News & Past Hot Tips

The MLS Committee and Board of Directors recently voted to begin collecting whether or not there is a financing contingency at the time the offer is accepted. Currently, when moving a listing to Sold status, you are required to enter the type of financing at closing. Beginning September 5, you will be prompted with this new question when moving a property to Sold Status:  Cash offer at acceptance? This new question will be required. Hopefully this new data point will be helpful when analyzing sold data.

The MLS has received several reports of a scam in which an agent is contacted to list a property by someone posing as the property owner. The scammer will typically handle all communication remotely and request the property be listed for less than its value in order to generate immediate interest. The WRA has published a helpful article explaining this scam and how to avoid it. You can read more about it here.

All agents have the ability to enter listing data 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 paper 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 that is assigned so they can pass it 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:

• Save time by using Tax Autofill to pull in data from public records.
• Some fields have a magnifying glass icon, which will display the available selection options for that field. Other fields have a question mark icon, which will provide an explanation of how to complete the field.
• Select “Save as Partial” several times along the way to save your work.
• Photos and documents can be added via the 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.

Have you searched for your listing on Google and got results with out of date info? When you make a change on a listing, such as a price change, it will not immediately show in the search results when doing a Google search. Google constantly indexes new information, but it could take anywhere from hours to weeks to even months for changes to show up in their search results. So if you find outdated information directly via a Google search, it does not mean the actual website Google is referencing has not been updated. Click here for a more detailed article.

The security of clients’ properties is a top priority for all of us. If an agent accesses a keybox without a confirmed appointment, even if it is a vacant home, the agent and their broker may be assessed a fine of $500 each. These fines double, and Supra eKEY access may be suspended for a second offense. These penalties are guidelines, and may be more severe depending on the circumstances. A seller can also bring trespass charges against any agent without a confirmed appointment. Before accessing a property, please double check the address & ensure you have permission.

Before leaving for a showing, especially for a property in an area with spotty cell phone coverage, double check that your Supra eKEY has updated for the day. To check this, look for the Update icon on the bottom of the main eKEY screen. If there is a red X over the Update icon, click to do a manual update. If there is no red X, you are good to go. Once your eKEY is updated for the day, it does not need access to cell service or the internet to retrieve a key or open a keybox shackle.

It is against MLS rules and copyright law to use another agent’s photos without permission. If an agent submits photos with the knowledge that they do not have the right to use them, a fine of $25 per photo may be assessed in addition to any legal remedies available to the copyright owner of the photos.

Did you know you can text listings from Paragon? The text option can be found within the Share link when viewing a listing. The Share link is located within the blue menu bar, to the right of the Email button.

Listings can be sent via text to any contact you have saved within Paragon. There is an option to set up a contact on the fly after selecting to text. If you receive an alert stating your mobile number is not configured, simply click on the option given to Configure Settings, and enter your mobile phone number. You need to configure your mobile number just once. You also have the option to add a custom message. Once the text is sent, it will be recorded in the contact’s Message History.

When marketing a listing, a good rule of thumb is to describe the property, not the people. Paragon automatically checks the public remarks for words that may, in a certain context, violate fair housing laws, and displays a warning message that includes the flagged word or phrase. If you are comfortable with the context in which the word is being used, simply check the box to accept, and re-save. For a full list of words that will trigger a warning, click here. In addition to the remarks, please keep these guidelines in mind when adding photos & documents as well.

Paragon Connect is the mobile-friendly version of Paragon. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, watch this video for an overview of features and functions.

The Type feature pick list contains three distinct stages for properties that are under construction or newly built:

• Building Plan with Lot = Proposed home is not yet started. Building plans are allowed on the MLS only if they include land with the sale, and only one building plan per lot may be entered. If there are additional floorplan or finish options, these can be noted in the remarks.
• Under Construction = Hole has been dug & construction is underway. The estimated date of completion (or stage of completion at the time of listing) is required in the first line of the public remarks.
• New/Never Occupied = New home is completed & move-in ready. A photo of the front exterior of the home is required at this stage.

It is important to update the feature as a home moves from plan, through construction, to finish. If you add upgrades or finish more square footage than the original listing states, please adjust the price and applicable fields/features in the MLS to reflect these changes. We often see the sale price several thousand dollars more than the list price due to additions/upgrades, which makes it difficult to use these sales for appraisals and CMAs.

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.

When entering a new Single Family, Condo, or Multi Family listing, please remember to include a front exterior/street view of the home, even for waterfront properties. It does not need to be the primary photo, and can appear anywhere in the order. Having a view from the street is useful not only to agents when showing the property, but also to appraisers. Click here for additional info on photos in the MLS.

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.

Did you know the assessor data for many municipalities is available online, for free? This provides an easy way to look up things like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, finished square footage, year built, and more for a given property.

​To locate this information, click Tax in the main Paragon menu and choose Public Records Websites from the dropdown. Select your county on the map, choose the appropriate municipality, and then search by address or parcel #. If you don’t see your municipality listed, you can check AssessorData.org (for free) or purchase the complete property record for a small fee on AssessorData.com.

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:

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Clicking the My Info Tab on the Market Monitor gives you quick access to your current active listings as well as your current offer-no show listings, your current delayed listings, your listings due to expire for days specified, and your solds for the past 6 months. Listings under the Sold Within Six Months link include your co-broke sales, allowing easy monitoring to be sure you are given credit for co-broke sales.

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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 following additions/changes have been made to the listing data we collect within Paragon. Updated profile sheets can be found here.

• The Street Name and Street Type (ex: Ave, St, Dr) have historically been included in one field.  This has been split into two fields.  The Street Type field is a pick list that contains non-abbreviated values (ex: Avenue, Street, Drive).  This will help to maintain more uniformity with addresses both in our system and when the address flows to other databases. Click here for guidelines on address input.
• Fields for Items Included and Items Excluded have been added to the Lots & Acreage property class.
• High-speed internet options of 5G Installed and StarLink Installed have been added to the Interior Features pick list.
• Smart home features of Smart Doorbell, Smart Thermostat, Smart Garage Door Opener, and Smart Security Cameras have been added to the Interior Features pick list.
• Under the Condo property class, a feature for Project Adjacent to Park/Public Land has been added under Common Amenities, and a feature for Unit Adjacent to Park/Public Land has been added under Exterior Features.
• Under the Lots & Acreage class, a new feature for Condo-Separate Amenity has been added under the Type feature pick list.  If you have a condo unit with no living space (ex: storage unit, garage/parking stall, pier) that is being sold separately, and is available to purchase by the general public, you can enter it under the Lots & Acreage property class and select this new Condo-Separate Amenity feature.  It is required that you describe, in the first line of the public remarks, what is being sold so it is clear a unit of some type is for sale versus vacant land.
• A new waterfront feature for Direct Access – Frontage Not Owned has been added.  This new feature should be used to identify properties that are contiguous to, and have authorized use of, shoreline owned by another entity, such as the Wisconsin River Power Company.  These types of properties may no longer be identified by the Has Actual Waterfrontage feature.  This change has been made at the request of the Wisconsin River Power Company.

Here are a few tips to ensure your listing is being matched with the maximum number of buyer searches in Paragon:

• Select all features that apply – If your listing has a 2 car attached garage with an electric car charger, you would select the features “2 car”, “attached”, and “electric car charger” in the Garage feature category. Many buyer searches are set up based on specific features, so if your listing has a particular feature, but that feature is not selected, your listing will not come up as a match.
• Check the mapping – This can be verified & adjusted under Listing Maintain – Select an Action – Change GeoCode (click here for detailed instructions). This should be done for all new listings, but is particularly important for properties that do not have an established mailing address (ex: new construction or vacant land).
• Utilize the price analysis tool – Within Paragon, there is an easy way to see the number of potential buyers (Paragon contacts with saved searches) at the current list price, and if the price were changed. This functionality is available for partial listings, as well as live listings. Click here to watch a short video demonstrating this cool feature.
• Note special property features in the remarks – The remarks section of a listing is searchable, so if your listing has unique features that are not covered elsewhere in the listing data (ex: large garden space, apple orchard), be sure to mention these features in the remarks.