News & Past Hot Tips

May 2015

-Reminder: Garage/Parking information on a multi-family listing is recorded by unit. If a property has a two car garage shared between two units, please do not indicate 2 car garage for each unit as that would indicate a 4 car garage total.

Paragon Enhancements 5/20:

-My Info via Market Monitor now includes Withdrawn

-Office and Firm via Market Monitor now include Withdrawn and Expire Alert

-Better status update while system creates the PDF CMA Presentation

-Updates to canned CMA reports (i.e. Value of a Real Estate Professional, Moving Checklist, etc.)

-The CMA cover page now defaults to Subject Property opposed to Agent Centric

-New Yes/No Field for Multiple Competing Written Offers: A member suggested it would be helpful to know if there were multiple competing offers considered at the time an offer was accepted. The MLS Committee and the Board of Directors thought this was a great suggestion and voted to collect this information at the time an offer is record in the MLS. Beginning June 1, when you change a listing to AC, AB or Offer-No Show, you will be prompted to select Yes or No to a new field labeled Competing Written Offers. We have added this field as non-required, and will change it to be required on June 1. Please update your office procedure to begin collecting this information. A copy of the updated MLS change form can be found here.

-Within Paragon, you can change the fields that display on the spreadsheet list of properties that comes up after a search. Click Customize from the closest toolbar above, and select Fields. The box on the right lists the fields that currently display on your spreadsheet. If you want to remove a field, simply click on the field and click Remove. If you want to add a field from the left box, click on the field and then on Add. If you do not see the field you would like to add, click on the Group box at the top to display different types of fields (i.e. Feature Categories). You can also use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to change the order the fields appear on your spreadsheet. Click on Save and Close to apply your changes. Your customized spreadsheet will now come up each time you display the spreadsheet. There is a Revert to Default button on the bottom if you mess up.

-The default spreadsheet sort in Paragon is by Price. You probably know you can click on the header of any column to resort the spreadsheet by that column. You can also set a multiple sort for the spreadsheet. 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 now be your default sort each time you display the spreadsheet.

April 2015

–Q: Why did the MLS switch from age to year built? A: There were a few reasons. As data flows from our MLS to other databases, and SCWMLS data is mixed with data from other MLSs, it is important that we be as mainstream as possible to reduce the chance our data will be misrepresented. The large majority of listing search sites and MLSs use year built opposed to age. In addition, year built is a concrete number, whereas age is dependent on the present year. This was problematic when listings remained on the market for a long period of time, and the listing agent did not increase the age each year.

-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.

–Database and Profile Sheet Changes Done April 9: Each year we collect all changes our MLS Committee and Board of Directors elect to make and roll them into one update. This update was done Thursday. Click here for a full list of changes (which includes a change from age to year built) and here for updated profile sheets.

-Listings in the status of Withdrawn by Seller and Delayed are still under contract. Contacting sellers before their listing contract expires with another agent is a violation of both MLS Rules and the Realtor Code of Ethics.

March 2015

Enhancement Highlights – March 26 Paragon Update

-The workflow for saving a search has been simplified.

-The headers on the listing grid when maintaining listings are now clickable allowing the grid to be sorted by the different columns.

-You can now add your own documents as pages within new and existing CMA Presentations. Documents must be PDFs under 20MB.

-You can also store a document(s) under CMA Preferences to include in all CMA Presentations.

-Bug Fixed: The ability to press Enter twice after inputting MLS number(s) on the home page has been restored.

– 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.fnismls.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. You can also 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.

-Cancel or Reschedule Showings via Showing Assist – Under Preferences within Paragon, there is a direct link to Showing Assist. If you click on the Showings button on the left menu you will see an option to view showings you have requested. Click on the All Upcoming link and find the showing you wish to cancel or reschedule. You will be given a preset list of reasons if you click Cancel, as well as a free form box for additional comments. If you click Reschedule you will be given the opportunity to select a new date and time. Emails will be sent and changes will be captured within Showing Assist reports.

-Are garbage cans on the curb included in your otherwise beautiful photo in Paragon? Try the new photo crop tool to remove them. Click on the red pencil in Picture Administration, draw a box around the area of the photo you want to retain, click the edit tool above the photo, and save.

February 2015

Q: Why are some no showings until listings in an Active status instead of Delayed?
A: We are generally seeing two reasons a new listing is not available for showings right away. The first is the property is not ready to be marketed due to needed clean up, timing for professional photos, desired staging, etc. You will find these listings in the Delayed status as the listing agent does not want them to be viewed by the public yet. In the second situation, the property is all ready for public viewing, but the seller and listing agent decide to pick a launch date, often starting with an open house. You will find these listings in Active as the seller and agent want the public to see them. The listings in Active must include the date showings will be allowed in the first line of the public remarks. Our rules regarding “no showings until” listings have taken both situations into account, and allow agents the flexibility to market these listings as either Delayed or Active.

–Realtors Property Resource (RPR) Action Link Added – A new action link has been added to the agent full report and default spreadsheet view. If you are logged in to RPR, this link will take you directly to the same property within RPR. If you have not set up your free login to RPR, click the option to create an account. You will need your NRDS # which you can look up on the create an account screen. Find more info about RPR at http://blog.narrpr.com/rpr/.

-Enhancements 2/11include new photo editing tools (crop and rotate) for use when adding photos, and autosave of listing data during listing input.

-Short Sale Allowance for Accepted Offer Reporting Rule: If you have an accepted offer on a short sale listing, you can leave that listing in Active and include the verbiage Accepted Offer Short Sale in the broker-to-broker remarks. The revised rule is below:

When you receive an accepted offer, you have 3 calendar days to change the status of that listing to either AC (Offer-Continue to Show) or Offer-No Show. The only exceptions are if there is a bump clause in the offer or a short sale situation. If there is a bump or if the property is a short sale, you have 3 calendar days to either change the status to Offer-No Show, AC, AB (Offer with Bump), or you can leave the status as Active, but you must disclose the existence of the offer in the broker-to-broker remarks (Accepted Offer Bump Clause or Accepted Offer Short Sale).

January 2015

-Regarding Zillow and ListHub: Zillow is currently contacting brokers in our area to inform them that beginning in April, they will no longer be accepting listings via ListHub. Currently, many of our broker members utilize ListHub to populate their listings to Zillow. We are aware of this change, and will be meeting with a representative from Zillow in March. The SCWMLS Directors will work with Zillow to facilitate distributing your company listings to them should you so choose.

-There is a clock inside each keybox that controls when the box can be opened and also registers and reports the time of showings. If you have a keybox that is not opening during times it should (6 a.m. – 9 p.m. during Central Standard Time and 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. during Daylight Savings) or is reporting the wrong time for showings, you need to reset the time on the keybox. To do this, simply open the shackle of the keybox. When you open the shackle of a keybox, the time from your keycard is transferred to the keybox. The time on your keycard is checked and synced each time it updates via a cell tower or via a USB cable update.

Accepted Offers Must Now be Reported to MLS: For decades, the complaint most expressed to MLS staff, and the topic most debated by the MLS Committee and Directors, has been regarding listings with accepted offers that are listed as Active in the MLS. To date, the statuses of Offer-Continue to Show (AC) and Offer Bump (AB) have been optional statuses that we encouraged agents to use, and only required a property be changed to Pending status when showings were no longer being allowed. All of that has changed…

As of January 1, 2015, when you receive an accepted offer you will have 3 calendar days to change the status of that listing to either AC (Offer-Continue to Show) or Offer-No Show. The only exception is if there is a bump clause in the offer. If there is a bump, you will have 3 calendar days to either change the status to Offer-No Show, to AB (Offer with Bump) or you can leave the status as Active, but you must disclose the existence of the offer in the broker-to-broker remarks (Accepted Offer Bump Clause). If your seller has instructed you not to disclose the existence of the offer, the status of the listing must then be changed (within 3 calendar days) to Withdrawn by Seller until such time as the property closes, or the offer falls through. Violations of this new policy will result in a penalty of $5/day for each day past the 3 days allowed, until such time as the status is appropriately changed.

December 2014

-You now have the option to add multiple listings to a showing cart at one time. Simply select the listings you want to show and click the Actions drop down (located on the same tool bar as Print) and then the Showing Time option at the bottom of the list. The ShowingTime scheduling screen will open in a new window. Click Add to ShowingCart at the bottom. If you have never used the ShowingCart, here is a 4 minute instructional video.

-New Home Features Addendum – We recently created a new optional form to be used to provide more information about mechanicals, appliances, utilities, updates/remodeling, and home owners association info. This form can be attached to your listing as an associated document within Paragon, thus saving you characters within MLS remarks. You can find this new form within the Associated Documents Portal at http://www.scwmls.com/resources/associated_docs.html. You can complete this form on screen, and save or print it for attachment to your listings, or print a blank form to complete offline.

-When entering data for a new listing, please do not abbreviate fields like Condo Project Name, Subdivision Name, or Lake/River Name as these fields are often used in searches. If a Realtor is including one of these fields in their search and they type in the complete name, and you have abbreviated it, your listing may get missed. We have set these fields up as “contains” search fields to help alleviate this problem, but even a contains search will miss certain abbreviations. For example, if you have entered Metropolitan or Metropolitan Pl instead of Metropolitan Place, and a Realtor searching for these condos spells out Metropolitan Place, your listing will be missed. On the flipside, if you are searching using these non-pick list fields, please keep in mind that the listing agent may have abbreviated. In the case of Metropolitan Place, you may want to search just Metropolitan.

November 2014

-If the electricity has been turned off for a property you have listed, PLEASE indicate this in the broker-to-broker remarks so showing agents know to make appointments earlier in the day.

MLS listings can be accessed via your mobile device using either the Paragon Connect, or a downloadable APP. Click here for instruction on accessing both mobile options.

-We have recently reviewed three complaints regarding keycard violations, in particular, accessing a keybox without a confirmed appointment. Sanctions have included fines up to $1,000 from the MLS, and possible trespassing charges brought by the home owner. PLEASE, call for an appointment and WAIT for confirmation before showing properties.

October 2014

-If you routinely copy yourself on listing email notifications sent to your clients, and you type your email in each time, please read on. Under Preferences – Email, you will find an option to Auto-Fill BCC. If you check this box and Save, each time you send an email or set up a new listing auto-notification, your email will automatically be included as a bcc. For each individual email, you have the option to click the x to remove your email if you so choose. If your email address changes, Paragon will look at the bcc line in your auto-notifications and update your email address automatically. Paragon does not automatically update your email address if you have entered it in the To: or cc: line.

-It is against MLS rules and copyright law to copy another agent’s photos and associated documents for use on your listing without permission. Those submitting photos/associated docs with the knowledge that they do not have the right to use said photos/associated docs will be subject to a fine of $25 per photo/document in addition to any legal remedies available to the owner of the photos/documents.

-With daylight hours starting to wane, a light can sometimes come in handy when out on showing appointments. You may not be aware of it, but your ActiveKEY has a couple of neat features that can help: Flashlight: To initiate the Flashlight function, turn on your ActiveKEY and press the flashlight button (between UP and DOWN arrows at top of keypad). The flashlight will stay on as long as the key stays on. Backlight: To activate the Backlight, turn on your ActiveKEY and press the Light Bulb button on the bottom right of the keypad. The key will remain backlit as long as the key stays on.

-The red T on the Agent Full report and on spreadsheets in Paragon link to assessment and tax information as stored in Paragon Public Records. If you opt to autofill public records data during the add listing process, the T will appear as soon as you are done adding the listing. If you do not autofill, or if you add or correct the parcel number after the listing is added, it takes about an hour for Paragon to link or relink to public records.

September 2014

-The Associated Docs portal now includes links to newly added onscreen fillable PDF Associated Documents as required for Auction, Farm, and Limited Service listings. You can now complete these Associated Documents on screen, and save or print them for attachment to your listings. The links to print blank forms are also still available.

-Instead of entering a beginning and ending date by inputting a very specific format within Paragon, you can select options such as 12 Months Back, 90 Days Back or This Month from a pick list. Look for this option to the right of the traditional beginning and ending date range search options on the Paragon search screens.

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.