News Archive:

We’ve recently noticed that many agents are not taking full advantage of the power of attaching listings to the Sellers they have entered into Listingbook.  Therefore, we are excited to make the following offer;  for every SF or CN listing that has at least 50 prospects for it within the Listingbook community (which currently has almost 61,000 buyers and sellers within the Greater Fairfield County area), you will get a free, 7-day Featured Listing promotion when you attach the listing to a Seller Client that has a unique, valid email address.

If you have added your sellers into Listingbook, but have not associated their listing with their account, you are missing out on a very powerful feature of Listingbook.  Once a listing has been assigned to a Seller account, that client will be more informed and, through the Morning Report, they will see what is happening with listings that are in direct competition with their property.  Additionally, through the use of Featured Property promotions, you can make sure that your seller’s property is effectively marketed to those buyers (and their agents) in Listingbook whose saved searches closely match the property.  It is the most efficient way to get your listing in front of the buyers and agents who would be most interested in it.

Click here for detailed instructions on how to create a seller account and attach their listing to it.

Click here for instructions on how to attach your listing to an existing client.

If you have any questions, please contact the GFC CMLS office at 203 840-6674 or support@ct-mls.com

We have received two more reports of a couple who meet the description and behaved similarly (the male asking to see the basement, while the female went upstairs to look at the bedrooms) to last week’s report, having attended at least two Condominium Open Houses in Danbury yesterday, Sunday July 25th.  Fortunately, it appears that due to the alert behavior of the agents holding the open houses nothing was taken.  One of these incidents has been reported to the Danbury police. Please be careful when holding public open houses and consider using more than one person to host them. 

We have received a report of a suspected theft of jewelry and a credit card from bedroom drawers during Danbury open house on Sunday July 18th. 
A group of three suspects entered the open house about 3PM. 
They are described as a Caucasian male in his 20s, medium build and about 5’10”, and two heavy-set females either black or Hispanic one appeared to be a teenager who referred to the other as “mom”, the car they were driving was a charcoal grey 4 door vehicle. 
The male asked to see the garage & basement, while the women went upstairs to the bedrooms. 
The women were only alone in the bedrooms for a couple of minutes.
Later in the evening the homeowners discovered that jewelry, watches and a credit card had been taken from the back of a bedroom drawer. 
We have reason to suspect the trio may have visited other area open houses.
The incident has been reported to the Danbury police.

When to report a property as CTS or PEND......Please reacquaint yourself with the proper procedure for reporting a "meeting of the minds".

Section 7.9 Requirement to Report Accepted Offers. The Listing Broker/Agent must report to the Service all Listings on which a Buyer and Seller have arrived at “a meeting of the minds” which has been documented by a Binder, Offer to Purchase, Sales Agreement, Contract of Sale or similar document signed by both the Buyer and “Seller. Any such Listing shall be reported as appropriate, as either “Continue to Show,” “Pending,” “Hubbard Clause” or “Rented,” within two (2) business days after all necessary signatures of Buyer and Seller, or his/her/their authorized agent, have been obtained.
Any violation of Section 7.9 is subject to “Third Tier” fines and penalties as set forth in Section 4 of Schedule C. The Listing Broker/Agent shall take all actions necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 7.9 within two (2) business days of written notification that Listing Broker/Agent is not in compliance.

Do you have I-boxes lying around that are not being put to use?
Would you like to sell them?

The GFC CMLS is offering to consign those boxes for you. You can bring any boxes you wish to sell (new or used),  to the GFC CMLS office in Norwalk, set your price and we will sell them for you.  For more information, call Patty at ext. 229.

The compensation specified on listings published by the GFC CMLS shall be shown in one of the following forms: (a)as a percentage of the gross selling price; (b) as a definite dollar amount; or (c) as an amount equal to a number, or fractional number, of monthly rent to be paid in the case of a rental listing.

All listings on the MLS must offer compensation to the selling broker.

-When calling for assistance with listings, please have the listing number and other pertinent information ready (ie:closed date, sales price, selling office ID and selling agent ID when reporting a sold).

 -When calling to pay an invoice, please have your credit card info on hand

 -Please do not call us while driving!  That's just dangerous!

In observance of the 4th of July holiday, the GFC CMLS office will be closing at 5pm Friday, July 2nd and will reopen on Tuesday, July 6th at 8:30am.

The LPS Helpdesk has normal business hours on Saturday (10am-4pm) and Sunday (12-4pm), but is closed Monday.  For RE/Xplorer support, call (800) 347-6367.  For Paragon support, call (877) 657-4357.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

If you go to log into RE/Xplorer and get a script error, simply click on'Yes' a couple of times-eventually the login window will appear and you will be able to log into REX normally.

We are looking into the issue.

There is currently a power outage at the complex where the CMLS office is located.  Consequently, most of our systems are down.

We are working with building maintenance and the power company in an effort to restore service as quickly as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Paragon and Listingbook are not affected by the power outage.

You have 3 options when paying dues and fees with your credit card.

 1.  You can call any administrative staff person to pay your invoices over the phone.
 2.  You can go to the MANAGE ACCOUNT section on our website and use your credit card (or check) to manually pay any outstanding invoices.   Please note - this is a manual function that YOU initiate.  This will  not automatically pay your future invoices.
 3.  You can complete and fax to us the Automatic Credit Card Payment   Authorization Form from this website.  We will keep this information   attached to your membership file and will automatically charge your   quarterly dues and fees to this card on 3/15, 6/15, 9/15 and 12/15 each  year.  No other charges will automatically be charged to this card.  You are responsible for letting us know if the card has been changed or the expiration date extended.

As always, you can stick your check in the mail too!

The Compass system (RE/Xplorer and PC Access) will be down tonight (Tuesday June 22) for about 1 hour starting at 9:00pm.  We will be addressing the issue which caused the system to crash earlier this afternoon.

During the downtime, you will still be able to access Paragon and Listingbook.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

You're Invited to a YPN Social Event.

Thursday, June 24th from 6 - 8 pm at Two Steps Downtown Grill, 5 Ives Street, Danbury, CT 06810.  Hors d'oeuvres & Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Cash Bar Available. 

Everyone's invited for only $10 per person! Click here to download the registration form, or register by calling NFCAR 203.744.7255.

To learn more about the YPN Network click here

...that listings cannot be entered into our system for comps only?  Listings entered solely for statistical reasons are not allowed as per section 4.2 of the GFC CMLS Rules and Regulations.  Ironically, entering these listings to enhance the comparables actually do the system an injustice by skewing market time calculations as well as other information.

If you receive a Listing Validity Check from Data Verification, please do not delay in contacting us at 203-840-6674 ext 320 to avoid unnecessary penalties for you and your office.

Section 4.2 - Listings May Only Be Filed to Offer Cooperation and Compensation to Other participants.(bold)  The Service will not accept for Filing a Listing that is (a) not freely available to offers from cooperating brokers at the time it is Filed; (b) filed strictly for the purpose of enhancing the Listing Broker/Agent's "Market Share" statistics; or (c) filed only to provide comparable sale information.  Violations of this section 4.2 are subject to "Second Tier" fines and penalties as set forth in Section 3 of Schedule C.

SupraWEB is the agent website where you can go to:
  -Obtain an update code for your key
  -Identify the name of a keyholder by key serial number
  -Manage your keybox inventory and listing information
  -View, Email and schedule activity reports
  -View and send showing feedback
  
 also, eKEY (Blackberry,Palm,SmartPhone) users you can:
  -Manage your bill
  -Change your PIN code
  -Set up your market area
  -Obtain an authorization code for installing eKEY software

SupraWEB can also be accessed using your mobile phone by navigating to http//supraweb.suprakim.com

For your SupraWEB Guide, click here.

Due to a system issue electronic keys did not update last night, please call 1 -888 -968-4032 to manually update your key.

The difference between a Courtesy Notification and a Violation Notification from Data Verification?

A Courtesy Notice is simply a notice to let you know that the info in our tax database differs slightly from the data you input on your listing.  Please double check your info.  There is no need to contact the GFC CMLS office.  No fines will result from a Courtesy Notice.

A Violation Notice is a notice informing you that your listing info 1) differs greatly from our tax info and/or 2) requires your immediate attention.  All Violation Notifications require you to either change/fix your listing OR contact us via phone or email BEFORE the noted Grace Date.  If the Grace Date passes and no changes have been made or no reply is received, a fine will be issued to both the listing agent as well as the listing office.  If the issue is not resolved, additional fines will accrue every 30 days.

In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, the GFC CMLS office will be closing at 5pm on Friday, May 28, 2010 and reopening 8:30am on Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

The LPS helpdesk will maintain its normal business hours on Saturday (10am-4pm) and Sunday (12pm-4pm).  If you need assistance with RE/Xplorer, please call (800) 347-6367.  For Paragon support, please call (877) 657-4357.

Are you utilizing all the benefits of Listingbook?  Buyers utilizing Listingbook have the advantage of being able to conduct their own searches on the MLS, while sellers have an insider’s view of competitive listings, helping them strategically market their home for sale.  Communication and collaboration between agents and their customers has never been easier or more comprehensive. Click here to learn more about Listingbook (a brief 5 minute overview), or register for any of the following online webinars.
 
May 27th - Adding Prospects 30 minutes 
 
May 28th - Welcome To Listing: The Perfect Follow-up to an Introduction to Listingbook 60 minutes

If you are not already taking advantage of all Listingbook has to offer, you are missing out.

The following sessions will be held:

RE/Xplorer - Thursday May 27th 9:30 am - Derby

CMA - Thursday May 27th 1:30 - Derby

Click here to register for any of the above sessions or call our office at 203 840-6674.

Did you know that you are able to create a Fannie Mae 1004MC/Freddie Mac 71 report from within Paragon?  It is located within the Specialty Views section of the report list..it's called the Market Conditions Addendum.

 The definition of CTS/Contingent and when to report:

CONTINUE TO SHOW/ CONTINGENT – a listing that has ANY form of written sale/lease agreement, which documents a meeting of the minds and is signed by both the buyer/tenant and the seller/landlord, but that the seller(s) and listing agent have agreed should still be available for showings to other perspective buyers/tenants. A “CTS” listing will “Expire” when it reaches its Expiration Date or will automatically change to a

PENDING - status 31 days after being changed to CTS if it has not previously Expired. Section 7.9 Requirement to Report Accepted Offers. The Listing Broker/Agent must report to the Service all Listings on which a Buyer and Seller have arrived at “a meeting of the minds” which has been documented by a Binder, Offer to Purchase, Sales Agreement, Contract of Sale or similar document signed by both the Buyer and “Seller. Any such Listing shall be reported as appropriate, as either “Continue to Show,” “Pending,” “Hubbard Clause” or “Rented,” within two (2) business days after all necessary signatures of Buyer and Seller, or his/her/their authorized agent, have been obtained.  Any violation of Section 7.9 is subject to “Third Tier” fines and penalties as set forth in Section 4 of Schedule C. The Listing Broker/Agent shall take all actions necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 7.9 within two (2) business days of written notification that Listing Broker/Agent is not in Compliance.

Seats are still available for Monday April 12ths training in Bridgeport.

9:30 am RE/Xplorer

1:30 PM CMA

Please call the GFC CMLS to register.

Did you know that there is a complete list of all towns and their corresponding market areas listed on our website under RESOURCES???

When used properly,  the MARKET AREA field is a great way to market your listing as well as help your fellow agents narrow their searches.  Please try to be as accurate as possible when choosing a market area for your listings ,especially if you are not familiar with the town.

Each town within our service area is broken down into geographic market areas, which have their own unique code.  Each town also has its own unique NONE area, which should be used if your listing does not fall within any of the established areas.  Make sure to use the NONE code that corresponds to the correct town.  If you enter the wrong NONE code, your listing will appear in the wrong town.

The GFC CMLS office will be closing at 6:00 pm Thursday and will reopen at 8:30 am Monday, April 5th.

If your invoice is outstanding, you can pay at the GFC CMLS office through Thursday at 6:00 pm or online via credit card or check by clicking here throughout the weekend.

A listing cannot be both a SHORT SALE and a REO property. 
These are mutually exclusive fields.

A short sale is a sale of real estate in which the sale proceeds fall short of the balance owed on the property's loan.
It often occurs when a borrower cannot pay the mortgage loan on their property, but the lender decides that selling the property at a moderate loss is better than pressing the borrower.
Both parties consent to the short sale process, because it allows them to avoid foreclosure.
This agreement, however, does not necessarily release the borrower from the obligation to pay the remaining balance of the loan, known as the deficiency. 
The Compensation Code field is not a required field however you can mark your listing as a Possible Short Sale by placing a “S” in this field.

Real estate owned or REO is a class of property owned by a lender, typically a bank, after an unsuccessful sale at a foreclosure auction.
As soon as the bank repossesses the property, it is listed on their books as REO – Real Estate Owned – and is categorized as an asset. 
REO Property shall mean a property listed by a lender or the lender’s authorized representative. 
This is a required field for SF, CN, MU, CI and LA property types.

Listingbook is currently experiencing problems related to a hardware upgrade this past weekend.  As a result, you may experience intermittent problems accessing Listingbook.  Their programmers are currently working to resolve the issue and hope to have it fixed sh