To set this up with Internet Explorer go to the MLS homepage and then click on the tools option at the top of the page and proceed to the Internet Options section. A box will appear and default to the section that allows you to change your homepage selection. Simply type in the web address for your MLS homepage and then click on the OK button at the bottom of the box to save your changes.

To set this up using Netscape go to the MLS homepage and then click on the edit option at the top of the page and proceed to the Preferences section. A box will appear and you can edit the location box information with the MLS homepage web address. Click on the OK button at the bottom of the box to save your changes.

The property search can be accessed by the Icon normally found at the top of the menu listing on the front page.

The first options that are available will be setting up the search options. The following items can be turned on or off depending on the preferences of the user:

The users also have the option to enter the MLS number of the property they are looking for.

Township/City – The users can narrow down their search by either the township or city they are looking for.

Property and Style Types – The user can choose any one, any combination, or all property or style types for their search.

Price Range, Acreage, and Waterfrontage – The users can adjust a each range for their search by clicking on the specify range button and then selecting the numerical range for their search.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms – The users are given additional options for searching by number of beds and baths. They can leave the system defaults to consider all numbers of beds and baths. They can select an exact number of either beds or baths to search on. Or, they can vary the selected number of beds and baths by +/- 1, 2, 3.

Estimated Square Footage – The user can also narrow down their search by Est. Sq. Footage and vary the selected amount of square footage by +/- 100, 250, 500 square feet.

Each menu bar on the Pubic Side has a return home option for easy navigation through the site.

Realtors Only

Once you have clicked on the Realtor’s Entrance, you will be prompted for your username and password. Each authorized user of the system will be issued a unique username and a password. It is recommended that you do not share this information with anyone else since your list of CMAs and list of prospects in your contact manager are protected by this username and password. You can change your password at any time through the Board office.

There are three levels of access to the internal portion of the system – Agent Level, Broker/Owner Level, and Administrative Level. This manual will explain the Agent Level of access and have some additional explanation of the additional features of the Broker/Owner Level at the end of the manual. Those at the Administrative Level will receive specialized training from the SoftMLS staff.

After successfully logging into the system you will enter the password-protected area of the site at the Message Board page.

This page is created dynamically and is updated on a regular basis by the administrator of the system (usually the Executive Officer). This are will contain updated news and notes from the Board office as well as pertinent information on any changes or upgrades made to the system. This is also an excellent are to advertise your agent or broker open houses. Simply forward the information about you announcements to the Board office for them to be displayed in this area.

The following pages will detail each of the links on the sidebar menu.

This is the most powerful portion of the system and also the section that will get the most use.

Clicking on the Listing Search link brings you to a page with a few different options.

If you choose Configure Advanced Search the next screen to appear will be a series of options to choose from to select the fields that you want to search the database with.

Your first choice is to select City, Township or School District. Then you have the option to turn on or off any of the following searchable fields:

These items can be activated or deactivated by clicking on the corresponding box to the left of the option. Once you have selected the fields to search, you can click on Create Custom Search Form and proceed to the next page.

Starting at the top of the page, you can select from the drop-down menu any individual agent or firm in the system to narrow down your search. The system will default to select all agents and all firms. These options are handy when preparing a CMA or answering a sign call. You may need to find information on a property that you know was listed by a particular agent or firm. By selecting either the agent or firm the system will look through the database for just their listings and ignore all others. It is also useful when you receive a call from a customer that has seen a for sale sign in front of a particular property that they are interested in. From the information they give, you can narrow your search to find the listing information they need much more quickly.

The next fields are the Status, City/Township/School District, Property Types, and Styles. In any of these drop-down menus the system will default to search on any of the options but you can continue to narrow your search on any individual selection or any combination of selections. For example in the cities menu, you can leave the system default and search for listings regardless of what city they are in. You can also choose a particular city by simply clicking on that city in the list. Finally, you can select any combination of cities by clicking on the cities while holding down your control (Ctrl) key. This rule applies to each of the drop-down menus in this area.

The status menu is different in that the system will default to Active listings but there is the option to select all statuses if you choose. There is also a date range option that allows you to narrow scope of the listings considered in a search for closed or expired listings. This allows you to search for closed listings in the system and have the ability to choose how far to look back. This is especially useful for considering listings for a CMA and only looking back 12-18 months. The system allows you to use this option for either expired or closed listings and will default to look back one full year.

Price Range, Acreage, and Waterfrontage – The users can adjust a each range for their search by clicking on the specify range button and then selecting the numerical range for their search.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms – The users are given additional options for searching by number of beds and baths. They can leave the system defaults to consider all numbers of beds and baths. They can select an exact number of either beds or baths to search on. Or, they can vary the selected number of beds and baths by +/- 1, 2, 3.

Estimated Square Footage – The user can also narrow down their search by Est. Sq. Footage and vary the selected amount of square footage by +/- 100, 250, 500 square feet.

The final field to adjust is the Street/Owner Name search box. By typing in any part of a street name or owner name the system will search for those characters in any part of either field. For example, if you are looking for a listing on Riverside Drive, you can enter River, Riverside or Riverside Dr to find the listings you are looking for. If you enter River, the system will give you all the listings on any street with the word River in it such as River St, East River Road, or Rivers Blvd. The same is true for an owner’s name. Any part of the first or last name can be used in the search.

There are some additional options at the bottom of the search page to further customize your search results page. The Listings per Page can be adjusted to include as many or as few listings per page as you want. Please note when selecting a higher number of listings displayed on each page can cause additional time for the results to be shown on the screen. The system will default to show the fewest listings per page to ensure the fastest results.

There is also an option to turn on or off the Advanced Record Cycling Controls. This feature allows you to scan through a large number of listing results in a more efficient manner. If you have selected search criteria that return a large number of result you can turn the Advanced Record Cycling Controls on and the listings will be separated by page so that you can jump to different pages of results within the search to prevent having to click on Next Page three or four time to get to page four of five of your search. You can click directly on page five of the results and save time in finding the listing you are looking for.

The Quick Search fields at the bottom of the screen give you an opportunity to save more time if you use a particular search set-up on a regular basis. Once you have selected the fields that you want to narrow your search by, you can save the format so you don’t have to set it up again and again. For example if you want to search by School district, price, property style, bedrooms, bathrooms, and street/owner name, you could select those fields in the check boxes on the Configure Advanced Search page and customize your search fields. Once you have created the field set-up you can save the set-up and then it will appear for you next time you enter the Listing Search. This will allow you to skip past the Configure Advanced Search Page and proceed directly to the Customized search page.

There is the option to reset the fields allowing you to start another search.

Once you have all of your criteria selected for you search there is a Search Listings bar at the bottom of the screen to trigger the system to search the database for the listings that match your selected criteria and take you to the Search Results page.

At the top of the page is an option to go Back to Menu. This takes you back to the first step in the Listing Search process if you choose to start from the beginning again.

The next section could be a warning from the system that the criteria you have selected has returned a large number of results and asks you to consider narrowing down your search. By using the "back" button on your browser (usually found in the upper left corner of your browser) you can return to your search criteria page and reset some of the values before re-running the search.

The system will tell you at the top of each Search Results page how many total listings were found that matched your criteria, how many listings are being displayed on that page, and which page of results you are on.

The search results give you thumbnail information on each of the listings including the following information:

CMA Check box – This check box will be discussed in more detail in the CMA has been selected to be used in a CMA.

Full-Summary Report – By selecting the Full-Summary report option the system launches a new browser window with the Full-Summary Report for that particular listing. The report is designed for Realtors only and is not intended to be distributed to customers and home-buyers.

At the top of the report is an indication that the report can be printed using the combination of the Ctrl and P keys. The report can also be printed using the traditional file menu and print option. The report will usually take more than one page to be printed completely.

The Full-Summary Report will show all four images of the listing as well as all the information entered into the system for the listing with the exception of the expiration date.

Short-Summary Report – By selecting the option to view the Short-Summary Report the system will open a new browser window and display the report. This report is designed to supply the customer with additional information about a listing that they can only get from a member of the MLS.

The report offers the ability to print at the top as well as the added feature of an instant email option. Upon viewing the report you can quickly email the report to a customer. Clicking on the "Email information to a potential buyer" link opens an email communication box that allows you to enter the email address of the potential buyer as well as a personal message to be included in the email. Fill in the information and click on "send" and the email is sent.

** Please Note ** If an error in sending occurs it usually means that your user information does not have an email address entered. The system automatically looks in this area to insert a return address for the sent email. If your information has not been entered, the system will return an error message. Contact your Executive Officer to have this information entered or updated.

The report shows a limited amount of information on the listing as also allows for the first two images of the listing to be included.

Listing Agent ID and Link – The listing agent information is shown as a link. When the link is clicked on the system opens a new browser window and the listing agent contact information is made available. The Firm name, address and phone numbers are available as well as contact information for the agent and an agent photo (if available).

Listing Images - On the far right side of a search results list is the option to view the images associated with the listing. The numbers of the available images will appear as well as the "all" option. You can click on any individual image or select "all" to view on one screen all of the images entered into the system for that listing.

CMA Management System

The CMA or Competitive Market Analysis system is designed for the agents to have the ability to create a custom report for their customers outlining the listings in the system regardless of status that are similar to the property that the customer would like to put on the market.

The system starts with a Listing Search as the agent narrows down a search on the data based on the comparable information for the potential listing. Once the listing search has produced the desired results the agent can select which comparable listings they would like in the custom CMA report. The CMA check box in the first column of the search result can be selected for the properties that are wanted for the final CMA report.

Once the boxes for the selected listings are checked the bar at the bottom of the screen labeled "Add Checked Items To CMA List" can be clicked on and the chosen items are sent to the CMA system.

There are three options at the top of the screen to choose from. You can edit the subject property information, save to CMA list, or go back to the listing search.

The subject property information can be entered into the supplied form that allows for the Owner’s Name, Recommended Price Range, Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Acres, Estimated Square Footage, Lot Dimensions, and Style Type. You can enter any or all of this information and then click on "save information".

The Save CMA List option allows you to save the entered information for future use. The system allows you to give the CMA a unique name and then it saves it into a list of all the CMAs that you have created and saved. Once the CMA is saved it can be accessed and edited at a later date.

** Please Note ** the CMA list is protected by your unique username and password. The system allows only you to view this information. You can, however, view the information from anywhere with your username and password.

The third option is to return to the listing search. Any time you are editing a CMA and would like to select additional listings you can return the listing search from this link and run a new search. Any new listings that are selected by the check box will be added to the existing CMA. This feature allows you to use existing subject property information and create new CMA reports.

The top of a CMA report is dedicated to displaying your information with the firm logo, agent photo, and all of your contact information.

Further down the CMA report is the subject property information. If you have not entered the information the system will show a link to the subject property information entry screen for easy access.

The comparable properties are listed below the subject property information and separated by status. Each status is divided into separate sections.

Each comparable property has a thumbnail sketch of the information about the listing. The information will include the Listing ID number, Status, Property Type, Listing agent ID Number, List Price, Style Type, Beds, Baths, Half Baths, Lot Dimensions, Acres, Estimated Square Footage, and Days on the Market. The information will also include the closing price with closed listings.

With each listing is also included first image of the property as well as the address of the listing. There are also links to the full and short summary reports from within the CMA. If a property is one of your listings, then the edit listing option also appears.

There are two links under each of the listings allowing you to remove the listing from the CMA or to make a price adjustment. By clicking on the remove from CMA link the system will delete that property from the CMA. The price adjustment can be used to change a price of a listing for the purposes of the CMA. When you click on the "adjust price" link screen appears with the CMA listing information and two boxes. The first box allows you to select an adjusted price for the listing and the second box allows for a description of the adjustment. By filling in this information and selecting save adjustments returns you to the CMA with the new adjusted price information associated with the listing.

At the end of each status section of listings appears a list of averages for the selected properties in that section. The averages will show only if the information is available for each of the selected listings. The averages will show the average list price (the adjusted price is factored in here), average bedroom, average bathrooms, average half baths, average days on the market. The average closed price will appear for closed listings.

Once the information has all been edited and adjusted you can save the CMA and return to the menu of CMAs that you have created. Each CMA in the list has three options. You can edit the CMA and return to the edit mode and add, delete, adjust the information. You can delete the CMA from your list. The system will warn you that this action is final before deleting the CMA. You can also view the final CMA. From this screen you can print the CMA and send it to the prospective seller or like the short-summary report, you can quickly email the report to a customer.

Contact Manager

The contact manager allows you to store and retrieve all of your prospects and contacts information as well as set up automatic searches for each. The system will automatically search the database on a daily basis for any new listings that match the criteria that you have set for a particular client.

From the Contact Manager link your list of contacts will appear in alphabetical order by contact’s last name. You can sort the list by the first name, last name, or company name by clicking on the heading for each of the columns.

** Please Note ** the contact/prospect list is protected by your unique username and password. No one can access your list of prospects unless they access the system with your user information.

At the top of the page is a link to add a new contact. Click on the link to add a new contact or prospect to your list. A form appears with several categories of information that can be filled in for each contact. The list is as follows:

Any or all of the information can be entered into the system. The information can be changed or added to at a later date using the edit link on the prospect list.

Once you have entered the information on your new contact click on "save information" and the contact will be added to your list.

From the contact manager list you can edit the contact information, delete the contact or manage the autoresponders for that contact.

From the edit screen you can view or edit any of the contact information. This feature can be used as an on-line rolodex to keep all of your contact and prospect information at your fingertips.

You can also delete your contacts at any time. The system will warn you before any prospects are deleted to make sure you want the contact deleted from your list.

For all contacts and prospects that you have entered a valid email address for there will be a quick email link in the first column of the prospect list. The email link open a message box that allows you to send a quick email to the prospect.

The Autoresponder link takes you into the portion of the program that allows you to set up specific searches for your prospects.

The first screen asks you if you want to set up a new search or edit an existing search for that particular prospect. When adding a new search you will first be asked to enter a name for the search as well as a date for the system to search until.

The name of the search is important so that you can easily identify the search later for editing so you are encouraged to be specific with the name of the search.

The "search until" date can be selected as a date in the future that you want the system to automatically search the database for matched listings. The system will look into the database for matches every day until the date entered.

Enter the name and the date then select either the "save information and return to contact menu" or "save information and set search criteria". If you are setting up a new search or want to change the criteria that the system is using for the search you need to select the second option. If you are changing a name for a search or the search until date for the search you can use the first option to save the changes made and return to the contact menu.

Once you have selected a name and search until date you are ready to set your search criteria. Click on the "save information and set search criteria" bar and the system will take you through the process of searching the database for any active listings that match the criteria your prospect has selected. The search conducted will be the same as that on the public side of the program. The search will look at just active listings.

Make the selections for your search and then click on the search listings option. The list of active properties appears that match the criteria you have selected for the particular prospect auto search. If you want to make changes to the search criteria simply use the back button on your browser, make the changes, and then re-run the search. Once you have the criteria finalized select the "Save Search" option at the bottom of the search results list to save the search information for the auto search.

Now that the criteria has been saved the system will automatically perform the search every night after midnight to look for any new listings that have been added to the system the previous day that match the chosen criteria. If a match is found the system will automatically send a link to the short-summary report for the matched listing to your prospect. The system will also carbon copy or "cc" you on the email so that you will receive an alert that your prospect has received an email from the system.

Auto searches can be edited to change the name of the search or the search until date. By clicking on the autoresponder link for a selected prospect you will see a list of the searches that you have saved for that prospect. You have the option to edit or delete any of these searches. From the edit mode you can change the name of the search or the search until date. You can also reset the search criteria by choosing the "save info and set search criteria" button. This will allow you to set all the search criteria again for that particular search.

Realtor Directory

The Realtor directory allows you to quickly view the list of active firms in the MLS system. The list includes office phone numbers, links to email, and links to web sites for each office.

Clicking on the office name provides a list of the active agents from that firm. Next to each agent name will show an office phone number and a link to their email.

By clicking on the individual agent name the system will open a new browser window and display all of the contact information for the agent as well as a picture of the agent.

Reports

At the agent level of access to the system there are five different reports that you can run.

a. The agent inventory allows you to search the database for all of your listings. You can break down the report by status, or property type. The system will default to look at all listings but you can use the drop down menus to narrow your report.

You can have the results of the report listed in listing ID number order or separated by the property type.

The report shows you the Listing ID Number, Property Type, Status, Full/Short-Summary reports links, Edit Listing Link, Listing Agent ID Number, List Price, Number of Bedrooms, Number of Bathrooms, and Street Address of the listing.

From the Agent Inventory report you can link to the Full-Summary report, Short-Summary report, or link directly into the editing portion of the system for that listing.

b. The Due to Expire report is similar to the Agent Inventory but allows you to look forward by a specific number of days to determine when your listings are due to expire. You can select the number of days in advance to look at up to 120 days. You can also break down the report by a specific property type.

You can select the order of the results for the report by the Listing ID Number, Property Type, or Expiration Date.

The report results show all the same information as the Agent inventory except that instead of the listing street address the expiration date appears.

You also have the option to link to the Full-Summary report, Short-Summary report or link directly to the editing menu of options for each listing.

c. The Hotsheet report can be modified to suit your specific needs. A menu of options allows you to turn on or off any of the hotsheet categories. The categories to choose from are as follows:

Once you have selected the categories that you want for your hotsheet report you can select the date range for the report. You have two options for date range. The system allows you to select a specific number of days to look back for changes to the system or allows you select a specific date range for the report. The specified number of days back will override any date range selected.

After selecting the dates for the report there are options for the sorting and layout of the report. You can choose to turn on or off the Optional Row Color Coding which allows for each row of the report to alternate in color to make it easier to read. You can also activate the table borders. Both of these options make the report easier to read on the screen.

You can select the sorting option for the report as well. The report can be sorted by Listing ID Number or by Township.

After all the options are selected you can "Generate the Hotsheet" and get a complete list of all the activity in the system for the specified dates.

Like all other reports, you have the ability to select the Full-Summary report or Short-Summary report from within the report results. The system will also display an edit link for any of your listings that appear in the report so that you can link directly to the editing portion of the program.

d. The New/Closed Summary report allows you to create a report showing the number of new listings, closed listings, average list price, average selling price, percent of list price, and average days on the market for the data in your system.

The report can be broken down by the following categories:

Once you have selected on of the categories from the drop down menu you can select the date range for the report. The system will default to the last year but you can adjust these date for whatever range you desire.

The report gives you statistical data for the MLS system that you can pass along to your prospective home sellers and buyers.

e. The Firm Roster Poster allows you to select a firm from the MLS system and produce a printed form of the office logo and contact information as well as each individual agent photo and contact information.

The Pocket Export section of the system allows you to create an export file from the database for use on a Palm Pilot or Handspring unit in conjunction with the Pocket Real Estate software.

Once the Pocket Real Estate software is loaded on you hand-held unit you will have the ability to download the data from the MLS system for use off line.

The Pocket Export file can be created with all cities or specific cities and all townships or specific townships. The file can also have closed listings included and you can also choose the date rang for the closed listings.

There are links on the Pocket Export page for additional information on the Pocket Real Estate software and how to set up your downloads.

Agent/Public Feedback

The public feedback link allows you to view the comments made by the visitors to the public side of your MLS system. The visitors have a link to offer any feedback and questions about the information on the site or ask general real estate questions.

For the most part these are very general comments and questions but occasionally there are specific questions regarding the availability of property in the area. These are usually responded to on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the Board.

It is a useful area to view the comments of the visitors to find out how they are using the site and what information they consider important to them.

The Agent Feedback allows you to ask questions and make comments or suggestions directly to the Executive Officer. The message box that appears can be filled in and submitted. The questions and comments are then made available to the Executive Officer from within the system.

This is a very handy feature to use for suggestions for changes to the system as well as an area to ask questions about the system during non-regular business hours. Most Executive Officers respond to questions and comments within 24 hours.