Recent MLS Changes |
Expanded Selections 11/13: Effective November 4th, the number of available selections will be expanded from 4 to 5 for Exterior, Interior and Miscellaneous features in Residential and Farm Listings. Changes for Land Listings 11/13: Effecitve November 4th, the following changes will be made to Land Listings:
Days on Market Recalculated 9/13: The method for calculating Days on Market in FlexMLS will be changed to exclude "off market" periods such as when a listing is in a pending, expired or withdrawn status. The implementation of this change will result in a one-time recalculation of Days on Market of all listings in the FlexMLS database.
The compliance and enforcement process was also revised. Additional Floor Selection 7/13: "Laminate" will be added as a selection for Floors. Rental Listings 3/13: The number of required fields in a Rental Listing will be reduced, effective in early April. Water Heaters 1/13: Two new optional MLS fields will be added to the MLS -- Water Heater Type (tank, tank-less, hybrid and other) and Water Heater Energy Source (electric, natural gas, propane, wood, geothermal, solar and other.) Short Term Rentals Allowed 10/12: A new field will be added to the Water Class section of the MLS Input Sheet to indicate whether short term rentals are allowed. Copying Listings and Photos 4/12: The #1 complaint received by the MLS relates to the copying of photos (e.g., when the 'new' listing agent copies the photos from the previous listing agent.) As of April 2nd, a feature in FlexMLS will be activated to limit an MLS users' ability to copy listings (including photos) to only those listings within his/her own company. Green Building and Energy Ratings 3/12: With input from the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, the MLS added fields related to green building and energy ratings. New Photo Rules 9/1/11: The MLS requires that the primary image be of or from the specific property. If the listing is proposed construction, the primary image may be of a similar structure, if so disclosed in Public Remarks. 1. All listings displayed pursuant to IDX shall identify the listing firm in a reasonably prominent location. Such identification shall be displayed in a readily visble color and typeface not smaller than the median used in the display of listing data. (This rule used to require that the listing firm be identified in all views.) 2. Listings obtained through IDX must be displayed separately from listings obtained from other sources, including information provided by other MLSs. Listings obtained from other sources (e.g., from other MLSs etc.) must display the source from which each such listing was obtained. (NAR eliminated the requirement that IDX listings be searched separately from listings obtained from other sources.)Rental Properties 7/11/2011: The MLS added a new property type for residential properties for rent. MLS Members are not required to enter rentals into the MLS system. Internet Access Field 6/30/11: An optional field was added to all property types in the MLS. Lengthen Time Frame for Changing to Sold 6/15/11: The time frame for changing the status of a listing to “Sold” was lengthened from 7 to 10 business days.
Cumulative Days on Market 3/31/11: CDOM (Cumulative Days on Market) was added to the MLS as a private field that only appears on private reports. The creation of the CDOM field has absolutely no affect on the DOM field. Once a listing leaves the Active status and is later re-listed (by the same broker or different broker), the CDOM field keeps counting (incrementing). CDOM only resets to zero when (1) 30 days have past before the property is re-listed or (2) the property closes. MLS Fines Increased 10/1/09: Effective October 1st, all MLS violation fines will be increased to $100. WyldFyre Contract Ends 8/8/09: The MLS will no longer provide or support the WyldFyre product, as of 8/8/09. WyldFyre allows an MLS user to download the entire MLS onto their computer, enabling access to MLS data without an Internet connection. The widespread advent of Wi-Fi has greatly diminished the use of the WyldFyre product. At an annual cost of $30,000 to the MLS, the Board of Directors decided not to renew the contract. New MLS Violation 8/1/09: Canceling a listing for the purpose of re-entering the listing as "New", by the same listing agent and broker within a 30 day rest period, will result in a $100 fine to be imposed by the MLS Monitoring Committee beginning August 1st. The MLS status of canceling a listing is to be used only when a listing broker and seller agree to terminate a listing agreement and release all professional obligations related to the listing agreement. MLS Redefines Water-Related Properties 7/1/09: Waterfront Condos/Townhouses: Waterfront Condos or Townhouses that have contiguous land and water contact between the specific condo or townhouse listed, should be marked “Water Class” as “Waterfront” and the length of the waterfront shall be specified in the field as 0.0. Water Access Condos/Townhouses: Condos or townhouses that do not have contiguous land and water contact between the specific condo or townhouse listed but do have access to water by slip, ramp (not a public ramp unless located within the boundary of the community) or community boat dock should be marked “Water Class” as “Water Access Only”. The community must have contact with the water at some point to be considered a water access community but “Water Access” need not be specified in the recorded property description. FlexMLS “Session Timeout” Security Measure 5/19/09: When an MLS user logs into their Flex account, a cookie is written to their hard drive that is used to track user inactivity. If an inactivity period of 90 minutes occurs, the user will automatically be logged out of FlexMLS. FlexMLS “Single Sign-On”Security Measure 5/19/09: When an MLS user logs into their FlexMLS account, FlexMLS will automatically invoke a security measure that prevents multiple logins. If you are logged into FlexMLS on one computer, but then you need to work in FlexMLS on another computer, FlexMLS will automatically log off the first computer, allowing you to login on the second computer. The “Single Sign-On” security measure does not interfere with a user’s ability to have multiple FlexMLS browser windows open at the same time. FlexMLS Web Address Changes 5/19/09: FlexMLS has a new URL: http://roanoke.flexmls.com. Password Change Required Every 60 Days 4/09: As an MLS security measure, MLS passwords now expire every 60 days. When it is time to change your password, FlexMLS will automatically prompt you to change your password. Remember: When you change your password for FlexMLS, you will need to use your ‘new’ password to login to Instanet’s online forms. FlexMLS “Acting As” Feature 4/09: This security feature allows a broker to authorize User A to access the FlexMLS account of User B without User A needing to know User B’s password. The Broker Authorization form provides more details. Total Acreage/Lot Dimensions Fields 4/09: FlexMLS now enforces the already existing rule that one or the other of these two fields is REQUIRED. If you attempt to edit (price change, make pending, text change, etc.) as listing that both of these fields empty, you will not be able to save those changes without first supplying either the Total Acreage or the Lot Dimensions. Only Residential, Land and Multi-Family property types are affected. Pending Lien Holder’s Approval Contingency 10/1/08: A listing agent with Seller’s permission and Lien Holder’s requirement for participation may change a listing to add the contingency “Pending Lien Holder’s Approval” (PLHA) within 24 hours of Seller’s acceptance of a contract that requires the approval of the Lien Holder. The first line of the private Realtor to Realtor remarks must be changed to read “Contract Accepted by Seller Pending Lien Holder’s Approval”. Once you have added the PLHA contingency to a listing, a yellow contingency flag with the letter (L) will appear on any PLHA listings. A search of Active listings will pull up any PLHA listings meeting the search criteria. NOTE: Should the Seller chose not to add the PLHA contingency, then the existing MLS rules would apply and the listing status would need to be changed to pending within 24 hours (or by 5PM next business day) of delivery to all parties of a fully ratified contract. Optional Short Sale Disclosure 7/1/08: MLS Participants, with Seller’s permission, may, but are not required to, disclose potential short sales to other MLS Participants and Subscribers. When disclosed, Participants may, at their discretion, advise other Participants whether and how any reduction in the gross commission established in the listing contract, required by the lender as a condition of approving the sale, will be apportioned between listing and cooperating Participants. Sharing Supra Keys Prohibited 10/07: Any Broker, Agent or Affiliate found guilty of giving a Supra key to a non-MLS member may be fined up to $5,000 by the MLS Board of Directors. The giving or sharing of Supra keys with non-MLS members (such as Realtors who are not members of the Roanoke Valley MLS or even members of the public) not only violates the Supra lease but also undermines the security of the entire system. Sharing MLS Access Prohibited 10/07: Any Broker, Agent or Affiliate found guilty of giving his/her MLS password to a non-MLS member may be fined up to $2,500 by the MLS Board of Directors.
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