CBR Tempo MLS News

MLS partners with Retrieval Dynamics to offer Blackberry Handheld MLS Product

Mobile Listing Advantage, a product of Retrieval Dynamics, will be offered to the CBR membership by the first quarter of 2005. Mobile Listing Advantage will allow members to use their BlackBerry handheld device to perform searches against real time MLS data through the CBR RETS server. Search results would then be displayed on the BlackBerry device in a text format (picture support is not available at this time). Mobile Listing Advantage will combine the “always-on” connectivity of the BlackBerry with the search functionality of the MLS.

BlackBerry is a leading wireless connectivity solution, providing access to a wide range of applications on a variety of devices around the world. It combines award winning handhelds, software and services to keep mobile professionals connected to the people, data and resources that drive their day. BlackBerry “always-on” connectivity keeps you ‘in-the-loop’ while you’re on the go with push-based technology that automatically delivers email and other data to your wireless handheld. And with the models that support the integrated phone, SMS (text messaging), browser and organizer applications, you can easily manage all your information and communications from a single, integrated handheld.

In order to take advantage of this product members would need to purchase the BlackBerry handheld, a monthly wireless service and the subscription to Mobile Listing Advantage through Retrieval Dynamics. BlackBerry runs on GSM/GPRS, CDMA, Nextel, and paging networks and is offered by many carriers. When placing your order through Retrieval Dynamics, a sales professional will assist you in determining your carrier options. If you are ordering through the web site, click on “Coverage” to view coverage maps of the various carriers.

New for broker web sites
Retriever - NAR’s Transient Downloader

NAR’s Center for REALTOR® Technology unveiled a new software product that takes information directly from the MLS and formats it for display on consumer-oriented IDX Web sites—without the need to download a copy of the MLS data. Brokerages can use this software, called Retriever, to easily integrate a current MLS search into their existing sites without copying the data onto their own servers. The software also allows for a customizable presentation layout and supports most popular browsers.

This package allows you to display information on your consumer-oriented website without downloading MLS onto your server. It uses the popular PHP language to pull information from the RETS server and display it for the consumer. Also this package uses a different approach to supporting consumer-oriented websites called Transient Download. With this approach, data is never replicated on your server.

Features:
· Easy to integrate into existing sites
· Customizable presentation layout
· Image and text information
· No local database required
· Written in PHP 4
· No client-side Javascript
· Industry standard RETS transmission
· HTML Level 4 support
· Supports most popular browsers

At the time this article is being written, there is no mention of the price for this product. Also, it should be mentioned that for the Columbus Board of REALTORS®, this product would only be useful to brokers and offices that are creating and maintaining web sites with MLS information. IDX is only available to brokers, so agents would not be able to have a web site showing the entire MLS database.

Realist Update

Reverse Link functionality is still in development as a result of programming complications encountered. Auto population and the combo report will be added once reverse link is completed.

Following are other enhancements which have been released:

Number of stories added to comp search options
Improved accuracy with comp reports by excluding multiple/split sales
Ability to create labels using the property address
Ability to eliminate duplicate mailing addresses when creating labels to save on postage
Increased navigation options through sort, export and property detail buttons added to comparable list
Correct property detail report will be displayed when “refresh” button clicked
User’s “Preferences” can now be customized to display only those services purchased by their MLS.

A future update will be the a Combo Report which will contain four sections: Tempo’s one-line report, photo from Tempo, map from Tempo and Realist Tax Data OR Agent Full Report.

Modifications to the MLS Book

As fewer and fewer members choose to purchase the MLS Book, printing cost on a per book basis continues to escalate. The recent order of 500 books at 1,347 pages created a dramatic increase in the cost of each book ($3 per book).

In working with our book publisher, the MLS committee has eliminated the following indexes which is estimated to reduce the number of pages by between 110-130 per week.

Residential homes alpha by street index …. Data column headings changed to read page/address/area/list price/MLS # … (this will serve to double the number of listing information printed in a one-line format per page).
The following data columns were eliminated … list agent/office phone/style/exterior/bedrooms/baths/map coordinates/broker number/type property/status
Eliminate the in contract index
Eliminate the expired index
Reduce pages for the MLS # Index by adding a 7th column of numbers to each page

The cost per book is divided among the members purchasing it and will be adjusted accordingly as orders rise or fall.

New MLS Policy = New MLS Form
Notice of Exclusive Listing Not Available for Placement through MLS

Since all exclusive listings that are filed with the Service within 72 hours of obtaining all signatures must be immediately available for sale and/or showing, any exclusive listing that is listed but not immediately available for sale and/or showing must still be filed with the Service and must include a completed (new) form called … ‘Notice of Exclusive Listing Not Available for Placement Through the MLS.’ Such form shall be signed by the seller and state the reason(s) the property is not available for sale and/or showing through the Service.

It’s important to note that this new form replaces the Notice of Office Listing Form and is to be used only for sellers whose property is not immediately available for sale and/or showing through the MLS.

Although the policy serves to reiterate the existing language found in both the exclusive right to sell listing contract and Rules and Regulations of the Service regarding the sale and/or showing of the property, the new form now also clearly identifies and clarifies the options available for the seller(s) too.

As of August 1, any active property submitted to the Service that is not immediately available for sale and/or showing may result in the property immediately being placed in a temporary withdrawn status by MLS and then the broker and agent will be notified of such action via email.

Note: Existing and established neighborhood tours (e.g., Candlelight Tour and Twilight Tour) that collectively market multiple properties at an announced and agreed upon pre-approved future time for showings remain excluded from this policy but must be clearly identified in the remarks’ section of the listing data. However, any future requests for any other waiver to this policy must be pre-approved by the MLS Committee and CBR leadership.

Remember, in the future, if any of your listings will not be immediately available for sale and or showings upon submission to MLS, be sure to discuss the circumstances of that stipulation in the agreement with your sellers when they sign the new form namely, (1) their property will not appear in any MLS publications, (2) it will not appear on the MLS computerized site, (3) on Realtor.com (4) or on any other public web sites not affiliated with the listing company.

This new form is available in the CBR store and on this web page.