News & Past Hot Tips

If you are not currently using Tax Autofill when adding a listing, you may want to check it out. It allows you to automatically pull information such as address, parcel number, municipality, owner, school district, acres, assessments, and taxes from the tax record into the listing input screen in Paragon, saving you keystrokes.

To do this, click the Tax Autofill button at the top of the Add Listing screen. On the Tax Search page that displays, select the county along with the parcel number, address, or owner name, and then click Search. Check the box next to the appropriate tax record, and then click the Autofill button in the toolbar above the results to load the information into the listing input screen. To adjust any of the information that auto-filled, simply overwrite it.

It is against MLS rules to advertise a property that is listed by another firm without permission from that agent/broker. The only exception is advertising done via an approved IDX website that has been registered with the MLS. IDX sites are only approved if they are controlled by the registered MLS agent/broker, and are clearly identified as such. Social media sites such as Facebook & Instagram do not qualify as approved IDX platforms, so please remember to obtain permission from the listing agent/broker before advertising a listing on one of these sites. This would include posting photos and/or videos of a listing that is not yours.

Within the MLS, there are two commission fields: Subagent Commission and Buyer Agent Commission.

Both fields reflect the compensation the listing firm is offering to pay to the cooperating firm (the firm who brings the buyer). This offering must be expressed as either a percentage of the gross sale price (%) or as a flat dollar amount ($).

The Subagent Commission is what the cooperating firm would receive if they do not have a buyer agency agreement with the buyer.

The Buyer Agent Commission is what the cooperating firm would receive if they do have a buyer agency agreement in place.

More information on commissions in the MLS can be found here.

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 (also referred to as the effective or list date) can be found on line 311 of the WB-1:

Because state law is not well-defined in regard to what is considered advertising, the MLS Board of Directors created the following rule to stop violations internally & reduce the risk of our members being sanctioned by the DSPS:

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 fine will not exceed $5,000. 

*Public marketing includes, but is not limited to: flyers displayed in windows, yard signs, digital marketing on public facing websites, brokerage website displays (including IDX and VOW), digital communications marketing (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing networks (ex: Realtor® Facebook groups), communication which introduces the property to agents outside the listing firm, and applications available to the general public.

If you are unsure if something is allowed, please call 608-240-2800 & ask for Heather or Patty.  We would much rather talk to you ahead of time than have to issue a fine.

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.

When adding an associated document to a listing in Paragon, it will automatically be set as a private document unless the “Public” box is checked. Public documents are visible to the public via Collab Center & e-mailed listing links, and are also sent to WIREX, where agents in other MLSs can view them. Private documents are not included when listings are emailed from Paragon, but SCWMLS members have access to them via the Documents link on a listing.

Please remember that documents may not be marked public if they contain agent or company names, contact information, or branding/logos. Public documents that are contractual in nature (ex: RECR, addenda) may contain the name of the listing firm, but it must be in typeface no larger than the median typeface of the document. There has been an increase in the number of reports of contact information on public documents, so please double check this before marking a document as public. Thank you!

Did you know the MLS remarks section of a listing is searchable?   Within the Advanced Criteria section of your search options (at the bottom under Search), you will find the Remarks search prompt.  Simply type in the word or words you are looking for.

For example, if your buyer would like a property that has a large garden space, type large garden and your search results will include properties for which the listing agent has included the words large garden in the remarks. You can also string together multiple words. For example, if your buyer would like a home on a secluded lot, you could type secluded (tab) private (tab) isolated.

Your search will bring back properties for which the listing agent has included any of these words in the remarks. Give it a try the next time you are looking for something there is not a specific search feature for.  Also, when composing your remarks, make sure to mention special features not covered elsewhere in the listing features.

We generally see two reasons a new listing is not available for showings right away.

In the first situation, the property is ready for public marketing, but the seller and listing agent decide to pick a launch date, often starting with an open house. It makes sense to enter these listings as Active, as the seller and agent usually want them to be visible to the public.  The listings in Active must include the date showings will be allowed in the first line of the public remarks.

In the second situation, the property is not ready to be marketed due to needed clean up, timing for professional photos, desired staging, etc.  It makes sense to enter these listings as Delayed, as the listing is not ready to be exposed to the public yet.

Our rules regarding listings not ready to be shown take both situations into account allowing agents the flexibility to market these listings as either Active or Delayed.   Click here for more information.

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 and ask for Heather or Patty. We would much rather talk to you ahead of time, than follow up on a report that you have strayed outside MLS rules.

When changing a listing to an offer status, you are asked if there were competing offers. Answer YES only if more than one written offer was considered at the time an offer was accepted. This field is optional at the time of acceptance and required when a listing is marked as Sold.

With the increased instances of showing overlaps, it is tempting, and even seems friendly to just hand the key over to the next agent who 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.

Please take extra care 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.

A while back, the Supra eKey app was updated to make it easier for agents to issue one-time codes to non-members.    With this upgrade, the ability for office staff to assist agents with this via SupraWEB was removed.    As several staff reported they missed this tool, we expressed this to Supra.   We are happy to report that the option for office staff to create one-day codes (Managed Access) for their agents has been restored within SupraWEB.   This option can again be found under the Broker Quick Links.

We are excited to announce the integration of the GreenLight Statistical Program within our MLS.   GreenLight tools empower agents to more easily find answers, make informed decisions, and leverage real-time access to discover insights within our MLS data.  GreenLight can be accessed from within Paragon.  Click on Resources and GreenLight Statistics.

Check out this 16 minute video for an overview of GreenLight.

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 Saving 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.

Set your Default County for Searching:  From within CRS, open Settings at the top right. Select Default County Search, select up to 4 counties, click to Save.

Customize your Results List: When viewing search results, you can toggle between Simple Results or Custom Results.  You can customize what displays under Custom Results.  Open Settings at the top right and select Custom Results List.  From here you can select up to 10 columns and even set your desired display order by dragging and dropping.  Click Save before closing.

Personally Brand CRS Tax Reports: Within the Branding option under Settings you have the option to upload a photo, logo, and other information you want to include on CRS reports. At this time, agent information does not flow from Paragon so you will need to keep this data updated manually.

Recent Violation: A listing that was to be entered in Delayed status was shown by the listing firm prior to MLS entry.

Discipline: A $500 fine to both the listing agent and their broker was assessed. This was the first time the agent and broker were found to have violated this MLS rule. Subsequent violations will result in accelerated fines and potential suspension of MLS services.

Please remember that if a new listing is to be entered as Delayed, or as Active with restrictions to show at a later date, nobody, including the listing firm, can show the property during the period between the effective date and entry into the MLS. The grace period for MLS entry allows time to gather information. It does not provide an opportunity to show the property if it will not be available for showings when it hits the MLS. More information on Delayed status can be found here.

Agents with standard Realtor level access can now edit all fields of data within their listing(s) with the exception of those fields that are contractual in nature (status, price, commission, Y/N questions, and address). These contractual fields can be modified by someone with a higher security level (ex: office admin or broker).