News & Past Hot Tips

The responsive design of Paragon’s new Collaboration Center provides a robust and seamless experience across all devices—smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop. Agents can quickly set up personalized buyer and seller portals with rich content and an interactive dashboard. Through their personalized portal, buyers can:

• View new matches, changes, and agent-recommended listings
• Mark homes as favorites, possible, or rejected
• Add comments, compare, and tag listings
• Communicate easily and request showings with their agent
• Search homes and save searches (if enabled by agent)
• Use a mortgage calculator

The portal also includes local property data (schools, history, transport, restaurants, etc.), and agents can track buyer activity in real time.

Click here for an updated list of schools by county & district for the 2024-2025 school year.

In response to intermittent issues with mobile carriers blocking SMS/text notifications, ShowingTime recently implemented a new opt-in feature to ensure more seamless message delivery. To continue receiving important updates and key listing notifications, please take a few moments to confirm you have opted-in to receive SMS text messages from ShowingTime.

Complete the opt-in process: When a new mobile number is added to ShowingTime, or after 60 days of inactivity for an existing mobile number, ShowingTime will send an opt-in text message. It will state: “You’re in! Stay updated on your listing appointments. Reply START to receive SMS notifications from ShowingTime. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to unsubscribe.” You must reply “START” to complete the opt-in process.

• Texts will be paused until ShowingTime receives confirmation. Once confirmed, messages that were not sent while waiting for the opt-in will be delivered.
• The prompt will be resent after 60 & 120 days to ensure receipt. If there is no response, or the recipient replies with STOP, the mobile number will be marked as “Do Not Send” and no further text notifications will be sent to that number.
• If you’re not receiving text messages, or you inadvertently opted out, text “START” to 847-865-6549 to opt in at any time.

We also suggest downloading the ShowingTime mobile app. Clients can also download the Home by ShowingTime app to stay informed throughout their buying or selling journey. For more ShowingTime information and to download the mobile apps visit:

SCWMLS ShowingTime Page

SCWMLS Supra eKEY users automatically have access to Central Wisconsin and LaCrosse Area MLS Supra keyboxes. In addition, they can request access to Supra keyboxes in the Northeast WI MLS by contacting our office. You can check to see which MLS’s your eKEY is currently programmed to access by clicking the right arrow (>) next to “South Central Wisconsin MLS” within the orange bar located near the top of your Supra eKEY app home page. More information on accessing keyboxes in other areas can be found here.  

Highlights Include:  

We are excited to share that SCWMLS members can once again click to schedule showings through Paragon for Metro MLS listings (MM prefix).  This integration utilizes Metro’s showing service, Aligned Showings.

The Aligned Showings icon looks like this: and can be found in the same location as our ShowingTime link.  This integration has been turned on in the main SCWMLS database. Each member will be required to accept an end user agreement when accessing the software for the first time.

Scheduling a Showing via Aligned Showings is Easy

1. From the agent full report in Paragon, click to access a calendar.  Within Paragon Connect, click Aligned Showings within the list of integrated products.
2. Click the date for your showing request, the type of showing, and click Next.
3. You will be presented with available times. Drag the time bar to select the time you would like. Showings are set for 30 minutes by default. You can change this by accessing a drop down on the right of the time bar.  Click Next.
4. Enter a message, if you would like, before sending your request. This may be a good time to request keybox access. Click Send.
5. Watch for confirmation via email.

We understand your time is valuable and appreciate your patience as we worked on this new integration.  If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@wisre.com.

When entering the above grade, below grade, and total square footage fields for a new listing, only include space that is finished. To be considered finished, the following components are needed:

1. Heat source
2. Finished walls
3. Finished ceiling
4. Finished flooring

If one component is missing, the space can still be counted as finished, but the missing component must be disclosed in the public remarks. If two or more components are missing, the space cannot be counted as finished. The room dimensions section should only include finished rooms. More detail can be found within this helpful guide.

Now is the perfect time to prioritize your safety

According to the 2023 REALTOR® Safety Survey, 56,000 REALTORS® were crime victims while on the job, and 322,000 reported feeling unsafe. To help reduce risks and give agents the ability to learn more about new prospects quickly, we offer members access to FOREWARN. This user-friendly app verifies identity and provides key details in seconds before meeting new prospects. Sign up today!

You can also join a monthly FOREWARN training session to learn how to maximize the app, get tips, and participate in a live Q&A.

We are pleased to announce the SCWMLS and the Greater La Crosse Area MLS recently approved an automatic reciprocal arrangement which allows members of both MLSs automatic access to Supra keyboxes in each other’s market. Agents no longer need to request reciprocal access to show properties listed via the Greater La Crosse Area MLS. We also have an automatic reciprocal arrangement with Central WI MLS. As is the case in our MLS, an approved showing request is required before opening a Supra keybox from any other MLS.

For more information on accessing properties in cooperating areas throughout Wisconsin, click here.

When entering a listing, it is good practice to always check for correct map placement. This should be done for all new listings, but is particularly important for properties that do not have an established mailing address, such as new construction or vacant land. This will ensure the listing is found in map-based searches & matched with the maximum number of buyers. Click here for detailed instructions & a helpful video tutorial on how to verify & adjust mapping on your listings in Paragon.

We recently shared best practices on setting up and editing criteria for a property search in the Collaboration Center (click here to read). The Collaboration Center also provides your clients the ability to share properties they found when doing their own searches with you.

It’s important to educate clients on how to share listings that they may be interested in to ensure a smooth, efficient sharing process. While it’s easy to reflexively copy and paste a URL address from the browser address bar and send it off in an email, that approach does not work from the Collaboration Center. It results in a URL that cannot be accessed.

​Clients should always use the share function within the Collaboration Center to send a clickable link quickly and effectively. Here’s is the step-by-step process for sharing from the property detail view and the map view (click to enlarge):

Finding the perfect home for those with specific accessibility needs can be difficult. Whether seeking a step-free entry, wide doorways, or grab bars in the bathroom, there are ways to make finding accessible properties in the MLS easier.

When listing a property with accessibility features, please consider completing & uploading the WRA’s Basic (2 page) or Standard (5 page) Accessibility Features Report to the MLS. These reports provide information that is helpful to buyers who may have disabilities or are planning to age in place.

Additionally, please utilize the Accessibility Features category in the MLS to highlight these features and make them easily searchable for buyers. Doing so helps ensure that accessible listings stand out to those who need the features most.

Automatic search notifications  in Paragon have an expiration date, typically one year after you create the notification. 20 days before that date, when you log in to Paragon you will get a popup that notifies you that you have a search or searches that are going to be expiring soon. In the popup window you have two choices:

1. Click the Extend link – this will extend the expiration date an extra year.
2. Click the slider under Notifications to turn off the notification.

​​If you do nothing, the notifications will turn off on the Expire Date.

On behalf of Tom Weber, SCWMLS President, and Ben Oblizajek, RASCW President, we are pleased to announce Lisa Marshall has been selected as the new CEO of the Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin and the South Central Wisconsin MLS. Ms. Marshall comes to us from the Central Wisconsin Board of REALTORS® headquartered in Wausau, WI.

“I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity and to build upon the organizations’ commitment to excellence, innovation, and inclusivity,” said Marshall. “We have great members, great staff, and great communities here and I’m eager to get started.”

Lisa will begin her new duties as CEO on September 30, 2024. RASCW and SCWMLS members should watch for an invitation to an open house reception to meet Lisa in the near future.

Click here for the full press release.

In addition to removing the Buyer Agent and Subagent Commission fields, the following changes were made to the MLS database on August 16th. Click here for updated profile sheets.

• Barrier Free feature category now called Accessibility Features
• Accessibility Features now specify minimum door opening & minimum hallway width
  • Only select if all doors/halls in the home meet the minimum width(s). Please remove the features from current listings if they no longer apply.
• Other Room picklist includes the following new rooms: Indoor Pool Room, Indoor Hot Tub Room, Covered Porch, Deck, and Patio
  • Spaces that are not rooms were added so you can highlight their dimensions.  Please do not include these spaces in total sqft calculations.​
• Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) – new Exterior Feature in Single Family
  • Do not include detached living space in the finished square footage totals (can note in the remarks). See updated Square Footage Guide for more information.
• Walkout Lower Level Possible – new Miscellaneous feature in Lots & Acreage
• Building Plan w/Lot – new Type feature in Multi Family
• Whole House Backup Generator – new Exterior Feature in SF & CD
• Engineered Wood – new Exterior feature in Bus/Comm

The Buyer Agent and Subagent commission fields will be removed from the MLS around noon this Friday, August 16th.

If you are currently working on a transaction, and have an accepted offer on or before Friday, the commission in the MLS will be required to be paid under current rules. Please print out a full detail report showing the commission before noon on Friday so you can demonstrate, if needed, the commission offered at the time of the accepted offer.

If you are currently working on a transaction and do not have an accepted offer by Friday, you should enter into a written commission agreement. Your office may have a form for you to use. If not, the WRA’s Compensation Agreement can be used. You can find this agreement in the WRA’s Forms Library and via ZipForms.

We’re excited to share our new animated short, MLS Changes as a Result of the NAR Settlement (A Walk in the Park). This brief video presents MLS-specific adjustments that take effect on August 16th.

To comply with the terms of the NAR settlement agreement, any reference to commission or compensation has been removed from the following fields of current listings:

• Public Remarks
• Broker to Broker Remarks
• Wisconsinhomes.com Remarks
• Showing Instructions

If you notice any remaining commission/compensation references in these fields, please let us know by clicking the “Correction” button when viewing a listing in Paragon.

Any special commission notes that were previously included in these fields will now need to be communicated outside of the MLS (ex: via agent/firm website, for sale sign, social media, flyer at property, calling/emailing agents directly, etc.). The subagent & buyer agent commission fields can continue to be used until they are removed on Friday, August 16th.

Visit our NAR Settlement News & Updates page for more information.