News & Past Hot Tips

When entering the above grade, below grade, and total square footage fields for a new listing, only include space that is finished. To be considered finished, the following components are needed:

1. Heat source
2. Finished walls
3. Finished ceiling
4. Finished flooring

If one component is missing, the space can still be counted as finished, but the missing component must be disclosed in the public remarks. If two or more components are missing, the space cannot be counted as finished. The room dimensions section should only include finished rooms. More detail can be found within this helpful guide.

To set up a buyer with auto notifications about new properties you need two things: a contact, and a saved search. The quickest way to set this up:

1. ​Create a contact – Click the Contacts icon and choose Create Contact. Enter a first name, last name, and email address, then click the Save button at the top left.
2. Build the search – On the left panel click Buyer Activity, then click the green plus sign Add Search. Then on the right click the green plus sign Add New Saved Search.

   Put in your criteria and then Save. It will suggest a search name for you which you can change if you like. Click Save.

3. Send the Welcome Message – Click the blue Send Welcome Message button to send them the link to access their Collab center site.

​That’s it! The search is now running and will send them new matches and price changes.

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.   Check out this short video demonstrating this cool feature.

​https://vimeo.com/714241325

Do you like game shows? Then check out our newest animated video for a refresher on the timing and rules of marketing new listings (two & a half minute watch):

If you receive an email alerting you that a client has opted out of receiving emails 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:

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You can proactively check for clients who 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.

The MLS works best for everyone when listing data is accurate. Agents are encouraged to utilize the assessor data as a source, as it provides an easy way to verify the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, finished square footage, year built, lot size, and more for a given property. Click here to locate the assessor data by county/municipality.

If the assessor data is not available, or the listing agent believes another source is more accurate, there are also options for Appraiser, Blueprint, Builder, List Agent, or Seller. Other should only be selected when none of the other options apply, and should not be used as a workaround to independently verifying listing information. Regardless of the source, please double check the data you are entering for accuracy.

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.  So, with the end of Daylight Saving Time, they will open between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

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.

There are two types of days on market counts in the MLS:

• DOM = the number of days an individual MLS # has been actively marketed (Active, Offer-Bump, or Offer-Show status). The DOM resets each time a new MLS # is entered.
• CDOM = the cumulative number of days a property has been actively marketed. This includes the DOM from previous MLS #s unless the property was off-market for at least 31 days between listings.

A few notes:

• In order to enter a new MLS #, a new listing contract must be secured (an amendment does not suffice). If a new listing contract is not obtained, the new listing will be deleted and a fine of $50 will be assessed.
• Days on market do not accumulate while a listing is in Delayed, Withdrawn by Seller, or Offer-No Show status.
• To ensure a DOM count of 0, a listing must be entered on the list date.

Certain fields in the MLS have an option for “other”, which can be selected when none of the other choices apply. It appears in several of the feature categories, the source fields for square footage, year built, acreage and waterfrontage, as a room type, and as a type of financing. When it is selected, please use the remarks to explain what “other” means.

South Central WI MLS is one of nine MLS databases that cover the state. We import listings from other MLSs directly into the SCWMLS database if they fall within one of the counties our members typically market in. This means that when you do a search within the SCWMLS, all listings in the following counties will come up, even if they were entered in a different MLS:

Adams, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, and Waushara

The MLS numbers for these imported listings will be the number that was assigned when it was input into its native MLS, but will be prefixed by 2 letters to make the number unique, and to identify them as being listings that originated in a different MLS system. For example, listings from Metro Milwaukee MLS will be prefixed with MM. 

If you are searching for listings outside of the counties noted above, you should switch to Wirex. Wirex does not include listings from the Northwoods MLS or the Door County MLS.

The Quick Search widget on the Paragon home page is a great tool to quickly find listings. There are only a few criteria to choose from, but you can add and remove things to suit your own search needs. If you are searching for listings for a specific Sale Agent for example, you can add that field. Click the gear wheel icon at the top:

​This will bring up a window where you can add, remove, and move search fields. The Available Fields column on the left shows fields you can add. The Selected Fields column on the right shows the current fields on your Quick Search.

Find the search field you want to add on the left column, click it to highlight, then click the ADD button. Click the Class dropdown to add fields from other property classes. Fields can be removed from the Selected fields by highlighting it and clicking the REMOVE button. You can also reorder the selected fields by dragging and dropping. You can have a maximum of 15 different fields. When you are done click Apply.

When entering a new listing, the Property Info section has options for both Dining Area and Dining Room. The key differences are as follows:

• A dining area is open to, or shares space with, the kitchen and/or living room
• A dining room is a more formal space that is typically its own separate room

When setting up showings, you most likely use the driving directions available within ShowingTime.

​If, however, you want driving directions for properties before setting up showings, you can do this directly from Paragon:

• Pull up the list of properties from a search or in a listing cart
• Select the properties you want to map
• Click More, then Driving Directions

On the popup box choose a starting point and click Get Directions. This will open the properties into Google Maps and show the suggested route. You can rearrange the order of the properties by clicking and dragging them on the list. There is also an option to send the directions to your phone.

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

Quickly load a previous search you did in Paragon by selecting the Last Search option located above Primary Criteria after selecting Class. Hovering over Last Search will display the 5 previous searches you performed. Clicking on one of these searches will load the search criteria for that past search.

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Quickly load the last Quick Search you did by selecting Last Quick Search located under the Quick Search header on the Paragon Home Page.

• When making feature selections, the Basement and Parking features should reflect the individual condo unit, not the building as a whole.
• A helpful resource for determining the condo type/architecture can be found here. The property assessor record will also often have this information. Click here to search for the assessor record.
• Condos that are either stand alone (1 unit per building) or half duplexes (2 units per building) can be secondarily marketed in the Single Family category. Just be sure to select the Type feature of “condominium” and note the condo fees (if any) in the first line of the public remarks.

The rebranding of Homesnap Pro to Homes Pro will be completed on October 8th. Your login credentials for Homesnap Pro will work with Homes Pro.

You can download the new Homes Pro Mobile app from your Apple or Google Play Store now.

If you have login issues on Homes Pro, please reach out to support@homes.com or (800) 431-5509.

Please click below for more detailed information.