News & Past Hot Tips

August 2014

Q: How long does a property need to be off the market in order for the cumulative days on market (cdom) to clear?
A: A property must be off the market for at least 31 days to clear cdom. Paragon looks at the last expiration date and the new list date. There needs to be at least 31 full days the property was not active in between the old expiration date and the new list date in order for the old days on market to be cleared from cdom. When counting the 31 days, do not count the old expiration date or the new list date, only count the days in between.

– You can include a small photo for each listing on the spreadsheet view. To add the photo, load a spreadsheet and click Customize and Fields . Move “Photo” from the list of available fields to the list of selected fields. Use the Move Up button to position where you want the photo. Click Save. Do this for each class of property.

-For contacts receiving automatic email notifications, you can exclude listings that are sent due to a price change, and send only new listing matches and listings that are back on the market. This option is available on the Edit Email Notification screen (View Contacts, Click on the contact name, Click the Search Activity folder, Click on the search name within that folder, Click E-Mail Notification under the search, Click Edit Notification at the top of the screen). Under the result view to be sent (i.e. customer full), there is an option for Type. Simply remove Price Change and if your contact would rather not receive price changes.

-Load Multiple Listing Photos Quickly: Within the Picture Administration window, there is an option to Upload Multiple Photos in the upper left corner. To upload photos click the Browse button and select all photos and then click Upload. Once the photos are loaded, rearrange as needed and Save.

-When arranging photos, if you end up with a blank box between photos, you can simply drag that blank photo graphic to the end instead of moving each photo ahead by one space. If you leave a blank box, Paragon is smart enough to ignore it in the slideshow, but reports with multiple photos and some data exports are not as smart. Bottom line — don’t leave blank spots between photos.

June 2014

-A new link to validate map placement has been added after Zip Code within the add/maintain listing process. This is an optional link that will show you where Paragon will place your new listing on the map. Right from this window you can adjust the map location with an easy click and drag. You can also use the plus and minus sign to adjust the zoom level. The zoom level set will display on reports within Paragon.

Q: I have an existing listing contract with a seller who has decided they do not want to sell their home afterall. What do I do with that listing in the MLS?
A: If your broker has released the seller from the contract, change the status of the listing in the MLS to Expired. Use the date of the termination as the expiration date. If your broker has not released the seller from the contract, change the status of the listing in the MLS to Withdrawn by Seller and add “Off Market per Seller” within the first line of the MLS public remarks to indicate the listing will not be available for showings for the rest of the listing term.

-You can search for upcoming open houses under the Search Program in Paragon. Click on Search and select the property class. Open up the Advanced Criteria section at the bottom to find the Open House Date search prompt to search for a specific date, or a Yes/No option to find all upcoming open houses. If you have a client who would like to be notified of open houses within their search area, you can include Open House = Y as a criteria in their saved search.

July 2014

-Multi Family vs. Single Family: The Multi Family category is limited to buildings that contain two or more separate dwelling units. An exception can be made for single unit property zoned multi-family. For these properties, the listing must have the “Single family zoned multifamily” feature selected under the Type feature group. If a listing agent for this type of property chooses to enter it as Multi Family, they cannot enter it as Single Family also. Multi-family listings are not allowed in the Single Family category, with the exception of multi-family dwellings that were originally single-family dwellings and can be converted back (these may be listed as Single Family and/or Multi Family). Full duplexes should not be listed in Single Family unless each side can be sold separately. In this case each side would be entered as a Single Family listing.

– Within Paragon, you can set a multiple sort for the spreadsheet results display. When on the spreadsheet view, click Customize from the closest toolbar above, and select Sort. You can select up to 3 levels to sort your spreadsheet by. You can also select Ascending or Descending. This sort order will hold until you leave the Search program.

May 2014

-You can now store multiple Message Bodies for inclusion in emails from Paragon. Click Preferences, Email, and Message Body. This functionality works the same way as storing multiple Email Signatures. Within both of these preferences you have the ability to set one as your default and to automatically include them, or insert them on the fly.

-School District has been added to the filter list for the Market Monitor. You can now customize your Market Monitor (top right of your home page) to display listings filtered by Area or School District. Click on the little gear icon to the right of the words Market Monitor to open settings. You can also change how many days back (max 7 days) you would like listing to appear for. The default is 1 day back.

-The schedule a showing action icon has been removed from the default spreadsheet. This has been done to speed up the time it takes to load the spreadsheet. The Schedule a Showing link is still on both the Agent Full, which is the default report when you double click from the spreadsheet, and the multi-up Showing Setup report.

-When entering a multi family listing, please make sure you indicate the parking allowance per unit opposed to for the whole building. Within the Unit Information section, the per unit parking entries when added together should equal the total for the whole building. We are seeing listings that include the total for the whole building listed for each unit, which would make the building look like it has a whole bunch more parking than there really is.

April 2014

-Caution: Do Not Forward Your Personal ShowingAssist E-mails: E-mails sent to you requesting a showing via ShowingAssist, as well as feedback emails sent from ShowingAssist include a clickable link directly to your personal ShowingTime portal. Within this portal you can see your showing history, see all showing information for your listings, and have the ability to edit your personal information. If you forward these emails to other agents or directly to your seller, they will also have access to all your information via that direct link. These secure links are created to give you instant access to your personal information and expire within 7 days – and are not intended for other persons.

-The MLS Committee makes decisions about changes to Paragon, the keycard system, and MLS rules. If you would like to discuss an item you feel would make our MLS better, please feel free to contact a member of the MLS Committee. Contact information for the current MLS Committee can be found here. MLS staff is also available to discuss MLS services with you, but we recognize that sometimes it is easier to talk to a fellow Realtor member.

-Supra eKey Reminder: Cell phone service providers periodically update the operating system on their phones. When this happens, the ekey software on your phone may require a reactivation (reauthorization) code. You will also have to reauthorize the eKey software if you purchase a new phone and download the eKey App on that new phone. Reauthorization codes are different from Update codes. Please call the MLS office or Supra Technical Support (877-699-6787) for assistance with reauthorizing your eKey.

March 2014

-You can manually add showing requests that come in outside of the Schedule a Showing button within Paragon. To add a manual showing to your listing, click Preferences, Showing Assist and Reports. Click on the Listing Activity Report and find the listing. Click to open the listing and select Add Activity. Fill in the showing information and click Save. This manual showing will now be reflected within the showing grid and on reports.

-You can customize the Market Monitor that appears on the right side of the Paragon home page to track just the geographic area you want, as well as how many days back (1-7) you want to display as the default. To adjust these settings, click on the button that looks like a small gear (Edit Widget) located to the right of the words Market Monitor.

–Searching by Date Range is Now Easier: New time period pick lists have been added to search screens within Paragon. Instead of selecting a beginning and/or ending date by entering dates in a very specific format, you can now select options such as 12 Months Back, 90 Days Back or This Month from a pick list. Look for this new option to the right of the traditional beginning and ending date range search options.

Few Small Enhancements Added on March 5:

-Loading Last Search will now allow you to select any of your 5 previous searches. If you have never used the feature of Last Search (located above Primary Criteria after selecting Class), it comes in handy if you need to redo a search for some reason.

-When selecting features within a search, the feature name now displays within the Criteria Summary along with the feature code.

-The status is now color coded on the spreadsheet. These colors match the colors used on the Bing Map.

-For Collab Center Users – there is now a column on the Contact View Screen that shows the last time your client logged into their Collab Center site. Within their notification settings it also tells you how often they login.

February 2014

-Too Many E-Mails When Setting Up a Showing? When you schedule a showing within Paragon, by default you get an email that the showing request was sent, another when it is viewed, and finally a third letting you know it was confirmed or denied. If you do not want to receive the first and/or second email, you can turn those off. Click on Preferences and then Showing Assist. Click the Edit Profile button on the Home Screen. Scroll down to Showing Agent Preferences and uncheck When appointment requests are received to turn off the first email and/or When appointment requests are viewed to turn off the second email.

-Take a Minute to Check your List of Contacts for Opt-Outs: Contacts who are no longer getting auto-emails from Paragon because they have been set to opted out can be identified on the contact view spreadsheet (Contacts, View/Manage Contacts) as those with a red exclamation point and grey envelope instead of an orange envelope in the email column. In addition to being flagged on this list within Paragon, you will also receive an email at the time a client is opted out.

There are two instances that would result in an opt-out. The first is that your contact clicked on the opt-out option within an email. The second happens when an email is non-deliverable due to invalid email address (which could be a typo). You have worked hard to create a relationship with your contacts. In case you miss an opt-out email alert, you may want to check your list of contacts regularly to be sure a valid client is not set to opted out.

If a client has accidentally opted out of receiving your emails from Paragon, or if they are set to opt-out due to an invalid email address, send them the following link which will take them to a page where they can opt back in: https://scwmls.paragonrels.com/CCR/paragonsubscriptions?action=optin.

-Photos: Do Not Use Them if You Did Not Take Them: When entering a property into the MLS, please include only photos that you have either taken or have permission to use. You may be tempted to use a cool photo of a nearby park, bluff, lake, etc. that you have found on the internet. It is really easy to right click and save. Please be aware that even if the photo does not include the copyright symbol, it is protected, and using it is copyright infringement.

Please keep in mind that the photos you enter in the MLS are sent to many public websites. Technology makes it easy for owners of photos to seek out websites that include their photos. Our MLS is aware of one situation whereby a local agent was held accountable for a photo that was included on a listing on his public website. He was not the listing agent of this listing. The photo was included in the IDX feed from our MLS. The photo was loaded by another agent that did not have permission to use that photo. Yes, that is correct, the agent displaying listings via our IDX had to pay for copyright infringement because another agent from another company loaded a photo into the MLS that they did not have permission to use. So, if you load a photo you did not take or do not have permission to use, not only can you be held accountable, but others displaying your listing on their website can be held accountable also.

The MLS recently emailed information regarding the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to all Brokers in our MLS. This packet includes instruction on how you can minimize your risk. Click here for a copy.

-Recently Updated Resources: Tax Mill Rates and Home Style Guide.

-Database Changes: The following changes have been made to our listing database and our listing input profile sheets:

A new optional field for co-listing agent has been added. Please update listings that are co-listed.

The current labels for manufactured homes have changed as follows. If you have a manufactured home listed, please make sure it is l labeled correctly.

Manufactured to Manufactured (sectional)
Mobile – no land to Manufactured (mobile) – no land
Mobile – with land to Manufactured (mobile) – with land

For Lots and Acreage, Price/SqFeet as entered by the agent has been replaced with a system calculated Price/SqFeet field and has thus been removed from the input screen.

January 2014

-It is against MLS rules to advertise a property listed by another broker/company without first obtaining permission from that broker/company . The only exception to this rule is advertising done via an approved IDX website or mobile display that has been registered with the MLS. IDX websites/mobile displays are only approved if they are controlled by the registered MLS Broker/Agent and are clearly identified as a website/mobile display being provided by the registered MLS Broker/Agent. Sites such as Facebook and Craig’s List do not qualify as approved IDX platforms.

-Contacts who have opted out of your Paragon emails can be identified on the contact view spreadsheet as those with a red exclamation point and grey envelope instead of an orange envelope in the email column. If a client has accidentally opted out of receiving your emails from Paragon, send them the following link which will take them to a page where they can opt back in: https://scwmls.paragonrels.com/CCR/paragonsubscriptions?action=optin

-When entering the List Date for sold comps*, enter the verifiable date on which the owner/builder began marketing the property to the public at large. This will allow the days on market calculation to truly reflect the open market exposure time for the property, which in turn will help appraisers locate useable comps. Comp sales that show 0 days on the market, provide limited useful data to appraisers when they are choosing sales for an appraisal, as the definition of market value requires adequate exposure time on the open market. When entering a sold comp, change the default status on the add listing screen from active to sold at time of input. You will then be allowed to put in a list date past the 7-day allowance.

*Listings not included on MLS when active, but added after they close. These listings are typically FSBOs, building contracts, and one-party listings.

December 2013

-As searching by map has become very popular, we have moved the map search field from the advanced search criteria to the top of the primary search criteria. If you have never customized your search screens in Paragon, you will now find the Map search prominently at the top of your search screen. This default change will not be reflected if you have set your own default in the past by customizing and saving your own version of the search screens.

If you have a listing that is not mapped correctly, it may be missed if an agent is searching by map. Please make it part of your routine to always check the map placement when adding a new listing. If the map placement is not correct, you can adjust it under Listing Maintain – Change GeoCode. When the map displays under maintain, click on the orange map placement marker and move it as needed. Switching to a bird’s eye view (click the down arrow to the right of Automatic in the map menu bar) and using the zoom feature helps to pinpoint the exact location. Click Save to save your changes.

-A room is considered to be above grade only if the entire level that room is located on is above ground level. A finished room that has exposure (at least 8% of square footage is window space), but is on a level that is not completely above ground level, should be included as Below or Partially Below Grade Exposed. Within Paragon, there is a search option for Finished Exposed SqFt. This field searches against a combination of the Above Grade and the Below or Partially Below Grade Exposed square footage fields. Even if you have just one lower level room that is exposed, make sure to include that room as Below or Partially Below Grade instead of lumping it in with the rest of the lower level as Non-Exposed. Doing this will increase the square footage for the Finished Exposed SqFt searches. Click here for a must have resource to help you classify square footage correctly.

-You can search for upcoming open houses under the Search Program in Paragon. Click on Search and select the property class. Open up the Advanced Criteria section at the bottom to find the Open House Date search prompt to search for a specific date, or a Yes/No option to find all upcoming open houses. If you have a client that would like to be notified of open houses within their search area, you can include Open House = Y as a criteria in their saved search.

November 2013

-We have recently received a few reports of agents contacting sellers before their listing contract expires with another agent. This is a violation of both MLS Rules and the Realtor Code of Ethics. Click here for an article on how to avoid jumping a listing.

-Did you know you can set a default font type and font size for emails you send from Paragon? The global default setting is Arial 12pt. If you would like to change this, click on Preferences and User. Then click on System Preferences and User Interface. Under Editor Font Family, click on the font style you like, and under Editor Font Size choose a font size you like. You can also change the font color if it strikes your fancy. Click Save to exit.

-If you are printing or emailing a customer report of your own listing, you may want to consider using the Customer w/Agent report. This report is a cross between the Agent Full and the Customer Full. This report does not include the confidential broker-to-broker fields, but does include listing agent information. This report, along with 5 other customer full reports, can be found under Available Reports and Details.

-Updated Farm Associated Document: Based on input from folks that list farms, we have made a few additions to the Farm Associated Document. This Associated Document is required for all Single Family and Lot listings that are marked as Type = Farm. The most up-to-date Associated Documents can always be found by clicking Assoc Docs in the menu bar above. Please use this updated form for all new Farm listings being entered.

October 2013

-Fields have been added on the Contact Information screen for Spouse/Secondary name and E-mail address. After entering the email address for the primary contact name, select Spouse/Secondary to enter a second email. Only one email appears on this screen at a time, but multiple emails are saved. Click the checkbox to automatically include the spouse/secondary email for auto notifications.

-Most of you know that you can click on the to see the tax record of a property when looking at a listing in full detail. What you may not know, however, is how to do the reverse. When looking at a tax record within the Paragon tax program, you can easily link to the MLS listing(s) for that property. To do this, click Actions and MLS Link from the tool bar.

September 2013

-Where do I find my MLS ID? The fastest way is to click on the little computer icon on the bottom left corner of this screen (next to the session time). You can also find it by searching for yourself via a member roster which can be accessed from the Membership button on the top tool bar. Programs such as RPR need your MLS ID in order to link your login to our MLS data.

-When searching in Paragon, you can enter multiple entries for most fields. If there is no pick list to choose from, you simply include a comma or tab between entries. Examples of a couple non-pick list fields are Lake/River Name and Subdivision. If you want to search both Lake Mendota and Lake Monona for example, you would type Mendota, Monona. For Firefox users, a comma works better than a tab.

-Entering Street Name for Properties on County Roads: For many years, we have mandated that the street name for properties located on a highway be entered as Hwy. Recently, however, we have discovered that a few heavily used public real estate search sites no longer map Hwy for county roads correctly, and thus listings flowing from our MLS to these sites are coming up with incorrect maps. After doing some research, we have determined that the best way to enter county highways within Paragon so that they map correctly on public websites is to use County Road instead of Hwy. State highways and Interstates are currently mapping fine and no change will be made. On 9/12, all listings within Paragon that displayed a street name of Hwy followed by an alpha character (i.e. Hwy A), were converted to County Road (i.e. County Road A). From this point forward, please enter listings located on county roads as County Road instead of Hwy. State highways and Interstates will continue to be entered as Hwy. For an updated list of acceptable street tags, click here.

-Clicking on a property photo within Paragon will enlarge it and open up a slide show. At the top of the slide show there is a Maintain button that quickly takes you to the screen to add/delete/change photos and photo labels.

-In order to provide the most timely and accurate listing information, your MLS enforces a set of rules. A summary of these rules can be found here. We don’t like enforcing rules. We would rather spend our time making your MLS better, and helping you use Paragon more efficiently. So please follow the rules. If you do find a listing that you feel breaks the rules, you can click the Correction button within the top tool bar and type a quick note as to what the issue is. We will contact the listing agent to resolve the issue. Your name will be kept confidential.

August 2013

-For contacts receiving automatic email notifications, you now have the option to exclude listings that are sent due to a price change, and send only new listing matches and listings that are back on the market. This new option is available on the Edit Email Notification screen. Under the result view to be sent (i.e. customer full), there is a new option for Type. Simply remove Price Change if your contact would rather not receive price changes.

-The CMA Summary Report has been enhanced in that you can now add fields (i.e. age, acres, baths) to display on that report. The option to add fields can be found under the Customize drop down at the top of the page when looking at a CMA Summary. If you add fields, you will need to use pdf as your print option on the Print Plus screen as your report will automatically switch to landscape.

July 2013

-The correct placement of your property on maps within Paragon is often dependent on the correct street tag (i.e. St, Ave, Dr). Please be sure you include the correct street tag when entering a new listing. Click here for a list of proper Paragon street tag abbreviations.

-The map that displays when clicking on the blue M icon from Paragon full displays, and on reports (i.e. customer full with map) can be adjusted to display a preferred zoom level. You can find this adjustment under Listings, Maintain and Change GeoCode. Once you adjust the zoom level and save it, the map on views/reports will hold that zoom level.

June 2013

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

-Use EST for Metro Madison East (including Monona & Maple Bluff)

-Use WST for Metro Madison West (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.

-New Option to Add Photo Labels: Starting today, you now have the option to add labels to your property photos in Paragon. We foresee agents using photo labels to clarify (i.e. First Floor Bath), and to bring attention to things in the photo that are not so obvious (i.e. New Appliances). You will be able to pick and choose which photos you think need labels. Entering a label on one photo will not require labels on all. You will enter photo labels on the Photo Administration screen along with the photos. If you currently have a security level that allows you to enter photos, you will be able to add labels. It is against MLS rules to enter contact info or agent/company promotion within photo labels. The same rules that apply to the public MLS remarks apply to photo labels. If there is abuse, we will be forced to limit labels to a pre-defined list. Please do not make us limit your ability to be creative.

-Listings that are not available for showings due to an accepted offer, must be moved to the status of Offer-No Show. It does not matter if all contingencies are removed; the deciding factor is if showings are allowed.

-The Supra Key renewal date is June 1st of each year. Offices will be billed $175 for each agent currently leasing a key, whether it is an ActiveKey™ or an eKey™. If you are no longer using your keycard and would like to avoid this fee, please return your ActiveKey to the MLS office prior to July 1 (eKey users can call to cancel). Contact Supra key support (keys@wisre.com) at the MLS office (608-240-2800, press 3) with any questions. This $175 covers the use of the keycard system including the keys and boxes.

-A room is considered to be above grade only if the entire level that room is located on is above ground level. A finished room that has exposure (at least 8% of square footage is window space), but is on a level that is not completely above ground level, should be included as Below or Partially Below Grade Exposed. Click here for a must have resource to help you classify square footage correctly.

-When entering the sale price for a property, please be sure you are not entering millions when you mean thousands. Paragon has a safety net that alerts you if the sale price varies by more than 10% as compared to the list price. This safety net is unfortunately being ignored as we have seen an increase in extra digits included in sale prices. If you get this 10% variance message, please stop and double check the sale price you are entering. Thank you.

-If you work within a team and would like your team name to be included on the bottom of the customer full reports, email the MLS at support@wisre.com with your team name. Once we add your team name to your member record, you can customize reports by pulling up the report you would like to change and clicking on Customize and fields from the blue bar above the report. Scroll down to the bottom section in white. Double click on the white box to display the fields you can include. Select My Info – Team Name, which is located about half way down. Highlight this field and click Add. Place a check mark next to the Team Name and in the No Label column, move up to desired location and hit Save. At this point, the Single Family report is done. You will need to do this for each class of property. Your personal slogan can also be added in this same fashion.

-The MLS has recently received multiple complaints from sellers and listing agents that Realtors have been entering property without waiting for a showing confirmation. In addition to being a violation of the SCWMLS Rules and your keycard agreement, entering a property without permission is trespassing and is against the law. MLS sanctions for this offense include fines to both the agent and to their broker, and may result in loss of keycard privileges. MLS sanctions may be the least of your worries if a seller decides to press criminal charges. PLEASE, call for an appointment and WAIT for confirmation before showing properties.

-Fixed: When you compose an email in Paragon, the cursor now begins at the To: line instead of the message body…… We know “about time”!

-New: You can now include a small photo for each listing on the spreadsheet view. To add the photo, load a spreadsheet and click Customize and Fields . Move “Photo” from the list of available fields to the list of selected fields. Use the Move Up button to position where you want the photo. Click Save. Do this for each class of property.

March 2013

-When entering the List Date for sold comps*, enter the verifiable date on which the owner/builder began marketing the property to the public at large. This will allow the days on market calculation to truly reflect the open market exposure time for the property, which in turn will help appraisers locate useable comps. Comp sales that show 0 days on the market, provide limited useful data to appraisers when they are choosing sales for an appraisal, as the definition of market value requires adequate exposure time on the open market.

*Listings not included on MLS when active, but added after they close. These listings are typically FSBOs, building contracts, and one-party listings.

– If you are looking for a quick way to send an email blast to all your contacts set up in Paragon, click on the Compose Email link at the top right of the Paragon home page. Click on the Address Book link to pull up a list of your contacts. Select all by checking the box at the top of the column with the checkboxes. If you want to eliminate any individual contacts just uncheck them. Click the Bcc button at the bottom of the box. You want to use Bcc so your contacts do not see that you have sent the email to others. Put your email address in the To: box so you get a copy. Click OK. Type your subject line and message and click Send. If you have more than 100 contacts (more than 1 page), you will need to repeat this process for each page.

February 2013

Beginning March 1, at least the outside front photo must be loaded within 7 days of the listing date (7 days from input for sold comps). Listing agents will still receive an e-mail warning, giving them 5 additional days. If at least a front photo is not loaded after the 5-day warning, the MLS photographer will be sent out to take a photo, and the listing office will be charged $50 for this service. Photos are not required for vacant land, commercial property and properties under construction.

-According to MLS guidelines, for square footage to be considered finished, the space must be heated, have finished walls (painted concrete does not count), have a finished ceiling (no exposed floor joists), and have a finished floor (painted concrete does not count). If one of these four components is missing, the space can still be considered finished, but disclosure of the missing component must be included in the MLS remarks.

-The most current profile sheets can always be found by clicking Profile Sheets in the menu bar under the South Central WI MLS header above.

-Contacts who have opted out of your Paragon emails can be identified on the contact view spreadsheet as those with a red exclamation point and grey envelope instead of an orange envelope in the email column.