News & Past Hot Tips

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!

New listings must be entered into the MLS within one (1) business day of being publicly marketed. If marketing has not yet begun, listings must be entered no later than four (4) calendar days from the effective date (first day of the term) of the listing contract. Entering verbiage in the listing contract to keep the listing off the MLS until a later date is not allowed.

If a new listing is not ready to be shown, it can be input as either Delayed or Active. If entered as Active, the date showings will be allowed must be entered in the first line of the public remarks. If a listing is not ready to be shown, it cannot be shown by anyone, not even the listing office.

MLS rules begin on the effective date of the contract. If a listing is to be entered into the MLS as Delayed, or as Active with a notation that no showings are allowed, nobody, including the listing office, can show the property between the effective date and when it is entered in the MLS. The grace period for MLS entry gives you time to gather information, it does not provide a period of time to show a property if that property will not be available for showings when it hits the MLS.

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 E-mail. 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.

After entering a new listing, you do not have to wait until that listing is received by ShowingTime to enter showing instructions. From the Select an Action drop down, click on ShowingTime to immediately enter full showing instructions. Once the listing is received by ShowingTime the photo and property information from MLS will be added.

The default duration for a showing has been reduced from one hour to 30 minutes. If you feel the home you are showing will require more than 30 minutes, you can select a longer window. Listing agents, however, can set a maximum showing duration per listing, so you will not be able to extend beyond what the listing agent has set.

In response to a mandate from the National Association of REALTORS, we will be incorporating a warning during listing input to check for words within the public remarks that may, in a certain context, violate fair housing laws. The warning will appear when saving a listing. If you are comfortable with the context the word is being used in, simply click to Accept and resave. A good rule of thumb is to avoid words that describe the buyer or neighborhood, and stick to words to describe the property. Click here for a full list of words that will trigger a warning. This new warning will be put in place on Wednesday, February 10.

ShowingTime allows you to set the maximum showing duration for your listings. If you feel, for instance, that your listing can easily be shown in 30 minutes, you could set the maximum showing duration to 30 minutes to allow for more showings. 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.

If you list a single wide manufactured home, you are now required to include the words single wide in the public remarks. In addition to the associated document, this requirement will ensure agents and buyers know up front the home is a single wide, as financing may be more difficult.

For agents working with a buyer looking for a manufactured home, who does not want to consider a single wide, you can eliminate single wides by doing a “Does Not Contain” remarks search. You will find the Remarks search prompt under the Advanced Criteria section of the search parameters. Simply type in the words single wide, and select Does not Contain from the drop down to the right of the Remarks search field. This criteria can be stored just as any other for automatic searches.

It is against MLS rules to advertise a property listed by another agent/broker without first obtaining permission from that agent/broker. The only exception to this rule is advertising done via an approved IDX site 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 being provided by the registered MLS agent/broker. Sites such as Facebook do not qualify as approved IDX platforms. A generic link on Facebook directing viewers to listings on an approved IDX site is allowed. The link should contain no information about, or photos of specific listings. A generic statement such as “Click to see homes in Waunakee” would be allowed.

All Paragon users have been flagged for a forced password change. If you need help saving your new password in your internet browser, here is a resource that will help. If you need further assistance, please call 608-240-2800 (press 2 for Paragon support).

When entering an unlisted FSBO sale for which your office represented the buyer, we have added new functionality that will automatically change the list side to FSBO Comp to eliminate the need for you to contact MLS staff to make that change. The trigger is to select the new option of FSBO Comp – Not Listed under the Sale Factor pick list. Please make sure you have added a photo before saving the listing, as you will not have an option to edit the listing or add a photo after the list side is automatically changed. A primary photo can be added on the left panel of the add listing screen.

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 clients email provider. To opt them back in, email them the following link or open the link and type in their email address: http://p50.paragonrels.com/paragonsubscriptions/optin.aspx. 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. This opt in link can always be found within the links in the orange 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.

Click here for a copy of the 2021 Gregorian Calendar.

The garage feature pick list should identify the number of stalls per garage. For example, if a listing has a 2 car attached garage and a 3 car detached garage, you would select the 2 car, 3 car, attached & detached features. The total full garage stalls field would be entered as 5. If a buyer is looking for a certain number of garage stalls, you can search using a min and/or max in the total garage stalls field. The 4+ car feature within the pick list is used to reflect that a single garage has 4 or more stalls.

The following changes/additions were made to listing data we collect. If you have an active listing with any of these features, please add them within Paragon.

• • The feature for High Speed Internet has been removed, and in its place is a list of the various high speed internet options: Cable, DSL, Fiber, Fixed Wireless, and Satellite/Dish. If you have a listing with high speed internet, you will need to modify that listing to include the type of internet currently installed.
  • The feature for Manufactured homes has been modified to selections of Manufactured – With Land and Manufactured – No Land. The MLS Committee has created an Associated Document for manufactured homes with land, to provide important information to aid in the selling of manufactured homes. This document is now required for all manufactured homes with land.
  • Within the Condo Available Common Amenities feature a new selection for Fire Sprinkler System has been added.
  • Within the Condo Fee Includes feature, a new selection for High Speed Internet has been added.
  • Within the Multi Family Unit 1 – Unit 4 features, two new selections have been added for Private Basement and Shared Basement.

Updated profile sheets can be found on the Profile Sheet Portal.

The 4-day grace period allowed to gather information before entering a new listing on the MLS, is not a barrier to showings. All MLS eligible properties must be made available for showings on the effective date of the contract, unless the seller has indicated that no showings are allowed for a specific time. Any no showing stipulation would apply to showings for all prospective buyers, including those working with the listing agent.

Within Paragon Connect, the new Paragon Mobile product, when looking at a listing in detail, click the three dots on the right side of the top banner to access Associated Docs, ShowingTime, TrustFunds, and Community Reports.

Upgrade your mobile access to Paragon Connect. Currently, your options for mobile access to Paragon include Paragon Mobile and Homes.com. Paragon Mobile will soon be replaced with the next generation of mobile access. Paragon Connect is a web application that utilizes the same database as Paragon Online, which allows real-time access to your listings, contacts, saved searches and customized search defaults. Within Paragon Connect you have full search capability with links to not only full property data, but also history, associated documents, public records, and access to schedule a showing via ShowingTime. Paragon Connect has a very tight integration with Collaboration Center for those who have converted their contacts from legacy email notifications.

Click here to learn more about Paragon Connect in 15 minutes from our very own SCWMLS trainer, Dave Bass.

Access Paragon Connect from the Paragon login page or directly at https://scwmls.paragonrels.com/ParagonConnect/scwmls/Account/Login.

Please note that Paragon Connect is a web app accessible from your browser, and is not available in the app stores.

If you have blocked out dates or times for showings via the ShowingTime calendar, no showings are allowed during those times…..not even for the listing agent.