News & Past Hot Tips

With the increased instances of showing overlaps, it is tempting, and even seems friendly to just hand the key over to the next agent that shows up for a showing.  Remember, the Supra system records when you open a keybox, and when you close it.   If the next agent forgets to turn lights off, lets the cat out, or fails to shut/lock doors, you may be held responsible as you would have been the last agent recorded as entering.

We have had an increase in complaints recently, that showing agents are not taking time to make sure lights are off and doors are locked.  If there is not another showing happening when you leave, please double check all doors and lights.  Doors may have been opened or lights may have been turned on by an agent before you, so please be attentive and do a double check before you leave.

Supra keyboxes come from the factory preset to open between the hours of 6:00 a.m – 9:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, and shift to the hours of 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time.

If you would like to change the access hours, or remove all time restrictions, you can do this for keyboxes you have added to your inventory.  Once added, select the keybox and then select Program Keybox.  Change the start or end time by clicking or tapping on the time.  When done, you will need to select to Program the keybox.  You will need to be near the keybox and have the shackle code to do this.

Join our Data Integrity Manager, Heather Brooks, as she steps through MLS rules pertaining to listings.   This is a great review for listing agents and administrative staff.

• Videos
• Summary of Listing Rules

In an effort to promote the highest level of professionalism and cooperation, we strongly recommend the following best practices regarding setting a future date for presentation of, review of, or response to an offer:

Buyer Agents:

• It is best to submit offers in a timely manner, and not wait until the deadline. The seller is free to change their mind, and the date set for presentation/review/response could change at any time.
• Open communication with the listing agent is key. If you will be writing an offer, let the listing agent know, and ask to be notified if the date changes.

Listing Agents:

• Under Wis. Admin. Code § REEB 24.13(3)(c) and the Realtor® Code of Ethics, listing agents are required to promptly present all written offers to their sellers. Holding offers, even at the request of a seller, creates potential risks for the listing agent. If a seller insists on setting a specific date for presentation of, review of, or response to offers, this should be documented in writing, preferably in the listing contract.  Language should be clear as to the terms and conditions under which an offer should not be promptly presented.
• Terminology such as “presentation”, “review”, or “response” date is sometimes misused, making it difficult for cooperating agents & buyers to understand the seller’s timeframe & intent. Instead, a statement like “Seller requests binding acceptance through ______(date)” may help avoid ambiguity and confusion.
• Discuss with your seller how to handle offers written with binding acceptance dates prior to the set date for presentation/review/response.
• To promote fairness & equal opportunity to all interested parties, the listing agent should communicate with all agents who have shown the property, have upcoming showing appointments, and who have expressed interest if the originally stated date changes.  This can easily be done via ShowingTime Appointment Center (select listing and select Send Notifications). The change should be documented in writing, and the MLS remarks should be updated as soon as possible.
• Listing agents should not make the decision that one offer warrants presentation before the deadline, while others do not. In order to fulfill their obligation to be fair and honest to all parties, the listing agent should present all offers if the decision is made to present one. The seller and the listing agent should recognize that reviewing/accepting an offer before the originally stated date puts cooperating agents in an unfavorable position because other buyers may become angry if they rely on the MLS information only to discover another offer has been accepted.

Did you know you can track the number of times your listing is viewed by agents and consumers via Paragon? To access this information, pull up your listing via Listings -> Maintain, and click on Select an Action.   From the Select an Action box, choose View Activity Report.    Within the report there is a link that defines the statistics displayed.

If you find yourself in a situation where your new seller directs you not to include their listing on the MLS, your options for marketing their property are very limited. If an office exclusive listing is not handled correctly, it can result in a large fine. If you are at all unsure about the rules pertaining to office exclusive listings, please call 608-240-2800 and ask for Heather or Patty. We would much rather talk to you ahead of time, than follow up on a report that you have strayed outside MLS rules.

Dane County has a listing of foreclosure properties that can be found here:  https://treasurer.countyofdane.com/Property-Owner-Info/foreclosure

The ShowingTime default is set to allow 2* showings at a time. This default can be changed for all listings within an office, for all listings for an agent, or listing by listing via the Office, Agent, or Listing setup options within ShowingTime. Options exist for no overlap, or for overlaps of 2-10 showings at a time. If more than one showing is allowed, the showing agent will see a pop-up letting them know another party may be present.

The ShowingTime default for maximum time allowed for a showing is set for 30 minutes*.  You can adjust this listing by listing.  If you anticipate many showing requests for your new listing, for example, you could set the maximum showing duration to 15 minutes to allow for more showings the first few days.  Once you feel the initial rush is past, you could lengthen it to 30 minutes.  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.

*The default may be different for you if your office has already modified this default. 

Photos loaded into Paragon should not contain office/agent names, logos, or contact information. Please take photos from an angle to avoid your for sale sign, or from an angle such that your sign is not readable. If this is not possible, please edit your photo to blur or cover the sign before loading it into Paragon. This rule extends to unbranded virtual tours loaded into Paragon as well.

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 client’s 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.

The above opt in link can always be found within the links in the blue 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.

If you are marketing your Delayed listing to the public (for example, as coming soon or by placing a sign in the yard), you must input that listing in the MLS within 1 business day of when marketing begins. If you are not yet marketing to the public, you have 4 calendar days from the list date to input the listing in the MLS.  If you miss the input deadline, there is a $100 per day fine if you are not advertising, and a $500 per day fine if you are advertising.

If a listing is not ready to be shown, it cannot be shown by anyone, not even the listing agent/office.  Hefty fines have been imposed on listing agents and showing agents for showing a property in Delayed.    Click here for more information on Delayed listings.

When calculating above grade square footage, only the finished area on levels that are 100% above grade (ground level) should be included. If an exposed or walk-out lower level has one exterior wall even partially below grade, all rooms on that level must be counted as below grade. More detail can be found within this helpful guide.

Supra has recently shut down an older version of their eKEY server, which supported older versions of their eKEY app. Please take a minute to check to be sure you have version 5.3.3.xxx to ensure your eKEY app will continue to function properly.

To check the eKEY app version you have, please follow these steps:

1. Open the eKEY app
2. Tap the MORE icon on the bottom right
3. Tap ABOUT eKEY App
4. The version number will be displayed at the top right of the screen.

If your version is below 5.3.3.408 for Android, or 5.3.3.490 for iPhone, please go to your App store to download the newest version.

An option to directly access your TrustFunds portal from Paragon is available under the Resources drop down located on the main Paragon menu. From your TrustFunds portal you can click on Transactions (located in the upper right) to see the status and history for all electronic earnest money transactions for both your buyers and your sellers. More information on TrustFunds can be found here.

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.

The following changes/additions were made to listing data we collect. If you have an active listing with any of these features, please add/adjust them within Paragon. Updated profile sheets can be found here.

• An option for Exterior Type of Engineered Wood has been added
• Storage Unit has been added as an option for Other Room Type for Condos. This will allow you to include the dimensions and level for condo storage units.
• The option for Elevator/Chair Lift under Barrier Free Features has been split into two individual selections.
• A new search field for Main Level Bedroom has been added. This field is auto populated based on the individual bedroom levels input.

To the right of most search fields within Paragon, you will find a drop down containing search qualifiers. Most default to Equals or Contains, meaning that when you enter a search option, Paragon will find matches that equal or contain what you have asked for.

You may ask, what is the difference between Equals and Contains? The best way to explain this is with an example: Think of searching by Subdivision. If you type in Seminole, and the search qualifier for the Subdivision field is set to Contains, you will get all the listings with the word Seminole somewhere in the Subdivision field. If you specifically want listings in the Seminole Forest subdivision, you may want to change the default search qualifier to Equals, and type Seminole Forest into the search field to get just listings in the Seminole Forest subdivision.

Besides Equals and Contains, other search qualifiers available are: Not Equal To, Contains All, Does Not Contain, Starts With and Not Starting With.

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.

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