Be Cool about the Pool

Friday 30 March 2007

Don't choose "Y" for community pools

When a buyer is set on a home with a pool, they'll seldom consider anything but. As a buyer's agent, imagine your embarrassment if you were to lead such a client into the backyard of a new listing, only to find no pool at all -- despite the fact that it was listed on MLXchange as a pool home.

This is a scenario that we are working hard to avoid, and it's an excellent example of why we tirelessly enforce the accuracy of the data in your MLS.

Lately, we've noticed an increase in the number of properties listed as pool homes when in fact there is no pool on the property. Generally in this case, the listing agent means the home has access to a community or condominium pool; however, listing this way is incorrect, and it is a fineable offense. A property should be listed as "Y" in the "Pool Y/N (Home)" field only if the pool belongs exclusively to that property.

The proper place to list a community pool is in the "Community Features" field.

Property Footprints

Friday 30 March 2007

Property footprints are available for your use – if you know where to look.

Does your client want to see only properties with split bedroom plans, or demand to view the bonus room dimensions before riding out to a property? What if you don't have a broker-loaded floor plan attached to the listing?

No worries! iLink, the web-based iMapp application, provides an easy way to view the floor plans of listed properties by using the public records.

iLinks is accessible through MLXchange as a part of your MLS subscription. You can access the tool in three ways:

From the information bubble that appears to the left of a search listing—the iMapp icon looks like a chain link (if you have a pop-up blocker, remember to press "CTRL" as you click to allow the window to open)
From the listing detail page—the iMapp link appears in the left column
Or simply perform a tax search by clicking "tax" from the menu bar (a property doesn’t have to be listed with the MLS for iMapp to have access)

Once you've selected the property, click on the "Building Sketch" tab.

For most properties, the county provides a building sketch with a description and layout of major features including garages and porches. As a REALTOR, if you notice structures on site that weren’t included in the building sketch, there is a chance that they were not built to code, and you should investigate further before accepting a listing or encouraging a buyer to complete the transaction.

Offices Closed

Friday 30 March 2007

Please excuse the inconvenience

On Friday, April 20 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, the MFRMLS offices at 5032 Goddard Street, Orlando, will be closed for our Annual Shareholders Luncheon, where we will welcome a new President and a new Board of Directors. Please call or visit us before 11:30 or after 1:30 to avoid any inconvenience.

Help Desk Raising the Bar

Friday 30 March 2007

We're expanding our services to better meet your needs

We know you start your workday early, stay late, and work weekends. When you need our help, you need it fast.
Starting in April, we're extending our Help Desk hours, so you can speak to a live agent earlier, later, and on the weekends when you're doing business.

We are striving to provide even quicker responses when you call the help desk. We've increased the number of Help Desk professionals ready to serve you, and we're answering a great majority of your calls within 20 seconds. By reducing your wait time, fewer calls than ever are rolling to voice mail. (If that ever happens to you, it's because all our personnel are assisting other subscribers.)

We want you to know it's a pleasure to assist you. We've made the "3 P's" the hallmark of every call we take at the Help Desk. It is our pledge to be patient, polite, and professional.

We want to constantly improve by asking for feedback. One way we are making sure we hear you is by sending out follow-up surveys through Zoomerang to randomly-selected Help Desk callers every day. We want to make our Help Desk second to none, so if you receive a survey via email, please take the time to answer a few short questions. Based on your feedback, we're raising the bar!

Electronic Billing Q & A

Friday 30 March 2007

By now, you have the ability to pay virtually all your bills online, and your MFRMLS subscription fees are no different. By May 11 you will receive an electronic bill via email. Your E-Bill will include an explanation of fees, your rebates, and hot links to our online bill payment center.

Will I receive a bill in the mail?

You will not receive a traditional invoice. Instead you will receive a customized E-Bill via email which itemizes your fees and links to our online payment center. We will send your E-Bill to the email address on file with your association, so make sure your address is current. Here are directions on how to verify and change the address on file with your local service center.

What if I don't receive an E-Bill?

We are making efforts to ensure all subscribers receive an E-Bill; however, if you don't get an E-Bill by May 11, you'll be able to request one with our online sign up form. You will also encounter system messages when you log onto MLXchange, and we will continue to post reminders in this E-zine. Remember: you don't need an E-Bill to pay your subscription fees; you can view your invoice on our online payment center. (Don't look just yet—new bills won't be posted until May 11).

Can I expect an online payment incentive?

Yes. You will receive a discount if you pay online and on time. The exact amount of your online payment incentive will be decided at our April 20th board meeting. The discount will be announced in this e-zine, and it will be reflected in your itemized E-Bill.

Do I have to pay online?

Online payment is not required, but it is strongly encouraged. Because of the extra administrative time and steps involved in manually processing traditional payments such as checks and phoned-in or faxed-in credit cards, MFR's Board of Directors has adopted a $10 Personal Attention Fee that will be applied to all payments not made through MFR's secure online system.

When will I be able to view my invoice online?

We will post the new annual invoices to the online payment center by May 11.

When is payment due?

Payment is due no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, June 15 and covers your subscription through June of 2008.

What if I'm late?

Those paying after June 15 will be charged a $40.00 Late Fee. In addition, recent software improvements now mean we will be suspending system access within just a few working days after the deadline.

Ready, Set, Email

Friday 16 March 2007

Be sure your contact information is correct in two places

Your local association service center:

In early May, you will receive an E-bill for your annual subscription fee which supports the myriad services you enjoy from MFRMLS. To ensure we have your correct email address on file, please take a moment to verify your contact information with your local association’s service center.

Your custom email template:

This is one aspect of your personal information you cannot change through your local service center. To make sure your email templates include your correct contact information and the correct company, follow these steps:

Log on to MLXchange
Select the "Settings" button near the top right of your screen
Select "Personalize"
Select "Email Templates" and follow the on screen instructions

Is Your Computer Clock Correct?

Friday 16 March 2007

Reset your computer clock for daylight savings time.

On Sunday, March 11, 2007 daylight savings time began (three weeks early!). This change could affect your computer's operating system, your Outlook calendar, and other time-based applications.

Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, the time zone settings for your computer may be incorrect for the three weeks prior to the normal daylight savings time period.

To avoid these issues (especially if you are noticing abnormalities since last Sunday) you must make sure that both your Windows Operating System and your calendar programs are updated. If you use Windows Vista or have Automatic Updates turned on, you may not be affected. If you want to confirm, follow the steps in the Daylight Savings Time Update Guide at Microsoft's site: DST Help and Support Center.

Agents Love MongoFAX

Friday 16 March 2007

Why not try it today?

Linda Mohring, Broker at Coldwell Banker, Winter Park, reports great enthusiasm at her office for MongoFAX. "Some of my agents have tried MongoFAX and they love it!" she recently told MFRMLS Vice President Joel Cohen.

Alana Mendes-Austin writes:

"I have used MongoFax successfully this last week. I had a customer in Ft. Pierce with lots of contract papers going back and forth. Had we used a traditional fax, the papers would be illegible. The other agent involved in the transaction was very impressed and is now signing up as well. She said she would get her manager to tell everyone in the office about it."

With MongoFAX, Mohring's agents send paper documents digitally, then archive them electronically. They save money and time while increasing security and privacy in their real estate transactions. Read all about MongoFAX in our archives.

What's being done by MFRMLS to help reduce fines?

Friday 16 March 2007

Our efforts to assist in reducing Tax ID violations have resulted in that category dropping from first to fifth in the top five list! We credit this success to the new Listing Maintenance classes, E-zine articles, and the Tax ID Pop-up.

Fines for other violations are also on the decrease (compare to the January's statistics). This means you have a more accurate MLS. But there is still work to do.

In February, the number one violation was Photos, followed by Compensation, Status, and Contacts. In March 2007 we added another pop-up on the "Photo Instruction" field which states, "If you have selected 'Broker Loaded', please upload one exterior front photo in the 1st slot within seven business days to avoid a fine." Based upon the success of similar pop-ups on other critical data fields, we expect the photo pop-up to reduce fines for this violation.

Subscriber Outreach

We don't like issuing fines; however it has proven a very successful way to help keep the MLS as accurate as possible. As part of our education campaign, when an agent is fined, the MFRMLS staff encourages them to begin quality control procedures for new listings and to check their inventory on a regular basis. If an agent requests, we are happy to review all of their listings for other possible listing errors, allowing the agent to make quick corrections to save from potentially receiving more fines. This one-on-one customer education has shown positive results by reducing the incidence of multiple violations by the same person.