News & Past Hot Tips

Home by ShowingTime enables your clients to stay involved as you work together to buy or sell their home. Buyers can easily view upcoming tour information, as well as driving directions for scheduled showings. Clients who are selling homes can receive showing requests automatically, confirm them, see feedback from potential buyers and view all activity on their home. Home by ShowingTime keeps your clients connected and engaged throughout the home buying and selling process. Home is part of the base ShowingTime product sponsored by MLS.    Click here for information on incorporating Home by ShowingTime.

Members of the South Central WI and Rock Green MLSs have access to open Supra keyboxes on properties listed by SCW and Rock Green MLS members only.   Each MLS in Wisconsin has its own, and separate, keybox system.  When setting up a showing on a listing imported into Paragon from another MLS (MLS number prefixed with 2 alpha characters), do not take for granted there will be a Supra keybox, and that you will be able to access it.

Most agents in the Metro Milwaukee MLS (MM prefix) use the SentriLock keybox system. Metro agents can issue a one-day code to allow you access. Most agents in the Northeast (NE prefix) and Central WI (CW prefix) MLSs use the Supra system, but it is separate from ours.   If you want to show a NE or CW listing, email keys@wisre.com and request reciprocal Supra access. Indicate which system you would like reciprocal access for based on the alpha prefix. You need to do this only one time per MLS system, and there is no additional fee for this reciprocity.  Please do not wait until you are at the property to call for reciprocal access, as it takes effort from staff at both the SCWMLS and the reciprocating MLS to get this set up.

When entering a comp sale (listing sold outside MLS), instead of just entering “sold comp” in the remarks, please include features of the property that are not addressed in our pick lists, especially if there is something unique. Accurate and complete data makes our MLS database more useful for everyone using it. Thank you!

Within Paragon, each agent is assigned a User Code and a User ID. If you are asked by a vendor (i.e. website provider) to provide your MLS ID, they could be referring to either of these codes, depending on which field they have incorporated for their product. You can find both of these numbers within the Paragon Agent Roster. Click Membership from the top menu bar, and then Agent Roster. Enter your last name within either the Agent Name or Agent ID field. The results will display both your User Code and your User ID. You can either clarify as to which field they are looking for, or just send them both codes.

ShowingTime provides a calendar sync option that allows you to merge your showing appointments into your personal calendar. To facilitate this sync from within Paragon, click on Preferences and Showing Assist. Click the Edit Profile button to open your profile. Click Calendar Sync under your photo. From here you will have an option to sync your showings as a showing agent and/or listing agent. Click the Create Calendar Sync Link to create a link. Copy and paste this link into the settings within your calendar program. Directions for Google, Yahoo, and Outlook be found here.

The ShowingTime default is set to allow 2* showings at a time. This default can be changed for all listings within an office, for all listings for an agent, or listing by listing via the Office, Agent, or Listing setup options within ShowingTime. Options exist for no overlap, or for overlaps of 2-10 showings at a time. If more than one showing is allowed, the showing agent will see a pop-up letting them know another party may be present.

The ShowingTime default for maximum time allowed for a showing is set for 30 minutes*.  You can adjust this listing by listing.  If you anticipate many showing requests for your new listing, for example, you could set the maximum showing duration to 15 minutes to allow for more showings the first few days.  Once you feel the initial rush is past, you could lengthen it to 30 minutes.  You can find this setting from within Paragon. Click on Preferences -> ShowingAssist -> Listings. Select the listing and scroll down to Appointment Restrictions. Look for the Maximum Appointment Length drop down.

*The default may be different for you if your office has already modified this default. 

Click here for 2021 Tax/Mill Rates

With the increased instances of showing overlaps, it is tempting, and even seems friendly to just hand the key over to the next agent that shows up for a showing.  Remember, the Supra system records when you open a keybox, and when you close it.   If the next agent forgets to turn lights off, lets the cat out, or fails to shut/lock doors, you may be held responsible as you would have been the last agent recorded as entering.

We have had an increase in complaints recently, that showing agents are not taking time to make sure lights are off and doors are locked.  If there is not another showing happening when you leave, please double check all doors and lights.  Doors may have been opened or lights may have been turned on by an agent before you, so please be attentive and do a double check before you leave.

Supra keyboxes come from the factory preset to open between the hours of 6:00 a.m – 9:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, and shift to the hours of 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time.

If you would like to change the access hours, or remove all time restrictions, you can do this for keyboxes you have added to your inventory.  Once added, select the keybox and then select Program Keybox.  Change the start or end time by clicking or tapping on the time.  When done, you will need to select to Program the keybox.  You will need to be near the keybox and have the shackle code to do this.

Join our Data Integrity Manager, Heather Brooks, as she steps through MLS rules pertaining to listings.   This is a great review for listing agents and administrative staff.

• Videos
• Summary of Listing Rules

In an effort to promote the highest level of professionalism and cooperation, we strongly recommend the following best practices regarding setting a future date for presentation of, review of, or response to an offer:

Buyer Agents:

• It is best to submit offers in a timely manner, and not wait until the deadline. The seller is free to change their mind, and the date set for presentation/review/response could change at any time.
• Open communication with the listing agent is key. If you will be writing an offer, let the listing agent know, and ask to be notified if the date changes.

Listing Agents:

• Under Wis. Admin. Code § REEB 24.13(3)(c) and the Realtor® Code of Ethics, listing agents are required to promptly present all written offers to their sellers. Holding offers, even at the request of a seller, creates potential risks for the listing agent. If a seller insists on setting a specific date for presentation of, review of, or response to offers, this should be documented in writing, preferably in the listing contract.  Language should be clear as to the terms and conditions under which an offer should not be promptly presented.
• Terminology such as “presentation”, “review”, or “response” date is sometimes misused, making it difficult for cooperating agents & buyers to understand the seller’s timeframe & intent. Instead, a statement like “Seller requests binding acceptance through ______(date)” may help avoid ambiguity and confusion.
• Discuss with your seller how to handle offers written with binding acceptance dates prior to the set date for presentation/review/response.
• To promote fairness & equal opportunity to all interested parties, the listing agent should communicate with all agents who have shown the property, have upcoming showing appointments, and who have expressed interest if the originally stated date changes.  This can easily be done via ShowingTime Appointment Center (select listing and select Send Notifications). The change should be documented in writing, and the MLS remarks should be updated as soon as possible.
• Listing agents should not make the decision that one offer warrants presentation before the deadline, while others do not. In order to fulfill their obligation to be fair and honest to all parties, the listing agent should present all offers if the decision is made to present one. The seller and the listing agent should recognize that reviewing/accepting an offer before the originally stated date puts cooperating agents in an unfavorable position because other buyers may become angry if they rely on the MLS information only to discover another offer has been accepted.

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.

If you find yourself in a situation where your new seller directs you not to include their listing on the MLS, your options for marketing their property are very limited. If an office exclusive listing is not handled correctly, it can result in a large fine. If you are at all unsure about the rules pertaining to office exclusive listings, please call 608-240-2800 or email us at listings@wisre.com. We would much rather talk to you ahead of time, than follow up on a report that you have strayed outside MLS rules.

Dane County has a listing of foreclosure properties that can be found here:  https://treasurer.countyofdane.com/Property-Owner-Info/foreclosure

The ShowingTime default is set to allow 2* showings at a time. This default can be changed for all listings within an office, for all listings for an agent, or listing by listing via the Office, Agent, or Listing setup options within ShowingTime. Options exist for no overlap, or for overlaps of 2-10 showings at a time. If more than one showing is allowed, the showing agent will see a pop-up letting them know another party may be present.

The ShowingTime default for maximum time allowed for a showing is set for 30 minutes*.  You can adjust this listing by listing.  If you anticipate many showing requests for your new listing, for example, you could set the maximum showing duration to 15 minutes to allow for more showings the first few days.  Once you feel the initial rush is past, you could lengthen it to 30 minutes.  You can find this setting from within Paragon. Click on Preferences -> ShowingAssist -> Listings. Select the listing and scroll down to Appointment Restrictions. Look for the Maximum Appointment Length drop down.

*The default may be different for you if your office has already modified this default. 

Photos loaded into Paragon should not contain office/agent names, logos, or contact information. Please take photos from an angle to avoid your for sale sign, or from an angle such that your sign is not readable. If this is not possible, please edit your photo to blur or cover the sign before loading it into Paragon. This rule extends to unbranded virtual tours loaded into Paragon as well.

If you receive an email alerting you that a client has opted out of receiving emails from you via Paragon, this may be because they accidently clicked on the opt out link within an email, or because Paragon received a bounce back from your client’s email provider. To opt them back in, email them the following link or open the link and type in their email address: https://scwmls.paragonrels.com/CCR/paragonsubscriptions?action=optin. Your client will be sent a confirmation email containing an opt-in option they will need to click on within 72 hours to opt back in.

The above opt in link can always be found within the links in the blue banner on the top of the Paragon home page. You can proactively check for clients that have been opted out by clicking on Contacts and View/Manage Contacts within Paragon. Look at the Email column. Clients should have an orange envelope indicating a valid email address. If you see a white envelope with a red exclamation point, this client is opted out and is not receiving emails.

If you are marketing your Delayed listing to the public (for example, as coming soon or by placing a sign in the yard), you must input that listing in the MLS within 1 business day of when marketing begins. If you are not yet marketing to the public, you have 4 calendar days from the list date to input the listing in the MLS.  If you miss the input deadline, there is a $100 per day fine if you are not advertising, and a $500 per day fine if you are advertising.

If a listing is not ready to be shown, it cannot be shown by anyone, not even the listing agent/office.  Hefty fines have been imposed on listing agents and showing agents for showing a property in Delayed.    Click here for more information on Delayed listings.