2020 Subscriber Trends: Areas for Improvement - RMLScentral

2020 Subscriber Trends: Areas
for Improvement
This week we continue examining the 2020 Subscriber
Satisfaction Survey results and look at areas where we can aim
to make improvements in 2021. Previously we looked at the
COVID-19 effect as well as service areas where we received new
high scores.

High quality service is always a goal for RMLS™. In order to
improve we have to look at areas where satisfaction isn’t
meeting our goal. Judging by the survey feedback, the primary
area of subscriber concern is our communication with our
subscribers. Whether it’s suggesting that we add new
functionality, (ex: providing links to county records),
requesting changes to existing features (ex: adding new report
types to the Combined Reports option), or simply wishing to
know how priorities are determined, it’s clear that some
subscribers are feeling unheard or in the dark about the
decision making process at RMLS™.

RMLS™ recognizes that any technical or procedural change that
we implement can have an immediate and important impact on
your day-to-day business. We take that responsibility
seriously and look to apply our resources to best serve your
collective needs. In this case there’s an opportunity to
improve our responsiveness and transparency.

In examining the survey results, we’ve identified three main
types of communications that can be improved:

1. Feedback to subscriber requests for new features or
      changes to existing functionalities
   2. Quality preparation for upcoming deployments and
      releases
   3. Transparency of the decision making process

Decisions are guided by subscriber feedback. Each year, our
team compiles subscriber input, identifying any trends and
commonalities. That list is presented to the RMLS™ Board of
Directors which determines development priorities for the
year. Though new priorities can occasionally be added
throughout the year, we typically follow this development
process. Any updates not worked on during the year are again
voted on and then reprioritized the following year.

We’re in the process of drafting our business plans for 2021,
which will include how best to address these communication
issues. We will be looking for ways to improve how we notify
subscribers of upcoming changes and additions, as we better
anticipate and prepare for potential questions and confusions.
We’ll continue to refine our feedback responses and focus
groups, add new notification options for you to stay abreast
of developments, and increase the transparency of the decision
making process.

Our ability to continue to improve and evolve is in no small
part thanks to our subscribers who take the time to
participate with our surveys and information gathering.
Technical suggestions and requests can always be submitted to
our Product Manager, Beth Raimer, at beth.r@rmls.com.
Communications feedback is always welcome and can be sent to
communications@rmls.com. We look forward to showing you the
next steps in our service evolution in 2021.

2020   Subscriber                            Trends:
Service Highs
At RMLS™, we strive to consistently deliver high quality
service and resources to our subscribers. Our annual
satisfaction survey allows us to measure how successfully
we’ve been in delivering high quality service while also
providing a feedback loop to collect specific suggestions and
concerns that subscribers have. This feedback helps to shape
and direct the actions we plan for the future, creating a
progressive system that allows us to continually improve both
the technology and customer service that we offer you.

With that in mind, we’d like to highlight where we’ve made
gains in the past year, including some new service high
scores. According to the roughly 3,000 subscribers who
participated in the 2020 Satisfaction Survey our Data Accuracy
department achieved a new high score coming in at 7.9 (on a
scale of 10). Data Accuracy helps to ensure the timeliness and
accuracy of the listing content submitted to the MLS.
Satisfaction with our Billing Services also achieved a new
high, receiving an 8.5 score.

Other categories were able to equal previous high benchmark
scores. Subscriber satisfaction with regional offices came in
at 8.7, matching the high scores achieved in 2016 and 2017.
Training scores remained high, with an 8.6 tally matching the
previous year’s high. Many of the remaining categories came
within .2 points of matching previous high scores, including
satisfaction with how RMLS™ handles questions and suggestions,
happiness with the Help Desk, and satisfaction with overall
RMLS™ services.

Given the unique and significant challenges that severely
impacted not just our industry, but also all of our lives,
including the pandemic and wildfires, we’re gratified to have
been able to maintain good scores (and your good graces) in
these categories. We’ll use the lessons learned from 2020 to
continue to expand and improve our service offerings, always
aiming to make your jobs and lives easier. In addition to
participating with our surveys, you can always submit your
feedback to Beth Raimer, our Product Manager, at
beth.r@rmls.com.

2020 Subscriber Trends: The
COVID-19 Effect
As   we   examine   the   results   of   this   year’s   Subscriber
Satisfaction Survey, it becomes clear that COVID-19 has had a
tangible, if not surprising, effect not just on home viewing,
buying, and selling, but also on how our industry learns and
interacts.

In 2019, most RMLS™ training took place at either one of our
facilities (40.1%) or one of your offices (30.5%). The number
of classes offered were limited this year due to the pandemic,
and those figures fell to 13.8% and 18.1% respectively. With

in-person options less available due to safety concerns, our
subscriber community successfully adapted by adopting online
alternatives.

The use of online webinars jumped an impressive 16.4%, with
nearly one-third of subscribers who sought training opting for
this format. The use of online tutorials also rose 8%. The
data from the survey doesn’t show similar increases for all
methods of distanced communications – email use stayed at 14%,
while the use of the phone to speak to our Help Desk and
Training Staff actually decreased by 3%, suggesting that our
subscribers recognized a need to utilize online tools across
their business practices.

With additional communication formats increasingly available
online, such as our live chat option within RMLSweb and
Paragon or our ‘Real Talk’ podcast, it will be interesting to
see if these trends are a temporary reaction to the current
pandemic, or the beginning of a broader shift to online
channels for our community training and communications. If you
have any questions, or wish to learn more about any form of
training or help available to you, please give us a call at
877-256-2169 or email helpdesk@rmls.com.

New Look                 for        Agent           Full
Reports

RMLS™ is preparing to release a new look for agent reports on
Tuesday, June 16.

Among    the most notable changes are information regarding
price,   beds/baths and total square footage will be at the top
of the   report, and that showing instructions will be in a text
box in   the upper-right area of the report.

Thank you for all the feedback about agent reports, and please
let us know if there are any other changes you would like to
see.

Check out INRIX Drive Time on
RMLSweb!

The INRIX Drive Time feature will be ready for you to use in
RMLSweb the afternoon of Tuesday, March 26. This new mapping
feature allows you to highlight an area — based on specified
addresses and available traffic data — of the map, and see
listings that meet your clients’ needs for a reasonable drive
from home to work, school, a hospital, a grocery store, etc.

Drive Time is based on typical traffic conditions, rather than
actual traffic, which includes nonrecurring activity, such as
an accident or construction. With Drive Time, you can analyze
the extent of a drive by day of week, time of day and length
of journey.

Log into RMLSweb, then follow these steps to create a map that

shows listings   within   your   desired   drive   time   between
locations:

     Navigate to “Map Search”
     Click the “Locate” field and enter your destination
     address
     Click “Go” to zoom the map in around a pin at the
     address
     Click “Draw” and select the “Drive Time” icon
     Enter your desired Drive Time Duration
     Choose either “Arrival Time” or “Departure Time”
     Click the “Calculate” button
     Click “Count” to see listings in the selected drive time
     area

Additional instructions on how to use Drive Time are available
here.

To learn more about INRIX Drive Time and other map search
capabilities, contact an RMLS™ Trainer at training@rmls.com to
schedule your own personal one-on-one training session. Please
let us know if you have any questions!

Clear Cooperation MLS Policy
8.0 Rules Changes Coming

April 30th: Your Questions,
Answered
As a REALTOR®-owned MLS, RMLS™ should stay in compliance with
the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) MLS Model Rules.
For 2020, NAR made several changes to the MLS Model Rules that
are mandated. The first mandatory change was reviewed and
approved by the RMLS™ Board of Directors at their January
meeting and became effective on February 17, 2020 which
resulted in a change to Section 8.3.

The second part of the 2020 NAR Model Rule changes were
reviewed and approved by the RMLS™ Board of Directors and will
become effective on April 30, 2020. The changes incorporate
the NAR-mandated Clear Cooperation MLS Policy 8.0 that governs
the public marketing of listings and their entry into the
multiple listing service. Within one (1) business day of
marketing a property to the public, the Seller’s Agent must
submit the listing to the MLS for cooperation with other MLS
participants.

For more information regarding this policy, please see these
NAR resources:

     NAR-Window to the Law: Understanding the MLS Clear
     Cooperation Policy
     NAR-MLS Clear Cooperation Policy

Changes to the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations includes the
following:

Section 3.2, Acceptable Listings, the definition of
     marketing was changed to match the NAR policy.
     A new section, 3.3 Clear Cooperation, was added per the
     NAR policy. As a result, subsequent subsections will be
     renumbered accordingly.
     Section 3.3 was changed to Section 3.4, Office
     Exclusives, and was updated to match the NAR policy.

Changes to the Oregon Listing Contract and Washington Listing
Contract includes the following:

     In the “Exclusive Right to Sell” section…
           The title to the Authorization to Exclude from MLS
           and Public Marketing Addendum was updated to match
           the new title of the form.
           In the last paragraph the marketing definition was
           changed to match the NAR policy.

Changes to the Authorization to Exclude from MLS and Public
Marketing Addendum includes the following:

     Title changed to “Authorization to Exclude from MLS and
     Public Marketing Addendum”
     Section 1 – updated the subscriber count
     Section 2 – Updated the title of the addendum and added
     “…and from public marketing.” to the last sentence.
     Section 5 – Added “…or publicly marketed in any way.” to
     the last sentence.
     Section 6 – The entire section was replaced with the
     following text:
     CLEAR COOPERATION/PUBLIC MARKETING: Within one (1)
     business day of marketing the property to the public,
     the property no longer qualifies to be excluded from the

MLS and the Participant must submit the listing to RMLS™
     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 communication marketing
     (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing
     networks, and applications available to the general
     public.
     Section 8 – Text referencing “…public marketing…” was
     added in several locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was this policy approved?
MLSs and Brokers from across the country asked NAR to consider
policy that will reinforce the consumer benefits of
cooperation. The MLS creates an efficient marketplace and
reinforces the pro-competitive, pro-consumer benefits that
REALTORS® have long sought to support. After months of
discussion and consideration within NAR’s MLS Technology and
Emerging Issues Advisory Board, this proposal was brought
forth for the industry to discuss and consider, then approved
by NAR’s Board of Directors.

Who made the decision that this policy was needed?
NAR’s MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board is
made up of brokers and MLS executives from across the country.
Two dozen volunteers review industry concerns from a wide
range of business and regional viewpoints. Potential policy
changes are discussed within the group to create a positive
impact on the industry and to address broker needs within the
marketplace. The policy was strongly supported by the NAR MLS

Committee and the NAR Board of Directors.

Do ALL REALTOR® Association MLSs have to adopt the MLS Clear
Cooperation Policy?
Yes. By establishing a national policy, it is mandatory that
all REALTOR® Association MLSs adopt the policy and have the
same consistent standard.

Can a seller or the listing broker “opt out” of the policy’s
obligations?
No. The new policy does not include an “opt out.” Any listing
that is “publicly marketed” must be filed with the service and
provided to other MLS Participants for cooperation within (1)
one business day.

Does Policy Statement 8.0 prohibit office exclusives?
No. “Office exclusive” listings are an important option for
sellers concerned about privacy and wide exposure of their
property being for sale. In an office exclusive listing,
direct promotion of the listing between the brokers and
licensees affiliated with the listing brokerage, and one-to-
one promotion between these licensees and their clients, is
not considered public advertising.

Common examples include divorce situations and celebrity
clients. It allows the broker to market a property among the
brokers and licensees affiliated with their brokerage. If
office exclusive listings are displayed or advertised to the
general public, however, those listings must also be submitted
to the MLS for cooperation.

Does Policy Statement 8.0 require listings to be submitted to
the MLS if they are advertised to a select group of brokers

outside the listing broker’s office?
Yes. “Private listing networks” that include more brokers or
licensees than those affiliated with the listing brokerage
constitute public advertising or display pursuant to Policy
Statement 8.0. Listings shared in multi-brokerage networks by
participants must be submitted to the MLS for cooperation.

Does Policy Statement 8.0 apply to non-active listings?
Yes. Policy Statement 8.0 applies to any listing that is or
will be available for cooperation. Pursuant to Policy
Statement 8.0, “coming soon” listings displayed or advertised
to the public by a listing broker must be submitted to the MLS
for cooperation with other participants.

Does Policy Statement 8.0 apply if there is no listing
agreement on file?
MLS compliance, including NAR® policy 8.0, is activated once a
listing agreement is signed by all required parties. For
scenarios in which no listing agreement is in place, RMLS™
recommends that you consult with your broker and/or reach out
to your state association for information if you suspect/or
have concerns about a FREC/Code of Ethics violation.

What is the meaning of “business day?”
Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. For
consistency among all REALTOR® Association MLSs, the approved
timeframe is 1 business day.; “holidays” include all
recognized federal and state holidays.

Is the new policy consistent with Article 3 of the NAR Code of
Ethics?
Yes. By joining the MLS, Participants agree to be bound by the
MLS Rules and Regulations. Per the policy’s rationale, the

public marketing of a listing indicates that the MLS
participant has concluded that cooperation with other MLS
participants is in their client’s best interests.

Can I advertise a property on third party websites?
The MLS exists to facilitate cooperation and compensation. If
you choose to advertise a property without a listing agreement
on third party websites your compensation and/or broker
participation is not guaranteed.

Can I market my excluded listing on Social Media?
For properties that have an Authorization to Exclude from MLS
and Public Marketing Addendum, and the like, filed with RMLS™,
all forms of social media marketing during the exclusion time
period violate the 8.0 policy.

Prior to this rule change if a property was excluded from the
MLS and then the sellers had a change of heart and wished to
publish the property in the MLS they had to wait 30-days after
the expiration of the contract in order to list the property
in the MLS. Does this apply?
Once this new rule goes into affect, the 30-day waiting period
will be removed.

That said, RMLS™ is happy to guide you through a specific
situation or answer questions you may have. Contact the RMLS™
Data Accuracy staff at (503) 236-7657; we are happy to help
answer your questions!

Introducing Front                             End        of
Choice to RMLS™

RMLS™ is excited to announce that we have selected Black
Knight MLS Solution’s Paragon MLS as an alternative choice to
RMLSweb. When released subscribers will be able to elect to
use the Paragon MLS as their “Front End of Choice”, for an
additional fee.

Paragon MLS includes the ability to search for listings via
map, create CMA reports, view public property records provided
by CRS Data, collaborate with buyer and seller clients through
the mobile based Paragon Collaboration Center, and much more!
Appraisers will appreciate the ability to build custom exports
of MLS data and the Market Conditions reports.

RMLS™ is working closely with the team at Paragon to set up
this new system. Want to know more? Attend the 2020 RMLS™
Education Summit and Trade Fair and sign up for one of the two
Paragon classes on March 19 (10:30-11:30 am or 1:30-2:30 pm).
Here Bob Morse from Paragon and Nikki Morgan with CRS Data
will introduce Paragon MLS and CRS Data public tax record
system. We hope to have the system available for purchase in
April.

What is Front End of Choice?

The concept of Front end of choice is all about choice. RMLS™
has chosen to build it’s own system, RMLSweb, for the last 20
years. This has allowed us to shape our own destiny and keep a
tight hold on the reigns keeping costs low while at the same
time responding to the needs of our subscribers. But that does
not mean that it meets all of the needs of all RMLS™
subscribers. RMLSweb is still going to be available and will
still be aggressively developed but Front end of choice allows
a greater amount of flexibility by providing several different
ways of interacting with the RMLS™ database.

Brokers want different tools

Trying to use one product to make everyone happy is a fool’s
errand. No one will ever make everyone happy. When we hold a
user forum with 20 people it is not uncommon to find 20
totally different opinions on what we should work on next or
how we should design it.

Brokers need to differentiate themselves

Brokers want to leverage those tools they purchase to
differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Once the MLS
provides a CMA, for instance, then everyone’s CMA looks the
same. Front End of Choice allows more choice and more
opportunities for someone to stand out and showcase what they
do differently.

Standards have advanced

Multiple Listing Services were not in a position to offer
Front End of Choice solutions for a very long time because it
took so much effort for each provider to setup their software
so that it met the unique fields and options in each area.

As the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) has evolved
we are now at the point where providing a solution in one
state is as easy as the next. We are much closer to plug and
play than we used to be so the barrier to entry is
significantly lower. This allows data to flow between software
packages as well. Your CMA can talk to your CRM or your
transaction management platform can talk to your marketing
tools.

We think that Paragon (one of the most popular MLS systems
available) addresses some of the needs of our subscribers that
RMLSweb does not. As we move forward, we hope to bring more
and more products to you to help satisfy everyone’s unique
needs and perspectives.

Save    the    Date!    RMLS™
Education Summit and Trade
Fair Coming March 19, 2020 –
UPDATE: EVENT CANCELED!

UPDATE 3/12/2020:
EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED!

The March 19 RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair has
officially been canceled.

The decision to cancel came after the Governor’s ban on
gatherings of 250 or more people combined with the large
number of speakers and exhibitors that had already canceled
their attendance.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate
your understanding. Stay healthy and stay tuned for more
information about future events.

Join Us!

Real estate professionals: you are invited to save the date
for the 2020 RMLS™ Education Summit and Trade Fair! This
year’s trade fair will be taking place on March 19, 2020, at
the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in the heart of the Lloyd
District of Portland, OR.

Join Us!

RMLS™ members and non-members are welcome to attend the event,
and class registration opened in mid-February. Monitor
RMLSweb, RMLS™ on Facebook, or RMLS™ on Twitter for the latest
updates.

Whether you’ll be attending classes, reaching out to
REALTORS®, or window shopping around the trade fair floor,
RMLS™ looks forward to seeing you at our annual trade fair
this spring!

Thanks, Sponsors!

Special thanks to our sponsors for making this event possible…

Diamond

Gold

RMLS™ Portland Office to
Relocate This Fall (Updated
November 7, 2019)

RMLS™ will be making a move this fall when the corporate
office in Portland relocates to Southwest Portland!

As of early November RMLS™ will be located at 16101 SW 72nd
Avenue, convenient to I-5, 217, and Bridgeport Village. This
new building will offer a larger training room and better car

parking.

RMLS™ began scouting a new location based on a heat map of
Portland-area subscriber addresses, seeking a space that would
be maximally convenient for as many RMLS™ subscribers as
possible. The RMLS™ Board was instrumental in guiding this
process, from supporting the concept through making final
approvals.

Portland-area RMLS™ subscribers have been traveling to the
current location, near the Portland airport, since 2012.
Before that, the office was located in the Lloyd District on
the inner east side.

RMLS™ plans to hold an open house in mid-December to welcome
subscribers to the new space. We hope to see you there!

Update (November 7):

The new office space features an electric vehicle charging
station nearby. Learn more and see photos of the station here.

Homesnap Comes to RMLS™ on

May 7th (Updated May 1, 2019)

There’s a lot to like about Homesnap, an app coming to RMLS™
subscribers on May 7th. RMLS™ subscribers will get free pro-
level access to Homesnap, which includes features like a
broker-client portal to facilitate communications about
listings, unique client-facing materials, and convenient tools
giving brokers access to a gold mine of aggregated data.

HOMESNAP FEATURES

Homesnap’s broker-client portal will facilitate communications

about listings. Brokers and clients will be able to connect,
access real-time data about RMLSweb listings, send specific
listings to each other, and converse about all of it.

Brokers will be able to use Homesnap to generate specialized,
branded market reports for clients, post branded ads on social
websites, and even create Homesnap stories for your Homesnap
listings.

If that’s not enough, Homesnap users will also have access to
handy tools that utilize the wealth of Homesnap’s aggregated
data to make their job easier. Homesnap can guide users in
walking a property line, using augmented reality technology.
The app may even be used to research information about off-
market listings if needed.

RMLS.COM BECOMES HOMESNAP

Homesnap will replace RMLS.com, the website that currently
provides public access to RMLSweb listings. Once Homesnap is
launched, the RMLS.com URL will redirect automatically to
Homesnap. Leads generated through Homesnap public access will
be passed to RMLS™ subscribers at no cost.

MORE COMING SOON

Look for more information about Homesnap from RMLS™ closer to
the launch date on May 7th. In the meantime, Homesnap is
offering training in May to give brokers a head start on using
this exciting new platform. Register for one of the following

training options:

     Portland (May 8th)
     Vancouver (May 8th)
     Eugene (May 9th)
     Webinar (May 13-14th)

RMLS™ is excited to offer Homesnap access at a pro level to
all subscribers, and we think you’ll be as excited about its
capabilities as we are. As we approach the launch date, keep
your eye out for more details from RMLS™.

UPDATE (May 1):