently created a new report
that is a cross between the Agent Full and the Customer Full. This report
does not include the confidential broker-to-broker fields, but does include the
listing agent information. We foresee this report will be used when
a listing agent wants to print his/her own listings for use in brochure boxes
or for other public distribution. This report can be
found under Available Reports and Details. It is called Customer w/
Agent.
-If the electricity has been turned off for a property you have listed, PLEASE
indicate this in the broker-to-broker remarks so showing agents know to
make appointments earlier in the day.
-It is against MLS rules and copyright law to copy another agent's property photos for use on your listing without permission. Those submitting photographs with the knowledge that they do not have the right to authorize the MLS to publish the photograph(s) shall be subject to a fine of $25 per photograph in addition to any legal or equitable remedies available to the owner of the photograph(s).
January 2008
-Certain data fields in the MLS, such
as expiration date and commissions, are considered confidential, and
therefore available only in broker-to-broker reports. Reports containing
these fields may not be distributed to the public. As the agent full
report in Paragon contains these fields, this report should be used internally
by Members of the MLS only, and not given to the public. We have
had recent reports of the Agent Full report being left in brochure boxes.
This is against MLS rules. Please remove Agent Full reports and replace
them with Customer Full reports if you have been including them in brochure
boxes. Thank you for your cooperation.
-When searching
in Paragon, you can enter multiple entries for most fields. If there
is no pick list to choose from, you simply include a comma between
entries. Examples of a couple non-pick list fields
are Lake/River Name and Subdivision. If you want to search
both
- If your office listings do not
include the Schedule a Showing icon, and you are interested in
allowing agents to set up showings via Paragon and email, you may view a
demo of this product here.
If a listing has a Schedule a Showing icon included, please
use it when setting up showings.
December 2007
-Paragon always
remembers the last search you did. During your current Paragon session,
the last search criteria automatically appears.
If you logout and log back in, the search criteria does not automatically
appear, but you can reload it by selecting Load Search and then Load
Last Search from the buttons directly above the search prompts.
-
If you have a listing for which circumstances exist that cause the sale
price to be less than market value, please use the MLS remarks to
explain those circumstances.
-When entering
a property that is under construction, you may include a sketch or a photo
of a similar model. If you use a photo of a similar model, please make
sure the photo has the words "similar model" included as part of the
photo.
-Concern from the appraiser community: We recently
received this email and agree this is an area our members could do better at:
"When sales concessions are
involved in a transaction, it is most helpful if they are included on the MLS
data sheet. There is a special area just for this called Points
Paid/Seller Credits that is not being used. As appraisers we have to
track down the Realtors® involved in the sale to get the concession amount
which is both a bother for the Realtors® and a time burner for the
appraiser. In a market where all details truly matter and where efficiency
is critical, I ask that Realtors® kindly take the extra minute to specify the
concession amount. Thank you."
If the seller made concessions, such as
paying closing costs or points on behalf of the buyer, please indicate that
amount in the Points Paid/Seller Credits field when closing out the listing in
Paragon.
November 2007
-When an agent transfers from one company
to another, or to a different branch within the same company, the following
should be adjusted in Paragon:
·
In
the case of a branch-to-branch transfer, be sure to update the company name to
reflect the correct branch on each active listing.
·
Email
notifications for prospects must be turned back on.
The reason auto-notifications are turned off is because often times the email
address of an agent changes when they change offices. Email sent from an
inactive email address can cause all Paragon emails to be blacklisted.
·
Under
Preferences, update your E-Card if you have it turned on.
·
Under
Preferences, update the information in your email Standard Message Body if you
use this feature.
·
If
you use the E-Card and/or the Standard Message Body for auto-emails, you must
update the notification information on each prospect individually.
·
If
you blind carbon copy yourself on auto-emails, you must update this on each
prospect individually.
·
Update
company info in saved CMA presentations.
·
Update
your company logo if used on your reports.
·
Update
your contact information in ShowingAssist.
P4 Hot Tips:
-Before the
upgrade I could click on Search and Address/Tax ID/MLS #. Where did
this go? In P4 click on Search and Multi-Class under Search
By Class.
-When looking at your search
results, you can gain more horizontal screen space by clicking the
"Available Reports" header of the reports options that have loaded
from the right. Click again to reload the reports menu.
-When looking at your search results, save time by moving your most used
reports up under Favorites on the Available Reports menu. Simply click on
the report you want and hold down your mouse button while you drag it up to
Favorites.
-If you are having problems selecting items from the new drop down menus,
remember to move your mouse down and over instead of diagonally.
October 2007
-Paragon Upgrade
As you can see,
Paragon has a whole new look and feel. First of all, don't panic! The
changes are almost all in how the system looks, not in how it
functions. Our trainer Rick put it best when he said, "it is
the same house, but with a new paint job". Buttons are bigger, menus
are easier to use, and the number of clicks needed to perform a function is
reduced. You can still click on Search to perform a search, and all
the same search options and reports are available. Below are a few
of the changes you can expect.
-As you can see, the home page looks very different . Quick Search is still on
the left and Hot Tips are in the middle, but there is a third pane on the right
that contains the Market Monitor and Quick Action Links. The Market
Monitor allows you to go back a set number of days (back to 30) instead of
restricting you to 24 hours, 3 days, and 7 days. The Quick Action Links
allow you select which Paragon programs you most often use.
-When you click on a function such as Search, your options now display larger
and in an organized fashion, opposed to just one long pick list. To
select an option move your mouse down and then over...don't move your mouse
diagonally. It seems a bit strange at first, but you will get the hang of
it!
-Menus now slide in from the
right. The most noticeable place this happens is on a search results
page. There is no longer a views/reports button. Your report
choices will slide in from the right. You have the ability to move your
favorite reports to the top under favorites.
-For those that add and maintain
listings, you can now maintain listings right from the search results
spreadsheet by clicking on a new Maintain button on the top toolbar.
-Links to virtual tours are included on
the Agent Full Report.
-The Criteria Summary from Search has
been added to HotSheet Search.
-Clicking on a photo will not only
enlarge it, but it will give you the ability to scroll through all the photos
for that listing.
-The email address on the agent full
report is now a clickable link.
-If
a seller is still obligated under the terms of a listing contract, but the
property is no longer available to be shown, the property should be moved
to a Withdrawn status
in the MLS. If a seller is released from their contract before the
actual expiration date, the listing should be Expired.
-Virtual Tour Reminder -- MLS rules prohibit the display of virtual tours that include agent information and/or office contact information. Office name is allowed. The reason for this restriction is that links to virtual tours on MLS listings in Paragon are included as part of the Customer Full Report. By design, the listing company is given credit on this report, but there is no agent information or office contact information. The Customer Full Report is the email default from Paragon to clients/customers. Before this restriction was in place, some of the tour links on listings emailed from Paragon took the client/customer to a web page that focused on the agent/office, and not the property.
September 2007
-The following listing features have
been added to Paragon. If you have a listing that has one of these features,
please modify your listing to include it.
Residential
8'+ ceiling under the
Basement Feature (E)
9'+ ceilings (main level)
under Interior Features (P)
High speed internet available
under the Interior Features (P)
Condominium
End Unit under the
Style Feature (A)
8'+ ceiling under the
Basement Feature (D)
9'+ ceilings (main level)
under the Interior Features (O)
High speed internet available
under the Interior Features (O)
Lots and Acreage
Approved for IZ under
the Terms Feature (P)
Farms/Farmettes
Fences under the Farm
Features (H)
High speed internet available
under the House Features (Q)
-Our MLS covers mainly South Central and
- We have had increased reports of agents contacting sellers before their listing contract expires with another agent. This is a violation of both MLS Rules and the Realtor® Code of Ethics. Please take a minute to read the article titled How to Avoid Jumping a Listing. Click here for a copy.
August 2007
-Starting with the July statistics, SCWMLS
will begin publishing the monthly sales reports following the last day of the
month after the statistical reporting month. This means that the July
numbers will be available the beginning of September. In the past, our
statistics have reflected those transactions that were reported to the MLS by
the 15th day following the reported month. This has
sometimes proven to be premature, and therefore has resulted in understated
figures, as too often agents have not reported all their sales within the
fifteen day window. So that this year is accurately compared to last
year, please make every attempt to report your July sales by the end of August,
your August sales by the end of September, etc. Thank you.
-The plus (+)
key on your keyboard 10-key number pad can be used as a comma in Paragon.
So, if you are keying in several MLS numbers separated by a comma, you can
quickly key them in on the 10-key number pad using the plus sign (+) as the
comma separator.
July 2007
-When viewing a
listing in Paragon, one of the links at the top is
"correction". If you click on this link, an email box will
open. Use this link to report to the MLS what you believe to be
inaccuracies on that listing.
-The MLS Market area within the Market Monitor (look to the left of this page) is a great place to track activity for a specific geographic market. By default, the MLS Market is defined as the whole MLS. You can limit that to just the market you would like to monitor by clicking on the Change Area button within the Market Monitor. Click Remove All to move all municipalities from the right to the left box, and then move just the municipalities you want to monitor back to the right box. If you want to include a whole county, click the Sort by Code button to group municipalities by county.
June 2007
-We are pleased to offer a new class
covering advanced features in Paragon. This class is 3 hours and
covers Map Searches, Driving Directions, Customizing your Search and Reports,
Setting up your E-card, Creating Mailing Labels, Copying and Building Customer
Reports, and Q&A. Please do not register for this class unless you
have taken the Paragon Basic class and/or have been using Paragon for more than
3 months. There is no charge for this class unless you register and do
not show. Click here
to register.
-If you right click the map on the Customer Full - Map View you will be given an option to zoom in and zoom out. In addition, you can switch from Road view to an Aerial view. After you zoom in or out or switch to another view, this view will hold when you select print. This is very helpful if you run across a property that shows just one street on the map. Zooming out will allow you to print a view that is more helpful.
May 2007
-The MLS Remarks section of a listing is
searchable.
You will find the Remarks
search prompt under the Advanced Criteria section of the search parameters. When typing in a word or phrase to search
for, put a star before and after (*...*) the word or phrase. For example, if your buyer would like a
property that has tray ceilings enter *tray ceiling* and your search
results will include properties for which the listing agent has included tray
ceiling or ceilings in the remarks.
-Confusion regarding the labeling of the STYLE of a condo, particularly ranch
vs. garden style, is creating inaccurate information on the system and
therefore inaccurate search results. Garden style should be selected for a condo that has all
living space on one level and has other units above or below. Garden
condos are often in a building that resembles an apartment building. Ranch style should be selected if the
Condo you have listed is in a one floor building with no other condo units
above or below. Townhouse
style should be selected if the condo you have listed is a 2+ story unit.
Your help in accurately describing your condo listing will help those looking
for it.
-
April 2007
-If you have a
browser-enabled hand-held device, such as a WAP-enabled mobile phone (i.e. a
Blackberry or a Treo) or a PDA, you can access
Paragon Wi-Fi for real-time access to Paragon MLS
data. Paragon Wi-Fi not a substitute for the
online Paragon system, but rather a companion product that will allow mobile
users the ability to search and retrieve a limited portion of MLS listing
data. If you have access to the Internet from your phone or PDA, there is
no additional cost for this service. Simply enter http://scwmls.fnismls.com/paragonwifi
and use the same login name and password you use to access Paragon.
-
-In response to
a really good member suggestion, we have added the listing office address to
the agent full report.
-From the agent full report you click the
little blue-green M link to get the map....how the heck do you print that
map? Place your cursor on the blue border around the map and right
click to get an option to print. Yes, we do have an open work order to add
a print button, but we wanted to share the secret work around for you to use
for now.
March 2007
-Offices
now have the option of turning on a free module within ShowingAssist
that will automatically send follow-up requests for property feedback after a
showing. If this feature is turned on, feedback requests are emailed
automatically to the showing agent the evening of the day in which a showing
appointment was scheduled via ShowingAssist. The
email identifies the property, and includes the listing agent's contact
information along with a text box for freeform comments. When the showing agent
responds to the email, the listing agent will get an email to let them know
feedback has been received. This email will include a link to view the
feedback.
If your office would like to try this new feature, the setup must be done by
someone with administrative access to Paragon. Once logged in with
administrative access, click on Preferences, User, Integrated Products Tab, and
then select ShowingAssist. On the Office Setup Tab,
place a check mark in the "Enable the sending of feedback requests to
showing agent's" box at the bottom of the screen. Once an office is
activated to receive feedback, individual agents can be turned off under the
Agent Setup tab if needed.
- Would you like to attract more agents to
your broker opens? The ability to mark
your listing for an all agent property tour, and the ability to search for
properties you can tour can be done within Paragon. The fields to enter broker
open date, time and comments (munchies available?) can be found under the VTour/Open House section of the Maintain Listing program
(available to those with administrative access). The search field for Broker Open Date can be
found within the Advanced Search Criteria section under Search. Once you have a list of the broker opens you
are interested in, access information about the tour by selecting the
Tours/Broker Open report listed under Multi-Up Views/Reports. For a sample of the Tours/Broker Open report
click here.
-To better identify properties
being offered at auction, a new feature has been added under the Terms Feature. Each listing flagged with the new Auction feature is also
flagged with an AUC directly following the price. To help convey necessary information
about the auction process to potential selling agents, all auction properties
must include the SCWMLS Information Form for Properties being Sold at Auction
as an associated document. This form can be found under the Forms
section on our member website at www.scwmls.com.
- The Designated Agent Y/N field has been replaced with
Multiple Representation Y/N/D (D = Designated Agency). All listings that
were marked as Designated Agent = Y have been changed to Multiple
Representation = D. If you have a situation whereby a seller has
consented to multiple representation, but not designated agency, you will need
to change your listing from the old Designated Agent = N to Multiple
Representation = Y. For a full explanation of this change see the
headlines on our website at www.scwmls.com.
-The following are recent changes to
the wording of current features:
|
Features |
Old |
New |
|
Basement Feature |
Walkout |
Walkout to yard |
|
Fireplace Feature |
Wood burning STOVE |
Free standing STOVE |
|
Waterfront Feature |
Has access rights - No
frontage |
Deeded access - No
frontage |
-To add
the date and time to the bottom of Paragon reports: For Internet Explorer 6 users,
click on File at the very top left of the screen and then Page Setup. For
Internet Explorer 7 users, click the print drop down on the top right of the
screen and then Page Setup. Find the white box titled Footer. Add &d for date and &t for time. If the computer you
are using is your own, you can also add your name and other information you
desire. If you are using an office computer used by others, please do not
personalize this line. Please note that this information will print on the
bottom of printouts from other websites as well.
-2006 Mill
Rates are now online!!
Please
visit our Member website at www.scwmls.com
-When entering a
message on the Message Board, you must scroll down and enter a code as it
appears in a black box, before posting your message. This is a security
measure to assure an actual real person is entering the data, and not some
computer program trying to scam the system. Please remember that this
message board is for real estate transaction related topics only.
-If
your Supra keycard is routinely not eSyncing at
night, or if you see the constant message "Connecting to Cradle"
when you place your keycard on the cradle, you should reset your cradle.
To do this, place the key on the cradle and insert one end of a paper clip
(unbent) into the reset opening (next to the telephone ports on the back of the
cradle). This will reset the modem in the cradle. If you continue
to have a problem, contact the MLS office.
-The
correct placement of your property on maps within Paragon is often dependent on
the correct street tag (i.e. St, Ave, Dr). Please be sure you include the correct street
tag when entering a new listing. Click here for a list of proper
-Change for Listing
Input: To improve seamless linking between MLS listings and tax records,
input checks for correct parcel number formats have been added to Paragon. For a list of these correct formats, click here. If a property has not been assigned a
parcel number, enter Not Assigned. If a listing represents multiple parcel
numbers, either pick one or enter the word Multiple.
-Enhancements
were recently added to Paragon. For a list of these enhancements,
click here. These
enhancements included modifications to accommodate Internet Explorer
7. Paragon now officially supports Internet Explorer 7.
Please make sure other websites you rely on are also compatible
with IE 7 before you upgrade. After upgrading to IE
7, run the system checker on the login page to configure IE settings for
use with Paragon.
-Right click the map on
the Customer Full with Map View to zoom in and out....Very
cool!!!
-Properties
in our MLS that include instruction to contact the seller for showings are
protected from solicitation by REALTORS, just like all other exclusive
listings. Your conversation with the seller should be limited to setting
up the showing. Properties in our MLS that are being sold at auction are
also protected from solicitation by REALTORS. It is against MLS rules and
the REALTOR Code of Ethics to solicit these listings prior to their expiration.
-If you want to print, email, or view more detail for all the listings on a spreadsheet, the fastest way to select them all is to click the blank gray/tan box at the top left of the spreadsheet....above the sequential number column. This also works nicely when you want to eliminate just a few from the list. In this case you would select all by clicking the blank box, and then uncheck the few you do not want.
Safety Alert: The MLS has received a few reports of a man
contacting female Realtors (mostly with long hair) stating that he is from out
of town and would like to purchase property in the area. He indicates that he has found them via the
Internet and would like to meet, but not at the office. He uses an email with eagle wolf in it and
an 808 phone number. When testing the
phone number given, it is disconnected.
A case (C06-5727)has been opened in
-Here are a few tips for
marketing township properties:
Use the “Other Market Area” field. If you add what you think is the most
appropriate bordering city
or village as the Other Market Area, your township listing will come up in searches
for that city or village on Paragon and on wisconsinhomes.com. You may want to consider location, school
district or mailing address when making this decision.
Start your remarks with something like “Only 2 miles east of the
City of
If the street number of
your rural listing begins with an alpha character, do not move the alpha
character to the street direction field. The W or N before the street number is part of
the street number, not a street direction.
This is very important for correct mapping placement.
-If you work within a team and would like your team name to be included on the
bottom of the customer full reports, email Jen (jen@wisre.com) with your team name. After
Jen adds your team name to your member record, you can customize the
customer reports by clicking on Preferences, Views/Reports, and the
Details tab. Open up the report you would like to change and scroll down
to the bottom section in white. Double click on the white box to display
the fields you can include. Select My
Info - Team Name, which is located a little more than half way
down. Highlight this field and click Add. Place a check mark next to the
Team Name and next to No Label at the bottom and hit Save &
Close. At this point, the Residential report is done. You will need
to do this for each class of property.
Your personal slogan can also
be added in this same fashion.
August 2006
-The
South Central WI MLS and the Southwest Wisconsin MLS have recently signed a
reciprocal agreement that allows Members of the SCWMLS to view the
-You
can search for upcoming open houses under the Search Program in Paragon.
Click on Search, Property, and select the property class. Open up the
Advanced Criteria section at the bottom to find the Open House Date search
prompt.
New
Profile Sheets: Copies of the new profile sheets can be
found under the MLS Docs on Paragon.
A new required Designated Agent Y/N checkbox is
included. A Yes here indicates to others in your firm that
you have permission from the seller to act as a Designated Agent. With the consent of the seller-client, a Designated Agent can
provide full services, information, and advice to the seller-client, while
another licensee acting as a Designated Agent, within the same firm, with the
consent of the buyer-client, can provide full services, information, and advice
to the buyer-client, all in the same transaction. A Yes or No has no relevance to agents
outside your firm. An individual licensee cannot act as a
Designated Agent for both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. For more information on agency disclosure
requirements, contact the WRA Legal Hotline (608.242.2296 or 800.279.1972)
The choice for Over 5 Acres
under Lot Size for Residential has been broken down as: Over 5 to 10 Acres;
Over 10 to 20 Acres; Over 20 Acres. All listings have been converted to Over
5 to 10 Acres. If you have a current listing or a recent
sold that is over 10 acres, it is important that you make the proper
modification within Paragon.
The choice for 1-100 feet of water frontage has been broken down
to 1-50 feet and 51-100 feet. All listings have been converted to 1-50
feet. If you have a current waterfront listing, or a recent sold, that
has 51-100 feet of frontage, it is important that you make the proper
modification within Paragon.
-Open house date and time as entered in Paragon is
now included on the Agent Full Report. If you have access to add and change
listings, you can find fields for open house date and time under the V
Tour/Open House tab under Maintain Listings. When the open house date is past, Paragon
automatically deletes the date and time. Open house date and time also displays on
www.wisconsinhomes.com.
-Good News ---
MLS Remarks are now automatically being displayed within listing ads on
Realtor.com. In the past, Realtor.com built set remarks from listing
features, and the only way to get the MLS Remarks section to display was to
purchase an upgrade package.
-The map on views/reports (i.e. customer full with map) can be adjusted to display a preferred zoom level. If you have access to add and change listings, you can find this adjustment under Listings, Maintain and Change GeoCode. Once you adjust the zoom level and save it, the map on views/reports will hold that zoom level.
-The plus (+) key on your keyboard 10-key number pad can be used as a comma in Paragon. So, if you are keying in several MLS numbers separated by a comma, you can quickly key them in on the number pad using the plus sign (+) sign as the comma separator.
-Two new listing features
have been added to Paragon. Rental Allowed is now listed as an option under
Terms/Misc for Condo listings, and Office with Exterior Entry
is now listed under Interior Features for Residential Listings. If you have an
active listing that includes either of these features, please edit your listing
to include them.
-The
Supra DisplayKey lease renewal is June 1st of each year. With the
next monthly billing, offices will be assessed $100 for each agent currently
leasing a Supra DisplayKey. If you are no longer using your keycard, and
would like to cancel your lease to avoid the $100 charge, please return your
keycard and cradle/charging base to the MLS prior to June 9th.
-New Listing Feature
Added: If
your vacant land listing is located adjacent to a park or
greenway, you may now select this as a feature under Lot Description.
-If a seller is
still obligated under the terms of a listing contract, but the property is no
longer available to be shown, the property should be moved to a Withdrawn status in the MLS.
If a seller is released from their contract before the actual expiration date,
the listing should be Expired.
-Tax Mill Rates
for 2005 are now
available under Resources at www.scwmls.com (click here
for shortcut).
-After composing an email within Paragon, click on the button on the top tool bar that says ABC with a checkmark to spell check before sending.
-New
Property Tour Report - The ability to
mark your listing for an all agent property tour, and the ability to search for
properties available for agent tours are now available via Paragon.
The fields to enter broker open date, time and comments can be
found under the VTour/Open House section of the
Maintain Listing program (available to those with listing add/maintain
access). The search field for Broker Open Date can be found
within the Advanced Search Criteria section under Search. Details about
the agent tour (date, time, comments) can be found on the Tours/Broker Open
report listed under Multi-Up Views/Reports.
-Updated
Profile Sheets (Rev
1/2006) can be found under the MLS Docs button above. Updates include:
-The field for Listed Defects has been removed.
-Laundry Room Dimensions have been added.
-Floor Number for Condos have been expanded to
1,2,3,4-10, 11+, TH, PH (penthouse).
-ShowingAssist is now live. Offices will need to turn on this feature to allow agents to use it. Click on Preferences and User to access the ShowingAssist setup tab. If the office email address listed is blank or needs to be changed, please contact the MLS office. Click here to view a demo of this new product.
Agent email
address has been added to the agent full report under the listing agent
name.
What are the colorful alphabet boxes on the agent full? Click on D to open associated documents the
listing agent has loaded, H to
link to History, M to
link to a map, and T to
link to the tax record. If there is no T, the parcel number on the
listing is invalid, or the property is located in a county we do not store tax
information for.
The Paragon system was recently modified to comply with federal requirements for CAN-SPAM. When you receive an email from Paragon Email Service, you must confirm your email address via this email within 30 days in order to continue emailing from Paragon. Click here for an explanation of how this will affect the e-mail functions within Paragon.
-During the
evening of Wednesday, December 28, several enhancements will be added to
Paragon. A few of these enhancements, as well as future
enhancements, will improve the Paragon UI (User
Interface). In order to take advantage of improved UI technology, the mandatory screen resolution for Paragon
will be increased to1024x768. Most of you are already set for 1024x768,
but a few may still be running at 800x600. To prepare for these upcoming
enhancements, you may want to check your screen resolution and change it to
1024x768 if it is currently lower than that. Click here for
instructions on checking and changing your screen resolution.
-If you are looking for a
quick way to send an email to all your prospects at the same time, click on the
Compose button above the blue menu bar on the Paragon home page. Click on
the To link to pull up a list of your prospects. Here you can either move
each email address over separately, or click on All to move them all at
once. If you don't want your prospects to see that you have sent
your message to many, you can put your own email address in the To field, and
use the Bcc field for your prospects.
-Storage
Locker Included and
Storage Locker Available
have been added as options under "Interior Features"
for Condominium listings. These options have been added to
Paragon, but will not be added to the MLS Profile Sheets until the next
scheduled reprint in January.
-To minimize the distortion to your property
photos when they are uploaded to Paragon, the original photo should be as close
to the following as possible: The file size should be under 32k and the image size should be as
close to 640x480
as possible. If a photo is over 32k, or
larger than 640x480, ParagonÔ
will compress the image possibly decreasing the quality. A free utility is available for all Microsoft XP users that will
allow you to easily resize photos. You
can find a link to this utility labeled MS Image Resizer
under the Links section on the left of this ParagonÔ home page.
2
Hot Supra Tips:
-If
your Supra keycard is stuck in a searching mode, hold down the Enter key and
press the number 1 to clear the card.
-Holding
down the Enter button for 2 seconds after your keycard is turned on will
illuminate the screen.
-The plus
(+) key on your keyboard 10-key number pad can be used as a comma in Paragon. So, if
you are keying in several MLS numbers separated by a comma, you can quickly key them on the number
pad using the plus sign (+) as the comma separator.
-Open
House Alert:
The MLS office has
received a call warning of an individual who allegedly has stolen prescription
drugs while attending an open house. Please alert your sellers to assure
that all valuables (money, jewelry, etc) and prescription drugs are out of
plain sight and are not readily accessible by visitors to an open house or
other showings. If you suspect a theft has taken place, please contact
local police as soon as possible. A police report has been filed with the
City of
-Electronic Pet Containment System has
been added as an option under "Exterior Features" for Residential
listings. Commercial Condo
has been added as an option under "Type" for Commercial
listings. These options have been added to Paragon, but will not be added
to the MLS Profile Sheets until the next scheduled reprint in January.
-According to
MLS guidelines, for square footage to be considered finished, the space must be
heated, have finished walls (painted concrete does not count), have a finished
ceiling (no exposed floor joists), and have a finished floor (painted concrete
does not count). If one of these four components is missing, the space
can still be considered finished, but disclosure of the missing component must
be included in the MLS remarks.
-If you
are not currently using the Tax Autofill link when
adding a listing, you may want to check it out. Clicking on the Tax Autofill
link at the top of the Add Listing screen will take you to the Tax Search page. Locate the property you are adding by parcel number, address, or
owner name. Select the tax record, and then click on the Autofill
link at the top of the screen. Information such as address, owner, legal
description, assessments, and taxes will be automatically imported into the
add-listing screen saving you keystrokes. If the listing agent has provided
information that is different from what is auto-filled, you can simply
overwrite the auto-filled information.
-Office
and Agent roster information is accessible to all users via Paragon. To
find an office, agent, or roster of an office, click on Reports from the blue
menu bar on the home page of Paragon. The Member Roster includes a list
of agents within an office. The Agent Roster provides one line of info
about each agent. Within each report there are links to agent and office
phone numbers and email addresses. The search tool included allows you to
look for one individual, a list of agents within an office, or even all
offices/agents in a specific city.
-The most
current MLS Profile Sheets can be found under MLS Docs located above the blue
menu bar on this page, or on www.scwmls.com
under the Forms Link. MLS Profile Sheets can also be found on Zip
Forms.
-Within Paragon, you have the ability to attach documents to your
listings. Quick access to
documents such as addendums, the property condition report, floor plans, plat
maps, etc. can be very helpful to an agent showing your property, especially
during non-office hours. Agents can
attach their own documents as they do photos via the drop down menu in Listing
Maintain. Listings that
have documents associated with them can be identified by the Documents field
that is located to the right of the list date on the Agent Full reports. For
expanded instructions on attaching and viewing documents, click here.
-On selected
reports in Paragon, you will see colorful boxes labeled H, M, T. These
boxes are quick links to History, Mapping, and the Tax
Record. If your listing does not have a T box, this means the
parcel number entered for that listing is incorrect, or is located in a county
we do not have tax records for.
-When
searching using the bathroom field, please remember that our MLS represents
bathrooms as a four-digit number. The first digit is for full baths, the
second digit is for 3/4 baths, the third digit is for half baths, and the
fourth digit is for quarter baths. If you are looking for homes with
at least 1 full and 1 3/4 bath, for instance, you would enter 1100 in the
minimum bath field.
-Offers of compensation made through the MLS must be based upon a
percentage of the gross
sale price or a specific dollar amount. This applies even in a case where
seller-paid concessions/credits increase the sale price, or in a case where
improvements on existing property, or add-ons to new construction are
negotiated. If it is your intent to pay a commission based on the net
sale price (before seller concessions/credits, improvements, or add-ons), the
cooperating broker must agree to this in writing.
-The following enhancements have been added to the Paragon Tax
Program:
-
-Links to plat
maps have been added for
-Mailing labels
in
- If you would like to view a full list of emails you
have sent via Paragon, click on Contacts from the blue menu bar and then on
View Sent E-Mail, which will be the last option on the drop down
list. A list of all emails sent (both manual and
automatic) for the past 30 days will display. To view a
specific message, click the box to the left of the recipient email address and
the message will display on the lower half of your screen. If
you want to view all email sent for a specific prospect, open up the
prospect and click on the E-Mail Notification tab. All emails sent (manual
and automatic) for the past 30 days for that specific prospect will
display.
- The MLS Market area within the Market Monitor (look to the left of this page) is a great place to track activity for a specific geographic market. By default, the MLS Market is defined as the whole MLS. You can limit that to just the market you would like to monitor by clicking on the Change Area button within the Market Monitor. Click Remove All to move all municipalities from the right to the left box, and then move just the municipalities you want to monitor back to the right box. If you want to include a whole county, click the Sort by Code button to group municipalities by county.
-You can change the fields that display on the spreadsheet list of
properties that comes up after a search in Paragon. Click on the Customize link at the top of the
page to display a list of fields that can be added. The box on the right lists the fields that
currently display on your spreadsheet. If you want to
remove a field simply highlight it and click Remove. If you want to add a field from the left box,
click on the field and then on Add. If you do not
see the field you would like to add, click on the Group box at the top to
display different types of fields (i.e. Feature Categories). To make it easier to find a specific field,
click on the top of the Name list to alphabetize. Click on Save
and Close to apply your changes. Your customized
spreadsheet will now come up each time you display the spreadsheet.
-Statistics (average, median, volume, days on market) can be calculated via Paragon for any list of properties. From any view after doing a search, click on the Views/Reports button and then choose Statistical Reports. The following 4 reports will be listed. Remember to use the Get All button if y