News & Past Hot Tips

Expired status means the listing contract is no longer in effect. When the term of a contract ends, the status automatically updates to Expired in the MLS. If a firm releases a seller from their listing contract early, the status must be manually changed to Expired as of that date.

Withdrawn by Seller status means the listing contract is still in effect, but the seller has changed their mind about selling. Properties in Withdrawn by Seller status may not be marketed or shown. If you are contacted by a seller to list their property, please include this status when you check the MLS to be sure they aren’t still listed with another firm. More information can be found here.

To see all emails (manual and automatic) you have sent from Paragon, click on Contacts and Sent Items. If you want to look at or forward any of these emails, simply click the check box in the far left column and the email will open at the bottom of your screen.

​You can also see messages sent to a particular contact by clicking the contact name, then clicking Messages History on the left side menu.

Emails you send manually are saved for 90 days. Emails sent automatically by searches are saved for 60 days.

Whether you’re a brand new agent or a veteran looking to brush up your skills, be sure to check out our Listings Training page. There, you’ll find short “how-to” videos (some are even animated!), helpful guidelines, and quick links to our most commonly used listing input resources:

You may have wondered why active listings that are imported from other MLSs have 1/1/2079 as their expiration date. Most MLSs do not display the expiration date for active listings within their MLS systems. Our agreement via WIREX requires us to honor restrictions set in the native MLS systems. Paragon requires data to 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. More information on imported listings can be found here.

A new section of information regarding available internet access has been added to the CRS tax report within Paragon.    This data is provided by Fiberhomes.com, and can be found before the FEMA Flood Zones section on CRS tax reports.    Access CRS Tax Reports by selecting the red T icon    from property reports within Paragon Desktop, or within third-party integrations using Paragon Connect.

Starting 2/28, when accessing CRS Tax Suite via the MLS, you will be presented with an End User License Agreement, and will be prompted to review & accept the terms (just once) in order to view or search for property tax information. FAQs about the agreement can be found here. If you have additional questions, please contact CRS at gethelp@crsdata.com.

You may have noticed a new icon next to Preferences in the top bar labeled “Connect”. This icon will open Paragon Connect, the cross platform mobile-friendly version of Paragon. Previously there was only a Paragon Connect link in the resources dropdown.

While designed to be mobile-friendly, it works on your PC and tablet as well. Paragon Connect has all the core MLS features (searches, contacts, CMAs, Hotsheets, listing input and more) on your favorite devices (Mobile, tablets and desktop).

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And no need to worry … everything you do in Paragon Connect will also be in your Paragon Desktop system and vice versa. They are connected.

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Click here to see a video about Paragon Connect.

Please use the following guidelines when entering FSBO & One-Party comp sales:

• Do not enter FSBOs or One-Party listings on the MLS until after closing
• Enter the status as Sold (not Active)
• For list date, use the contractual list date. For FSBO properties with no listing contract, use the date on which the owner began marketing the property to the public, if known, or the date of the first showing (must be the accepted offer date or earlier). The listing input time frame does not apply to sold comps.
• For expiration date, use the contractual expiration date. If there is no listing contract, use the closing date.
• Room dimensions, if unavailable, are not required, but room types and levels are. All other listing rules that apply to active listings apply to Sold Comps, including photo requirements.
• For One-Party listings, the list side should be recorded as the actual Listing Agent, and the sale side should be recorded as the actual Selling Agent. Please note “one-party listing” in the broker remarks.
• For FSBO sold comps, enter the buyer agent on both sides, and then select FSBO Comp – Not Listed under the Sale Factors pick list. This will cause the list agent/office to be automatically changed to FSBO Comp when the listing is saved. Please be sure to add a photo before saving, as you will no longer have access to edit the listing or add a photo after the list side is changed.

With Paragon’s Message Body feature you can create templates to put commonly used  messages, paragraphs, or phrases into emails and notifications with one click.

​Click the Preferences icon and choose Email. In the left panel click Message Body, then Add New. Type in your text, give it a unique name, and click Save.

Then, when composing an email, hover over the Message Body button at the top and choose the name from the dropdown list. When you click the name it will insert your saved text into the email.

Create a quick CMA report with just a few clicks with the EasyCMA feature in Paragon. You’ll find this option under the CMA icon.

EasyCMA uses Google search to find your subject property, then it will find 10 comparables for you. You can also add others manually, make adjustments, or remove properties you don’t want included. Then click Generate CMA for a report you can print out or create a link to send. If you are using Paragon Connect on your phone you can easily text a link to the CMA right from the report.

PropertyFraudAlert.com is a free public service that will alert a property owner of potential fraudulent recordings that affect their property. It is monitored by the individual county land records offices. Although it does not prevent fraud from happening, it provides an early warning system so the property owner can take the appropriate action if fraudulent activity has occurred. It may be particularly helpful to share this resource with a property owner who has had someone pose as them and attempt to list their property.

Sign up is quick & easy. Go to PropertyFraudAlert.com, select the state & county in which the property is located, and choose how you’d like to be notified.

For additional info on how to avoid listing scams, check out this helpful article by the WRA.

Click below to access the updated resources:

2023 Tax/Mill Rates

2024 Gregorian Calendar

2023-2024 Schools by County/District

Paragon Connect is a web application that offers the same functionality as the desktop version of Paragon, but is optimized for use on tablets, phones, and other browser-enabled mobile devices. Within Paragon Connect, you already have the ability to search for properties, manage contacts and saved searches, create CMAs, and schedule showings. Starting January 30th, you’ll also be able to add & edit listings from any device! Not only will you have access to handy features like tax autofill, you’ll now be able to upload listing photos & documents directly from your phone or tablet!

The access level you have in Paragon is the same in Paragon Connect. For example, agents with standard Realtor level access can modify most fields on their listings (except those that are contractual in nature), and can also add partial listings, which can then be published as a live listing by someone with Office Staff, Manager, or Broker level access.

To access Paragon Connect from your desktop/computer, click the Resources icon and choose Paragon Connect. From your mobile device, tap here and then choose “Launch Paragon Connect”. Once you’re logged in, you can add it to your phone’s home screen for quick access later.

Here’s a short video introducing this new functionality.

To the right of most search fields within Paragon, you will find a drop down containing search qualifiers. Most default to Equals or Contains, meaning that when you enter a search option, Paragon will find matches that equal or contain what you have asked for.

​You may ask, what is the difference between Equals and Contains? The best way to explain this is with an example: Think of searching by Subdivision. If you type in Seminole, and the search qualifier for the Subdivision field is set to Contains, you will get all the listings with the word Seminole somewhere in the Subdivision field. If you specifically want listings in the Seminole Forest subdivision, you may want to change the default search qualifier to Equals, and type Seminole Forest into the search field to get just listings in the Seminole Forest subdivision.

Besides Equals and Contains, other search qualifiers available are: Not Equal To, Contains All, Does Not Contain, Starts With and Not Starting With.

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, Addendum S) may display the name of the listing firm only (no logos), and 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!

When viewing (or entering) a listing in Paragon, layers can be added to the Google map view to provide more detail about the property’s location. The layers menu can be found within the map toolbar, to the left of the print icon:

One of the layers that can be applied is the Parcel Lines layer, which will display the tax parcel boundaries. Check the box to turn this layer on, and then zoom in until the boundaries appear. You can also apply the parcel ID numbers to the map by toggling the “show labels” option to APN:

​When you click within a parcel, it will display the approximate lot dimensions and parcel size. If you would like the parcel layer to always display, this can be set in the Preferences menu (System – Search Options – Parcel Layer).

For properties in the City of Madison, the Madison Subareas layer (and labels) can be applied to easily identify the correct location code:

​Click here for more info on mapping within Paragon (including a helpful video tutorial!)

When searching by Location, there are a few shortcuts you can use to enter multiple locations in the same area:

• Use EST for Madison Metro East – this will include all City of Madison locations E01 – E16 (including Monona & Maple Bluff)
• Use WST for Madison Metro West – this will include all City of Madison locations W01 – W19 (including Middleton, Fitchburg & Shorewood Hills)
• Use county code (i.e. B for Columbia County) followed by NE, NW, SE, SW to search for a quarter section of the county. For the northeast part of Columbia County, for example, enter BNE. For a chart showing how the counties are broken up into quarter sections, click here.

The start of a new year is a good time to pull statistics – not only to help set goals for the coming year, but also to make sure you were properly credited with prior year sales. This can easily be done in Paragon by taking the following steps:

• Under the Resources menu, choose Paragon Statistical Reporting
• In the menu on the left side of the screen, click the arrow next to Sales Detail (under Broker) to expand that section, and then choose Agent:

• In the criteria screen that appears, change the Date Range dropdown to Year, enter 2023 in the Begin and End date fields, and then click Generate:

• This will display all of the properties you listed and/or sold in 2023, as well as your units & volume for the year. If you were not properly credited with a sale, please forward the accepted offer & closing statement to listings@wisre.com and MLS staff can adjust.

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.