Discussions

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Does anyone know our YCAR election results??

LAUGH OF THE DAY.....My husbands showing appt for this evening was cancelled because his buyers had someone who needed a new rear end. (don't we all want a new one)......wait...then they called back and said the appt was back on because they couldn't get the parts they needed for their rear end.(guess those parts are hard to come by.) Someday I am going to write a book.....

PS- the buyer does automotive repairs ;)

Another new MLS rule coming our way? NAR states that the MLS must adopt the new rule that a broker must be actively engaged in listing and selling a property in order to be a member of the MLS. I am confused as to who and better yet WHY would a broker pay all those fees to belong to the MLS if he/ she were not active in the business. Is there an issue with retired brokers joining the MLS for the fun of it? What is the reasonsing and cause of yet another new MLS rule?

Can someone explain just exactly what a VOW (Virtual Office Website) is? Do any of the companies in our area operate a VOW? I am trying to understand the difference between a regular website using IDX and a VOW and why the Dept of Justice found it necessary to sue NAR over VOW's?

Hello, Just checking this out!!

Wow you said that really well!!! I agree with what you said!
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< replied-to message removed by QT >

So if the seller is not able to offer anything and cannot be held accountable then how is that agents and buyers BOTH pursue legal remedies over something that was in the MLS. Numerous times agents and buyers have made legal mountains over something offered in the MLS such as appliances, or ceiling fans, or fruit trees, etc. Is the seller not offering their home for sale in the MLS? We as an agent placing the listing in the MLS are not the owner nor are we the party offering to sell the home to a prospective buyer.

"So, now if any incentive is going to be offered it must be factually explained in the remarks."- I would assume the agent remarks and by the way, this section of the MLS is totally inadequate to state what needs to be stated. - this pretty much eliminates offering an incentive since we are either restricted to what we can say, where we can say it and or have inadequate space to say it.

So,if I were a seller who wanted to offer or promote something special on my home, I would be further ahead to sell it on my own and promote it through the numerous WEBPORTALS available to sellers.

Most words such as "acceptable" are subjective. What I might considered "well maintain" or "quality built", or "immaculate", may not be what someone else interprets.

In the end, the less we put in the MLS the better off we are as agents and members. However though, our clients are not receiving the best service if we refrain from entering alot of data in the MLS. We have always tried to supply as much information as possible so that both BUYERS and AGENTS know what to expect before they show or view a home.

In the long run, I truly feel the MLS is writing their own death sentence.

Testing....

The following is the CRIS Board of Directors reasoning behind the recent rules additions, as relayed by CRIS Rules & Regulations Administrator Jackie Hineline:

"The issues with the use of the words 'Seller' and 'acceptable' comes from both NAR and OAR. It was determined that in the MLS, only MLS Participants and their agents are held accountable and not the end consumer. In other words the Seller can not offer anything in the MLS as they are not members and if litigation did come about from something offered by a Seller via the MLS that an agent/broker would not be able to go after the Seller. They would have to go after the other MLS Participant. That doesn't mean that you couldn't use phrases such as 'closing costs may be offered with full price offer' or something like that.

The phrase 'acceptable' has just been abused the last few years. What may be 'acceptable' to one party may not be to another. So, now if any incentive is going to be offered it must be factually explained in the remarks."

Jackie Hineline
CRIS Rules & Regulations Administrator
CRIS Regional MLS
PO Box 2999
Akron, Ohio 44309
(ph) 330-376-0015 ext.0
(fx) 1-800-650-1902
jackie.hineline@crismls.com

NEW RULE:- Cannot use SELLER or ACCEPTABLE

New additions to CRIS Rules & Regulations
5.4 (b) The use of the words "seller" and "acceptable" are not allowed in the remarks section of the MLS.

I think I missed out on this message from CRIS what arent we allowed to do? >
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< replied-to message removed by QT >

It appears to me that the MLS is serving a few instead of the general membership. While re-wording a phrase can obviously overcome the new rule, the issue remains that the MLS will soon create another new rule further prohibiting more words. It has gotten to the point, where we are being forced to just about leave the general remarks blank. Just yesterday I saw a listing that stated, motivated selller wants offers. That comment has been inserted in the MLS no doubt at the request of the seller. Exactly why was the MLS created? Was it not to be a service to members to provide a method for marketing homes to a large membership which in turn provides both sellers and buyers an advantage of using a member? Homeowners will soon discover, if they have not already, that there are numerous websites and listing portals available to them directly without using the service of a real estate agent.

Someone with some "influence" has cried to CRIS because they probably believe that the use of those words gives someone an unfair advantage for some strange reason. Much like forbidding photographs that show a real estate company sign or prohibiting the words "Money Back Guarantee" because they may identify a particular company that actually offers a real one.

So CRIS pulls out their magic pencil and creates a rule to dry up the tears of the crybaby.

If eliminating the use of those words impacts the way you do business I would suggest using an online thesaurus or investing in a book on writing advertising. There are many ways to overcome limitations without breaking any rules. The word satisfactory is a good example. Use it the right way and it takes the place of acceptable.

Good Luck and happy thesauring!

Could someone please explain the reasoning behind the new MLS rule;
New additions to CRIS Rules & Regulations
5.4 (b) The use of the words "seller" and "acceptable" are not allowed in the remarks section of the MLS.
 
Just about everytime we log onto the MLS there is either another NEW rule, or a NO, DON'T DO, or YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED messgage.

Who invents these rules and do they ever stop to think about how they impact our business or if the rule even makes sense or adds value?

There are more and more restrictions in the MLS rules. In times like this, one would think that the MLS would be providing services not restricting our business more and more.

What do you think about the C-21 agent on tv? Got the publicity free.
50 bucks is a pretty light contribution.