February 2020 Issue
  • Clear Cooperation - Are you in Compliance?
  • Matrix Tips - How to Setup Client Portal Notifications &
Reporting Data Errors in Matrix
  • ShowingTime News - Keep Your Clients in the Loop
  • GRAR Appraiser Newsletter - Are you dual licensed?
  • RPR Corner - 2020 Vision: Using RPR For Success In The New Year
  • Upcoming MLS and Tech Classes - Tech Tuesday is all about Taxes


Clear Cooperation - Are you in Compliance?
This new rule, mandated by NAR, became effective here beginning on January 1, 2020. The fine is fairly substantial for breaking this rule. Are you in compliance? Below is the newest set of Q and A's on the topic of Clear Cooperation, along with other materials if you need to learn more. The basics of this rule are as follows:

Within one (1) business day of marketing a property to the public, the listing broker must submit the listing to the MLS for cooperation with other MLS participants. Public marketing includes, but is not limited to, flyers displayed in windows, yard signs, digital marketing on public facing websites, brokerage website displays (including IDX and VOW), digital communications marketing (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing networks, and applications available to the general public. (Adopted 11/19)
  • Click here to learn more about how this policy will be handled locally including FAQs (published 12.19.19)
  • Click here for additional Q & A's (published 1.27.20)
  • Click here to see the fine schedule (Appendix A) for UNYREIS
  • Click here to learn more from NAR including a recorded webinar on this topic
Matrix Tips
How to Setup Client Portal Notifications

Have you ever wondered if you could tweak the settings in Matrix to allow you to receive 'Notifications of Portal Activity' via email or text when a contact is active on their portal adding listings notes, saving favorites, etc.? Well you can do this in Matrix as follows:
  • Step 1: Go to My Matrix Tab and Click “Settings”
  • Step 2: Click on “Portal Notification Settings”
  • Step 3: Select the Check box of Client Portal activities you want to be notified about.
Reporting Data Errors in Matrix

You may have noticed that starting in mid-December, when you report a data error, you no longer get an email that thanks you for submitting it and so we are not replying to those. The report now gets logged right into Matrix for us so it is easier for us to investigate in Matrix/Realist. The end result is that it doesn’t send an email to us and/or to whoever reported it so we can’t easily reply. Instead you will see a confirmation screen when you report something and then you can see right on your Matrix Homepage all the ones you reported over time. Look for the Listing Data Checker widget on the Matrix homepage. Click on the Reported Violations link. Keep in mind that we get so many reports that we can’t send an update on all of them whether we corrected them or not. We do contact whoever reports a violation if we have questions but not on the results as our interactions with members have to remain confidential.

Note - we continue to tweak this system. When you report an issue, this is via the "REPORT IT" function. The "Violation State" may say "REPORTIT NOT VALID" which could mean either that the violation was corrected (it will say that going forward) or it could mean that we found nothing correctable and or it was not an actual violation.
ShowingTime Newsletter
Keep Your Clients in the Loop with My Home by ShowingTime
ShowingTime launched “My Home by ShowingTime” last year as a tool for buyers and sellers to utilize throughout their real estate journey. My Home empowers your sellers to automatically receive showing requests, confirm appointments, view feedback from showings and stay up to date on all activity on their home. Buyers are able to view upcoming tours complete with appointment details, driving directions and more.  Read More
GRAR Appraiser Newsletter
From time to time, we send an update to our appraiser members. If you are dual licensed and we don’t know that you are an appraiser as well, you may be missing out. We have some Appraiser CE and workshops coming up that may be of interest. Do you need your 7-hour National USPAP Update Course for Real Property class this year? if so, we are offering it at GRAR in February. Read the entire Appraiser Member eNewsletter, Winter Edition to see what else you may want to know.
RPR Corner
2020 Vision: Using RPR For Success In The New Year
As we look to 2020, many REALTORS ® are focusing on fresh starts and clean slates. It’s the perfect time to resolve to reach more goals and accomplish more tasks.

Perhaps you want to build your business by reaching more prospects or you strive to sharpen your transactional skills. Maybe for you it’s all about making more connections and ultimately, closing more deals. RPR can help you do it.

Let’s make a plan to tackle 2020 by taking a look back at some articles you may have missed in 2019. These “how-to’s”, guides and tips can help you get the most out of RPR and help you on your way to professional growth, continued success and more satisfied clients.  Keep Reading
Upcoming MLS/Tech Classes
Tech Tuesday: " Tax Tuesday: Are You Prepared ?"
Date: February 18
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
CE: 0 hours
Instructor: Marc Levandowski
Cost: Free but registration required

GRAR's Technology Committee sponsors Tech Tuesdays on one Tuesday each month! Join us for an informal session about various topics to help you get a better handle on some of our technology benefits and other tech topics.

Tech Committee Chair, Marc Levandowski, will moderate a panel discussion on tools you can use year round to help when preparing for getting your taxes ready. It will start with a short intro by Kathleen Farrell, CPA, of what she sees as challenges that software solves. Our panelists will highlight several tools and how they use them, including QuickBooks, TurboTax, YNAB (You Need A Budget), Quicken and Excel. We will wrap up with a 15 min open panel Q&A at the end. This session will be held in the GRAR Classroom. Please reserve your seat in advance .

Date: Friday, March 27
Time: 9:00 am - 10:30 am
CE: 0 hours
Instructor: Veronica McManus, RPR National Instructor
Cost: Free but registration required

Attend this interactive course using your appraisal knowledge to learn how to utilize RPR’s advanced Sales Comparison Analysis tool and Valuation Workbook.

This tool will help you create an in-depth report using advanced analysis and property valuation best practices, leveraging RPR’s nationwide, parcel-centric database in a way that has not been done until now.

Join RPR national trainer, Veronica McManus, who will teach this course in person in our classroom. We will also use this time for Veronica to evaluate content so that we may create more appraiser focused RPR sessions by interacting with attendees in this session. All licensees are welcome to attend.
Instanet Forms & AuthentiSign 1 (2 upcoming choices)

or
CE: 3 hours
Instructor: Mike O’Connor
Cost: $39.00

An overview of Instanet Forms, including an introduction to Authentisign, GRAR's e-signatures tool. See the advantages and benefits of managing your sales files online.