News & Past Hot Tips

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.

Are you tired of reading about the rules? Then check out our fun new video that explains entering new listings (in under 2 minutes!):

As a listing agent, you can grant a one-time access code to anyone needing access to your listing.   There are no MLS restrictions as to who can be given a one-time code.

To Grant Access from your eKey:

1. Tap My Keyboxes
2. Select the keybox from the list – If the keybox is not listed, tap Add Keybox, enter the Shackle Code for the keybox, and connect to the keybox. Click here for instructions on assigning a keybox to a listing if you are not at the keybox.
3. Select Grant Managed Access
4. Enter the cell number of the person needing access
5. Set the desired access date and time. Note: You can limit the duration of the showing per instruction, but the window granted must be at least 2 hours.
6. The person you have granted access to will receive a text message inviting them to download, and set up a non-member version of the eKey.  If they ask you for assistance, please send them the PDF or Video below.

VIDEO   PDF    For the person granted one-time access

The correct location to place property key(s) is in the compartment in the front of the keybox, where the green sticker with bright yellow keys is attached. Do not place keys in the back of the key compartment where you will see an image with a strikethrough key.

Only key(s) should be included.   Please do not include key rings, as they can cause the key container to jam.

There have been reports of parties contacting agents with a reason they need the agent to share a Google verification code with them. An example in our marketplace is a scammer claiming to be a cash buyer, forwarding a link to their proof of funds letter, and asking the agent to provide a verification code in order to access it. Click here to read the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer alert about this scam and what to do if you are targeted.

The MLS Committee and Board of Directors recently voted to begin collecting whether or not there is a financing contingency at the time the offer is accepted. Currently, when moving a listing to Sold status, you are required to enter the type of financing at closing. Beginning September 5, you will be prompted with this new question when moving a property to Sold Status:  Cash offer at acceptance? This new question will be required. Hopefully this new data point will be helpful when analyzing sold data.

The MLS has received several reports of a scam in which an agent is contacted to list a property by someone posing as the property owner. The scammer will typically handle all communication remotely and request the property be listed for less than its value in order to generate immediate interest. The WRA has published a helpful article explaining this scam and how to avoid it. You can read more about it here.

All agents have the ability to enter listing data directly into Paragon (Listings –> Add Listing) and save it as a partial. This option streamlines the add listing process by allowing agents to directly key in listing data as opposed to filling out paper profile sheets. Partial listings can then be reviewed and saved as live listings by users with office administrative access.

When entering a partial listing, an agent should make note of the partial listing number that is assigned so they can pass it on to their office listing administrator (along with any documentation required by their office). If the listing should be entered in a status other than Active, that should also be noted. Administrators can then pull up the partial listing to complete under Listings -> Maintain Partials.

A Few Tips:

• Save time by using Tax Autofill to pull in data from public records.
• Some fields have a magnifying glass icon, which will display the available selection options for that field. Other fields have a question mark icon, which will provide an explanation of how to complete the field.
• Select “Save as Partial” several times along the way to save your work.
• Photos and documents can be added via the links to the left of the data entry fields.
• Before handing off to your administrator, click “Save Listing” to trigger input rules to make sure you have not missed any required information. Click the red triangle to jump to the field that contains missing information. Status will be entered by your administrator.

Have you searched for your listing on Google and got results with out of date info? When you make a change on a listing, such as a price change, it will not immediately show in the search results when doing a Google search. Google constantly indexes new information, but it could take anywhere from hours to weeks to even months for changes to show up in their search results. So if you find outdated information directly via a Google search, it does not mean the actual website Google is referencing has not been updated. Click here for a more detailed article.

The security of clients’ properties is a top priority for all of us. If an agent accesses a keybox without a confirmed appointment, even if it is a vacant home, the agent and their broker may be assessed a fine of $500 each. These fines double, and Supra eKEY access may be suspended for a second offense. These penalties are guidelines, and may be more severe depending on the circumstances. A seller can also bring trespass charges against any agent without a confirmed appointment. Before accessing a property, please double check the address & ensure you have permission.

Before leaving for a showing, especially for a property in an area with spotty cell phone coverage, double check that your Supra eKEY has updated for the day. To check this, look for the Update icon on the bottom of the main eKEY screen. If there is a red X over the Update icon, click to do a manual update. If there is no red X, you are good to go. Once your eKEY is updated for the day, it does not need access to cell service or the internet to retrieve a key or open a keybox shackle.

It is against MLS rules and copyright law to use another agent’s photos without permission. If an agent submits photos with the knowledge that they do not have the right to use them, a fine of $25 per photo may be assessed in addition to any legal remedies available to the copyright owner of the photos.

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 the Email button.

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. You also have the option to add a custom message. Once the text is sent, it will be recorded in the contact’s Message History.

When marketing a listing, a good rule of thumb is to describe the property, not the people. Paragon automatically checks the public remarks for words that may, in a certain context, violate fair housing laws, and displays a warning message that includes the flagged word or phrase. If you are comfortable with the context in which the word is being used, simply check the box to accept, and re-save. For a full list of words that will trigger a warning, click here. In addition to the remarks, please keep these guidelines in mind when adding photos & documents as well.

Paragon Connect is the mobile-friendly version of Paragon. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, watch this video for an overview of features and functions.

The Type feature pick list contains three distinct stages for properties that are under construction or newly built:

• Building Plan with Lot = Proposed home is not yet started. Building plans are allowed on the MLS only if they include land with the sale, and only one building plan per lot may be entered. If there are additional floorplan or finish options, these can be noted in the remarks.
• Under Construction = Hole has been dug & construction is underway. The estimated date of completion (or stage of completion at the time of listing) is required in the first line of the public remarks.
• New/Never Occupied = New home is completed & move-in ready. A photo of the front exterior of the home is required at this stage.

It is important to update the feature as a home moves from plan, through construction, to finish. If you add upgrades or finish more square footage than the original listing states, please adjust the price and applicable fields/features in the MLS to reflect these changes. We often see the sale price several thousand dollars more than the list price due to additions/upgrades, which makes it difficult to use these sales for appraisals and CMAs.