News & Past Hot Tips

The MLS has recently received multiple complaints from both listing agents and sellers regarding Realtors trespassing.   Please remember you must have a confirmed showing appointment to even walk around the outside of a property.  Also, if the property is in Delayed status, or listed as Active with a future show date, this would not only be trespassing, but also a violation of MLS rules, as these properties are not allowed to be shown.   A showing occurs once you step foot on the property.  Showing a property not yet available for showings can result in a hefty fine.

The MLS does not define what is a bedroom. Listing agents should use common sense when calling a room a bedroom. If you are counting a room as a bedroom that is not a typical bedroom (i.e. does not have a closet, is accessible only by going through another room, etc.), please indicate in the remarks what makes it atypical so that showing agents and potential buyers are informed before a showing.

A lower-level room that does not meet safety guidelines for a bedroom, however, should NOT be labeled as a bedroom in the MLS. Click here for requirements from the Department of Safety and Professional Standards regarding lower-level bedrooms. MLS rules mandate a photo be included within Paragon showing the egress window for every lower-level bedroom.

Did you know you can track the number of times your listing is viewed by agents and consumers via Paragon? To access this information, pull up your listing via Listings -> Maintain, and click on Select an Action.  From the Select an Action box, choose View Activity Report.  Within the report there is a link that defines the statistics displayed.

Per Wisconsin State Statute 452.136(3), an agent cannot advertise a property unless their firm is the listing firm or has permission from the listing firm.  The firm does not become the listing firm until a listing contract has been executed and the term of the contract has begun. This date is also referred to as the effective or list date:

In response to many complaints of agents advertising before the effective date of their contract, the MLS Committee and the MLS Board of Directors created an MLS rule to parallel Wisconsin law.   The hope with this new rule is to elevate the level of professionalism by stopping violations internally, before DSPS sanctions one of our members.

The following SCWMLS rule went into effect September 26, 2022: 

If any detail of a specific property, sufficient to activate the interest of a potential buyer, is publicly marketed before the effective date of the listing contract for said property, the listing agent shall be fined $200 per day, from the time of advertisement until the effective date of the contract.  This new fine will not exceed $5,000. 

Click here for pdf version of graphic above – please share

Click here for additional information on Delayed status

SCWMLS rules allow you 10 days from the closing date to report a listing as Sold.    The fine after 10 days is $5 per day.    There was a maximum cap of $25 for this fine, but due to repeated offenses, it is apparent that $25 may not be a large enough deterrent.   At their August meeting, the SCWMLS Board of Directors increased this maximum cap from $25 to $100.

Did you know you can customize the Market Monitor on the Paragon Home page to limit the display of listings to certain counties, cities, school districts, or types of property. Click the gear to the right of the words Market Monitor to set your preferences.

Since June of 2017, we have imported over 25,000 listings from other MLSs, via WIREX, directly into your SCWMLS database to make it easier for you to find them. These listings are located in the 20 South Central WI counties our SCWMLS members typically list and sell in. The MLS numbers for these listings are prefixed by 2 letters to make the MLS number unique, and to identify them as listings that originated in a different MLS system (i.e. MM for Metro MLS).  If you are looking for property outside these 20 counties, switch to WIREX to search.  

WIREX is a joint venture between 7 MLSs in Wisconsin to create a shared database including almost 90% of the MLS listed properties in Wisconsin. WIREX provides an offer of cooperation between participants for these listings. MLSs Participating in WIREX include: Central Wisconsin, Lake Superior, Metro Milwaukee (including La Crosse), Northeast Wisconsin, Northwestern Wisconsin, South Central Wisconsin (including Rock/Green), and Western Wisconsin.

Strange Expiration Dates:  You may have wondered why active listings that are imported from other MLSs via WIREX have 1/1/2079 as their expiration date. Most MLSs do not display the expiration date for active listing within their MLS systems. Our agreement via WIREX requires us to honor restrictions set in the native MLS systems. Paragon requires data be included in the expiration date field, so we use 1/1/2079 as a placeholder. The actual expiration date is hidden, and when the property is moved to an expired status, the placeholder is replaced with the actual expiration date.

Agents with basic Realtor level Paragon access can enter listing data for a new listing directly into Paragon (Listings –> Add Listing) and save it as a partial. This option streamlines the add listing process by allowing agents to directly key in listing data as opposed to filling out profile sheets. Partial listings can then be reviewed and saved as live listings by users with office administrative access. When entering a partial listing, an agent should make note of the partial listing number assigned to pass on to their office listing administrator, along with any documentation required by their office. If the listing should be entered in a status other than Active, that should also be noted. Administrators can then pull up the partial listing to complete under Listings -> Maintain Partials.

A Few Tips:

• Selecting Tax Autofill will pull in data from public records.
• You can select to save as a partial several times along the way to save your work.
• Photos and documents can be added via links to the left of the data entry fields
• Before handing off to your administrator, click Save Listing to trigger input rules to make sure you have not missed any required information. Click the red triangle to jump to the field that contains missing information. Status will be entered by your administrator.

Associated documents marked as public, photos, and virtual tours within Paragon should not contain office/agent names, branding, logos, or contact information.   Our members are doing a pretty good job regarding photos, but we unfortunately have to reach out often regarding branding on public associated documents. Only public associated documents that are contractual in nature (ex: RECR, addenda) may contain the name of the listing firm, which must be in typeface no larger than the median typeface of the document. Please double check your docs before marking them as public.

Do you have contacts in Paragon for whom you would like to preview listing matches before sending?

If you use Collab Center, you can set up the contact for Agent Preview. Open the contact, go to Contact Information, select Agent Preview from the Collab Center Search Options located in the top left, and click Save. When a listing notification is sent, it will come to you first to Approve or Disapprove in Paragon. This approval/disapproval can be done directly from the contact grid.

If you use Email Notification, you can edit the notification so it is only sent to you. Open the contact, click Buyer Activity, click the search name, then click Email Notification 1. Click the Edit Notification button at the top. Remove the contact’s email address, check the Bcc Me box, and click Save. Be sure you clearly identify the contact in the subject line so you know who to forward the email to when you receive it.

If you have a listing that is not mapped correctly, it may be missed if an agent is searching by map. Please make it part of your routine to always check the map placement when adding a new listing. If the map placement as assigned by Paragon is not correct, you can adjust it under Listing Maintain – Change GeoCode. When the map displays under maintain, click on the red map placement marker and move it as needed. Switching to a bird’s eye view (click the down arrow next to the word Road in the upper left corner) and using the zoom feature helps to pinpoint the exact location. There is also an option to enter the latitude and longitude. Before clicking Save, you may want to zoom out a bit as the zoom level will also be saved. If you are not familiar with the location of a property, the CRS tax program can help you pinpoint it exactly using the latitude and longitude. Click on the red T from the listing to pull the property up within the CRS tax program.  The Latitude/Longitude are the last field within the Location section. Copy and paste into the Change GeoCode option within listing maintain.

The number one complaint we hear regarding our Supra system, is that it is cumbersome to issue an NMA one-time code to allow members from another MLS, and contractors access to a Supra keybox.  An update has been installed that significantly simplifies this process.

If you routinely issue NMA one-time codes for Supra, please check the version of your eKey app (go to More and About) to make sure you have the latest version, which is 5.5.0.468 for Androids and 5.5.3.670 for iPhones.   With this version, you should have the new streamlined option, Grant Managed Access.

In a nutshell, the new one-time access process works as follows:

1. Tap My Keyboxes
2. Select the keybox (add if not there)
3. Select Grant Managed Access
4. Enter the cell number of the person needing access
5. Set the desired access date and time

See below for more detailed instruction outlining this streamlined process:

For Listing Agent:
         Granting Single Access to Supra Keybox                      VIDEO        PDF Doc

For Outside MLS Showing Agent or Contractor:
Using Single Access Invite to Open Supra Keybox     VIDEO        PDF Doc

The status of Withdrawn by Seller should be used when a seller changes their mind about selling, but the listing agent does not release them from their listing contract.  Properties in Withdrawn by Seller may not be marketed or shown.  Just like with Delayed properties, if the listing agent allows a showing, or a potential co-broke agent shows a property in Withdrawn by Seller status, both agents would be subject to fines by the MLS.

Once a listing is moved to the status of Withdrawn by Seller, the listing firm will not be able to move it back to Active. Before marketing & showings can resume, one of the following must be done:

1. Execute a new listing contract, expire the previous listing in the MLS, and add a new MLS #. This option will cause the days on market (DOM) count to reset. The cumulative days on market (CDOM) will only reset if the property has been off the market for at least 31 days.
2. Execute an amendment with the direction to reactivate the listing and submit it to listings@wisre.com. MLS Staff will change the listing back to Active status. This may only be done once per listing. With this option, the days on market will continue to accrue.

If you have a situation where the seller wants to temporarily suspend showings, you should leave the listing as Active, indicate in the first line of the public remarks that there are no showings allowed and provide the date showings will resume. You can change this date if needed.

If the listing agent releases the seller from their listing contract, the status should be changed to Expired.

Photos and video taken via a drone, and loaded into the MLS, must be taken by a drone pilot who is certified to operate a drone for commercial purposes.   When hiring a drone operator, please ask for their Remote Pilot Certificate number as issued by the FAA.    If you are taking your own drone photos or videos for use within the MLS, which would be considered for commercial use, you must have your Remote Pilot’s Certificate from the FAA.   By loading a photo or video tour into the MLS system, members represent that they have the legal right to use and publish said photo or video for commercial use.  More information on the operation of drones can be found here.

The Supra eKEY annual renewal is June 1 of each year. The annual fee of $175 per keyholder will be included on your office’s billing statement scheduled to arrive this week.  If you are not using your eKEY, and would like to cancel your lease, please email keys@wisre.com by June 30 for a credit.  Please do not submit an individual agent payment.  Most offices collect MLS fees from their agent, and pass that payment on to MLS.

Within Paragon, there is an easy way to see the number of potential buyers (Paragon contacts with saved searches that match your listing) at the current list price, and if the price were changed.  This functionality is available for partial listings, as well as live listings.   Check out this short video demonstrating this cool feature.

Rule Reminder:    Listings no longer available for showings due to an accepted offer must be moved to the status of Offer-No Show (PND). It does not matter if all contingencies are removed; the deciding factor is if showings are allowed or not. Please make this change as soon as possible. MLS rules mandate this change must be done within 3 days of when the property is no longer available for showings.