Newsletter - August 2021

Zillow Announcement  On July 26, Zillow removed all Wisconsin For Sale by Owner listings from their site.  As Zillow is now a brokerage, they must abide by Wisconsin real estate license law. Wisconsin State Statute 452.136(3), prohibits advertising of a property unless a firm is the listing firm for the property, or the firm or a licensee associated with the firm obtained consent to advertise the property from the listing firm.

Save Time Adding Listings – Autofill from Tax  If you are not currently using the Tax Autofill link when adding a listing, you may want to check it out. Clicking on the Tax Autofill link at the top of the Add Listing screen will take you to the Tax Search page. Locate the property you are adding by parcel number, address, or owner name. Select the tax record, and then click on the Autofill link at the top of the screen. Information such as address, owner, school district, acres, assessments and taxes will be automatically imported into the add-listing screen saving you keystrokes. If the listing agent has provided information that is different from what is auto-filled, you can simply overwrite the auto-filled information.

No Showings Means No Showings  If a listing is not ready to be shown, it cannot be shown by anyone, not even the listing agent/office.  MLS rules begin on the effective date of the contract. If a listing is to be entered into the MLS as Delayed, or as Active with a notation that no showings are allowed, nobody, including the listing agent/office, can show the property between the effective date and when it is available for all to show. The grace period for MLS entry gives you time to gather information, it does not provide a period of time to show a property if that property will not be available for showings when it hits the MLS.

Assigning a Keybox to Your Listing via Paragon   The ability to assign and unassign keyboxes to listings is easily accessible via Paragon. Within Listings - Maintain - Select an Action, there is a link titled Supra Lockbox. Click the Assign link in the upper left corner and enter the keybox serial number and shackle code. Other than being a good way to keep track of where keyboxes are, once you assign a keybox to a listing, you will see the MLS number and address on Supra reports and notifications instead of the keybox serial number.

What Makes a Room a Bedroom?  The MLS does not define what is a bedroom. Listing agents should use common sense when calling a room a bedroom. If you are counting a room as a bedroom that is not a typical bedroom (i.e. does not have a closet, is accessible only by going through another room, etc.), please indicate in the remarks what makes it atypical so that showing agents and potential buyers are informed before a showing. A lower-level room that does not meet safety guidelines for a bedroom, however, should not be labeled as a bedroom in the MLS. Click here for requirements from the Department of Safety and Professional Standards regarding lower-level bedrooms. MLS rules mandate a photo be included within Paragon showing the egress window for every lower-level bedroom.

South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service 4801 Forest Run Rd Madison, WI 53704 (608) 240-2800 www.scwmls.com