Newsletter Archive 2006
December
« Previous Paragon Hot Tips
Previous hot tips that are run on the Paragon home page can be found under Resources within Paragon. Click on Resources from the blue menu bar, click on My Links, and then Previous Paragon Hot Tips. Links to other helpful sites are also included under My Links.
« Tips For Supra KeyCard Users
- If your Display Key gets stuck on "searching" or "connecting to cradle", hold down the ENTER button and the 1 to reset your DisplayKey. You can also use the up arrow key to reset the Key from a submenu (this will not work when the Key is stuck on "searching" or "connecting to cradle")
- If you are entering an update code manually and need to start over, use ENTER + 1 or the up arrow key. The down arrow key will backspace and clear one number at a time.
- Holding down the ENTER button for 2 seconds after your keycard is turned on will illuminate the screen.
« November 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« November 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
November
« Important Supra Reminders
- We have recently received multiple complaints regarding Realtors showing property without an appointment. It is a violation of rules and regulations to enter a property using your keycard without permission. Showing appointments must be made through the listing company. Violators also risk the property owner filing trespassing charges with the police. Please use your keycard responsibly.
- With the changing of the clocks on Sunday, October 29th, the keybox access hours will also change. When daylight savings time ends, the boxes will be programmed to open between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
- Please do not write shackle codes on keyboxes or attach labels with shackle codes to keyboxes. In the best interest of your seller & your company, be careful where this information is kept. If a shackle code is listed on a box, it allows anyone with a keycard to remove the box from the premises. Please consider how uncomfortable it would be to tell your seller that their house key is in the hands of an anonymous person who knows where they live!
« Look Up Offices/Agents on Paragon
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.
« Paragon Wi-Fi is Here
- Paragon Wi-Fi is an interface that allows real-time access to Paragon MLS data from any browser-enabled device, such as a WAP-enabled mobile phone (i.e. a Blackberry or a Treo) or a PDA.
- Paragon Wi-Fi is 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.
- As a reminder, if you have a PDA running a Palm Operating System, but do not have Internet access, we also provide a free palm download product. You can find information about this product under the Paragon Tutorials within the MLS Docs found at the top of the Paragon screen.
- As always, it is a pleasure to bring you new services and hope you find Paragon Wi-Fi helpful in conducting your business.
« October 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« October 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
October
« Cities and Villages That Cross County Lines
Other Market Area can only be used for rural township properties, with one new exception. Paragon was recently changed to automatically include the other county code as Other Market Area for cities and villages that cross county lines. For example, if you list a property on the Jefferson County side of Cambridge (K02), Paragon will automatically include D12 (Village of Cambridge in Dane County) as the other market area. This change was automatically applied to all current active listings.
Cities and villages in our database that cross county lines are as follows:
| City/Village | Counties | Area Codes |
| Belleville | Dane/Green | D02/H04 |
| Blanchardville | Iowa/LaFayette | J05/M08 |
| Brooklyn | Dane/Green | D10/H07 |
| Cambridge | Dane/Jefferson | D12/K02 |
| Livingston | Grant/Iowa | G27/J19 |
| Muscoda | Grant/Iowa | G34/J21 |
| Randolph | Dodge/Columbia | F31/B28 |
| Watertown | Jefferson/Dodge | K24/F38 |
| Waupun | Dodge/Fon Du Lac | F39/T12 |
| Wisconsin Dells | Sauk/Columbia | Q37/B33 |
« Add Your Team Name to MLS Printouts
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 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.
« September 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« September 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
September
« Profile Sheets Updated
On Monday, July 17, the latest revision of the MLS Profile Sheets will be available. In addition to including the new features that have already been added to Paragon (Office w/ Exterior Entry for Residential, Rental Allowed for Condos, and Adjacent to Park/Greenway for Vacant Land), the following will also be changed:
-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.
-The choice for Over 5 Acres under Lot Size for Residential will be broken down as: Over 5 to 10 Acres; Over 10 to 20 Acres; Over 20 Acres. All listings will be 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 will be broken down to 1-50 feet and 51-100 feet. All listings will be 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.
-Building Dimensions have been removed for Residential Income properties.
Copies of the new profile sheets can be found under the MLS Docs button on Paragon, on ZipForms, or click here.
Link to WRA Legal Update regarding Revised Agency Law Implementation
« Searching Open House Information
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.
If you have access to add and change listings, you can find fields to enter open house date and time to your listings 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 as entered in Paragon is included on the Agent Full Report.
In addition, there is an Open House Brochure included as a Detail View under the Views/Reports button. Open house date and time also displays on www.wisconsinhomes.com.
« August 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« August 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
August
« MLS Madison Area/Subarea Map Updated
The 2006 version of the MLS Madison Area/Subarea Wall Map is now available. Each MLS office and branch office is entitled to one free copy of this map. There were no Area/Subarea reassignments for this update, but streets added within the City of Madison since the last printing (2004) have been added. If you would like an updated copy of this map, please stop by the MLS office Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The cost for additional maps is $15 each.
« Schedule a Showing From Paragon
Your office can now include a "Schedule a Showing icon" on your MLS listings. This icon will allow showing agents the ability to request a showing via email by simply clicking on the icon while viewing your listings within Paragon. Offices can set the destination of that email to a showing desk, administrative person, listing agent, or anywhere else they would like the request to go.
The agent requesting a showing will be able to view a calendar and select a showing time, indicate if they are a buyer or seller agent, and include any other information they would like to communicate. The email request will be pre-filled with the showing agent's contact information as included in Paragon, and the information about the listing. Confirmation of the showing appointment can either be handled via a return email or via a phone call.
To enable online showing requests, click on the Preferences and then the User option from the Paragon blue menu bar. Set up can be completed under the new ShowingAssist tab. This new feature has been added at no additional cost to you or your office.
« July 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« July 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
July
« Waushara County Added
In the past, listings in Waushara County were entered into the MLS as "Other Area". In response to an increase in the number of listings in Waushara County, we have recently assigned actual areas to each municipality. In addition, we have added Waushara County to Paragon Tax. If your market includes Waushara County, please note that each Waushara municipality can now be found under the location drop down in Paragon. Waushara County area/subarea codes begin with a "V". For an updated area/subarea chart go to www.scwmls.com and click on Resources.
« Stats
« June 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« June 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
June
« New Listing Features Added
Rental Allowed is now listed as an option under Terms/Misc. for Condominium listings. This option has been added within Paragon, but will not be added to the MLS Profile sheets until the next scheduled reprint in July.
Office w/ Exterior Entry is now listed under Interior Features for Residential listings. Again, this option has been added within Paragon, but will not be added to the MLS Profile sheets until the next scheduled reprint in July.
« Supra DisplayKey Annual Access Fee Due in June
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 office prior to June 9th. You will receive a $50 deposit fee when you turn in your keycard and cradle. If you have any questions, please contact Marian or Kristine at 608-240-2800.
« Withdrawn Vs Expired
Under what circumstances should a listing be Withdrawn in the MLS? What about Expired?
Answer: 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.
« May 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« May 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
May
« "I Don't Want to Change My Password!"
Almost a year ago now, the MLS Board of Directors instituted mandatory password changes the beginning of each new quarter. They did this to reduce unauthorized access to Paragon. Because access to Paragon requires no more than access to the Internet via Internet Explorer, many agents will connect to Paragon right from their client's homes. In some cases, the login name and password are saved on the client's computer allowing them continued full MLS access as the agent. Changing the password is the only way to stop this access. In addition, those that avoid dues by sharing access are also inconvenienced. It is our hope that they will become irritated enough, when the password is changed by the other person sharing the login with them, that they will pay the $75 per quarter for their own access. Under this last scenario, allowing users to switch between two or three different passwords would be less effective, hence the reason to not allow a repeat password for five times
« Tax Mill Rates Available
The 2005 Tax Mill Rate charts are now available for municipalities in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, and Sauk Counties. Click on Resources at www.scwmls.com to view and/or print these charts.
« Paragon 3.6 - CAN-SPAM Compliance
On December 28, code was added to our Paragon system to bring it into compliance with the federal requirements for CAN-SPAM, which includes a proper procedure to allow recipients of e-mail from Paragon to opt out of receiving future e-mail. When the first email was sent from Paragon after December 29 on behalf of an agent, a one-time verification email was sent to the agent's email address listed in Paragon. The agent must open this email and click on a link to complete a confirmation process. The sender of this email will be listed as Paragon Email Service. The agent will have 30 days to respond to the verification email, during which time they will be able to freely email from Paragon. After 30 days, if the agent has not completed the confirmation process, they will be unable to send emails via Paragon. This is a one-time verification per email address. If an agent changes their e-mail address in Paragon, they will have to go through the verification process again.
If you do not remember getting this e-mail requesting confirmation, please call the MLS to request another e-mail.
« April 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« April 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
April
« "Adjacent To Park or Greenway" Feature Added for Vacant Land
If your vacant land listing is located adjacent to a park or greenway, you may now select this as a feature under Lot Description. This has been a selection for Residential properties for some time.
« New Property Tour Report Available
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.
« March 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« March 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
March
« Testers Needed For Paragon WiFi
At their last meeting, the MLS Board of Directors voted to add a wireless interface for ParagonÔ access. This interface will allow agents to receive real-time MLS data from any Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-enabled mobile phone or PDA. If you currently have internet access on your mobile phone or PDA, and are interested in being a tester for this new product, please contact Patty Stuard (pstuard@wisre.com) at 240-2800.
« Keybox Access Times Change
When the clocks spring ahead on Sunday, April 2, the keybox access hours will also change. Keyboxes will open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. during daylight savings time. If you have a situation in which you need access to your keybox(es) before 8:00 a.m. or after 11:00 p.m., you can set the keybox(es) to open 24-hours a day. Instructions can be found under Supra information on this website.
« February 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« February 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
February
« Profile Sheet Changes
On Monday, February 20, the latest revision of the MLS Profile Sheets will be available. In addition to including new features that have already been added to Paragon (pet containment system, commercial condo, storage locker included, storage locker available), the following will also be changed:
- Listed Defects will be removed.
- Laundry Room Dimensions will be added.
- Floor Number for Condos will be expanded as follows:
1, 2, 3, 4-10, 11+, TH, PH (Penthouse)
You will be able to find copies of the new profile sheets under the MLS Docs button on Paragon
« New Property Tour Report
On Monday, February 20, you will be able to search for properties that are open for all- agent property tours. Property tour fields will include date, time and broker open comments and will be located within the V Tour/Open House section under the Maintain Listing function. You will be able to search for these tours under the Advanced Criteria search tab. Watch the Paragon Hot tips for more specifics the week of February 20.
« Microsoft Image Resizer - Resize Your Pics with Ease
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, Paragon 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 the Paragon home page or click here.
« January 2006 MLS Stats By Price Range (PDF Format)
« January 2006 and YTD/Annual MLS Stats (PDF Format)
January
« New Paragon Screen Resolution
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.
« MLS Dues Decrease
At their 2006 budget meeting, the MLS Board of Directors voted to reduce MLS dues for 2006 from $98 per quarter to $75 per quarter. This reduction is largely due to the increase in the number of members we are able to spread our costs over.
« New Listing Features Added
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.