MLS and Cool New Toys

Thursday and Friday of the NAR Midyear meets was mostly MLS for me. Data theft, off market listings, fair housing and policy.

The weather in DC was beautiful outside. Low to mid 80s, nice breeze, sunshine, with shade from the many trees. Gorgeous outside.

Inside at the MLS meetings it was decidedly warmer, bordering on hot as agents, brokers, and local/state association staff got updated on issues that can get blood boiling.

In a business that relies so heavily on cooperation, it can be infuriating to know that there are companies that scrape the listing data from your website, and I mean your own website not the MLS website, post it on their own site and then try to sell you leads from it. The scraped data is almost never accurate or up-to-date. But buyers find it and believe it. It’s even worse when you realize that there’s not a lot you can do to stop it. Sue one company, another is right behind it ready to step up. But NAR is keeping an eye on the issue.

The other big topic that I keep hearing about is off market listings. This one hits close to home. Because we see it in our own system. The impact of this growing practice is wide ranging. From lower MLS inventory, to inaccurate statistics, to possible ethics issues. I don’t want to go into too much detail because I don’t want to give anyone ideas. But I’ve been thinking on it and there may be some MLS rules changes in our future.

For now suffice it to say that as an MLS subscriber you are REQUIRED to enter your listings in the MLS or register them as a non-MLS listing. Period.

Rules get adjusted because of people who decide to work outside the rules or find a loophole. This goes for agents/brokers and Associations/MLS’s.

A great deal of time was spent at the MLS issues and policies forum and committee meeting discussing some critical points in association policy regarding core, basic, and optional services. Oh, did you miss that three hour meeting? Be glad.

The short made long of this is that associations cannot include certain services as basic, which means all members pay for them, as part of membership dues or MLS fees, and then make a profit of those same services. One of the specific examples was lockboxes. ECAR is already in compliance with the new policy approved (after another long discussion) at the directors meeting on Sunday.

Now for the cool new toys. Many of these aren’t new new. They’re just new to me, and maybe you. At the Emerging Trends and Technology meeting there were four awesome speakers who talked about new and different ways to run a real estate office. One of which was completely virtual. No physical office at all. Some state licensing offices don’t require this. But in this meeting several apps or programs were mentioned that I want to pass on. I’m not recommending any of these because I haven’t had any experience with any of them. I’m just forwarding the info.
Adobe Connect
Issuu.com
EZCoordinator
Join.me
Evernote
Google Hangout
Freelogodesigns.com
Fiverr.com
Anotherme.com

Check them out if you’re feeling brave.

Questions? Comment on this post or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS

Fort Walton Beach, FL

Tip of the Week – Don’t Copy Photos

Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit? No? Would you like to? If you answered yes, I have the perfect bad practice for you: copy photos from another listing in the MLS or another agent’s website.

Please allow me to rephrase this. If you copy listing photos, you’ve broken the MLS rules. Not worried? Well, you’ve also potentially violated the Code of Ethics! Still not too concerned? How about theft of copyrighted property? Did that one catch your attention? I hope so.

How would this happen?

An agent or broker hires a photography company to take professional photos of a property. Part of this arrangement is that the photos can only be used for this particular listing. The agent can’t even reuse the photos for a new version of the same property without permission, much less a new listing by another agent. I know this is a possibility because I have spoken with a few of these photographers. So if you copy the photos for your own listing, you’ve violated the copyright and stolen the photographers work.

Can you tell the difference between a copyrighted photo and one that’s not? I can’t. So the best practice is to just not copy photos. Take your own pictures. We’ve seen more than one instance around the country where agents and their brokers are being sued because of this.

Someone out there reading this is asking, “What if my seller wants me to use the photos from their previous listing, or they send me photos to use? How am I supposed to know where they got them?”

Maybe I’m just crazy, but I think the answer to that would be to ask.?? Explain the situation and verify where they got the photos. If they ask you to reuse the photos from a previous listing, let them know that it’s against the rules to do that and that you would prefer to take your own. It’s your business, your license, and your reputation that’s at risk.

Last point on this. The bad practice of copy photos from another listing is one of the reasons why some agents are stripping photos from their expired or sold listings. One bad practice is causing another. Stripping photos is a problem for anyone doing property research, appraisals, or BPOs. But the agents doing it say that this is the only way they can stop others from stealing their photos.

DO NOT COPY PHOTOS FROM THE MLS OR OTHER WEBSITES! TAKE YOUR OWN!

Questions? Comment on this post or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

 

Realtor.com, RPR, Lawsuits, Flood Insurance, Data Theft, Off Market Listings

Realtor.com, RPR, Lawsuits, Flood Insurance, Data Theft, Off Market Listings. What do all of these things have in common? They were all frequent topics at numerous meetings at the NAR MidYear Meetings.

This is my first time in Washington DC since I was a kid. Suffice it to say that nothing looks familiar. Even the Washington Monument has a metal scaffold around it. After having recently seeing Olympus Has Fallen, my first, and very brief, thought was that it was being rebuilt. But then I came back to reality and remembered hearing that it was being worked on.

My overwhelming first impression of DC is diversity. Nothing is like I would have expected for a big city, except the traffic. There are tons of trees, a couple dozen restaurants of every cuisine imaginable on the same block, and more types of architecture that I could count.

The NAR MidYear meetings were actually very similar. I spent quite a bit of time online last week trying to “map” out my meetings. Too many of them were meeting at the same time or overlapping. So I had to do some compromising with myself.

I sat through the Risk Management meeting this morning on Tips for Avoiding Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Related Lawsuits. It was fascinating. I wish every one of you were there. Believe me, you need to hear it. As the speaker said, it’s not that you would do anything wrong. But most people being sued really didn’t do anything to warrant the suit. It was someone’s perception of wrong-doing. I then had to leave the Risk Management Committee meeting (short sales and auctions, teams) early to go to the Commercial Committee.

In that meeting they talked about everything from Commercial Source to lead based paint (are you familiar with the regulations about removing the paint?) to RPR Commercial. NAR may have some changes to the MLS rules coming at the MLS Policies meeting tomorrow. There was also a lot of talk about data theft. How frequent is it, is there any real way to stop it, what do we do?

Busy day. More to come during the rest of the week.

Questions? Comment on this post or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

What is this ListingBook you speak of?

Did you receive an email about ListingBook? You’re not sure what it is or why you got the the email? Is this something ECAR is supporting? Do you want this? Answers are here.

Let me just say first that ECAR has partnered with ListingBook. So it’s something you can trust. And best, it’s free! Some of our members have used this system at other associations and raved about it. And that’s just the free side. There are enhanced services that you could choose to purchase that are even better.

So what is ListingBook? It’s a site that combines our MLS data with tax records to allow you to send out through automatic emails updates to your customers. It’s similar to the Prospecting system in our current MLS, but with a lot more information and a lot more functionality.

What is it not? It’s not an MLS system. It’s not for entering listings. It is a portal for agents, buyers and sellers to find each other and get information on real estate. It works with your MLS to provide the best information for everyone.

Do you want it? I’d say yes. It could be a great tool to allow you to even better service your customers and find new customers. And did I mention it’s free?

Also, as you may have seen in my previous blogs, our MLS system will be changing. One of the common victims in an MLS conversion is saved searches. It’s very difficult to salvage saved searches when you move from one MLS system to another, even when the same vendor is used. ListingBook is the answer.

ListingBook has been provided with all of ECAR’s MLS data, including a data feed for prospects. I can’t promise that everything will carry over exactly, but while List-It is still alive and well, it’s a good time to make sure you have all of your prospects working in ListingBook. Then when we do convert to a new MLS system, the Prospects will be one thing you do NOT have to worry about.

Still not sure about it? That’s okay. New things tend to take some time to get used. We’re hosting several classes on ListingBook at the end of this month. The email you received contains links to allow you to register for one of the sessions. Most will be at ECAR with one being held in South Walton. You can also find the links on the ECAR Education Calendar even though we’re not taking the registration ourselves.

Come and check it out. See for yourself what it’s all about. And did I mention it’s FREE!!

Questions? Comment on this post, or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

MLS Compatibility for Windows Internet Explorer

This blog will explain how to set your windows Internet Explorer browser for compatibility with the ECAR MLS system. I’ll focus on the new Windows 8 with Internet Explorer 10, but this method will also help solve compatibility issues with versions of Internet Explorer installed on Windows 7 or XP computers. Many of our Realtors have upgraded or purchased new Windows 8 computers with Internet Explorer 10 and have had issues with logging in and navigating the ECAR MLS Web Site. We would like to explain and hopefully resolve some of the issues that have arisen. We have seen the log-in page wipe out user credentials, and some of the MLS web site functions are disabled when the software’s “Compatibility Mode” is turned off, which is always the default setting on a new computer or with newly installed software.

Windows 8 is quite different from the previous versions of Windows that most of us are familiar with. Many of the traditional, familiar features and functions have disappeared and new and unusual features have taken their place. (I am carefully choosing my words here and trying to be kind in my assessment of the new operating system.) There is some confusion arising from the fact that there are actually two different versions of Internet Explorer 10 that come installed with Windows 8:  Internet Explorer Metro and Internet Explorer Desktop.

It is absolutely necessary to use Internet Explorer 10 with the “View all Web Sites in Compatibility Mode” option turned ON in order to enable the full functionality of the ECAR MLS. This can only be done from the desktop view, since the so-called “Metro” version of Internet Explorer 10 does not allow for changing the compatibility settings.

Windows 8 Metro and Desktop Views

Internet Explorer Metro version is launched from the Windows 8 Metro Screen by clicking on the Internet Explorer Tile. This is a “full-screen” version of Internet Explorer, designed with touch screen devices in mind, which means items such as the menu bar and the address bar are hidden from view. It can be described as a lighter version, without the complete functionality of the Desktop version. IE Metro Version has limited-to-no plugin support, and parts of the MLS Log-In and Web Site will not work properly, which is why it is necessary to use Internet Explorer 10 in the Desktop View to enable all the features of the MLS.

To prevent problems and frustration from attempting to log-in and navigate the MLS web site in the Metro version, we recommend using the traditional version of Internet Explorer that is available from the Desktop view. The desktop version of Internet Explorer 10 can be launched from the Desktop View, which you can access by clicking on the “Desktop” tile, (As shown in the image above) then clicking on the Internet Explorer icon from there. Once you have opened the Desktop version of Internet Explorer, you can change the program’s Compatibility View settings as outlined below. You can also switch from the Metro view of Internet Explorer to the Desktop view, also outlined below.

Below is the more familiar Desktop View for Windows 8, which looks similar to previous versions of Windows

To Go Directly to Internet Explorer Desktop Version:

1. Click on the “Desktop” tile. This will take you to the traditional Windows Desktop View

2. Open Internet Explorer from there simply by clicking on the program icon in the bar at the bottom of the screen.

3. In the Desktop version you can then set Explorer to “Compatibility Mode as outlined in the steps below.

To Switch from the Metro Version to Desktop Version of Internet Explorer:

1. If you’re already in the Metro version of Internet Explorer and want to switch to the Desktop version, Press the keyboard’s F1 Key on the top row of keys.

2. This should bring up the black “Explorer” bar across the bottom of the screen with 3 circular icons on the right-hand side.

3. Click on the “Wrench” Icon and select “View on the desktop.” This will take the user to the Desktop version of “Internet Explorer.

Changing Compatibility Mode in the Desktop Version of Internet Explorer For Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows 8:

1. Often, the menu items you need to access are hidden on a new computer or a newly installed version of Internet Explorer. If the menus “File – Edit – View – Favorites – Tools – Help” are not visible in the top left of the browser under the address field, press the “Alt” key and they should appear.

2. If they don’t appear, right click in any blank area in the blue bar at the top of the browser, near or above the web address field, and select “Menu Bar” from the drop down menu that appears. This should make those menu items visible.

3. Click on the “Tools” menu and scroll down to “Compatibility View Settings.”

4. In the dialog box that appears, click on the box next to “Display all Websites in Compatibility View.”

5. Click the “Close” button, then close all open Internet Explorer windows and re-start the browser so that the setting will take effect.

To make Internet Explorer always open in Desktop view:

1. Click on “Tools” from the same menu on the top left of Explorer.

2. Select “Internet Options”

3. Click on the “Programs” tab

4. Click the Check box next to “Open Internet Explorer tiles on the Desktop.”

This should solve any problems you’ve been having with logging in, viewing, and working in the ECAR MLS Web Site with Windows 8. If this doesn’t solve your problems, or if you need any further assistance, please call the ECAR MLS Support staff at (850) 244-2411.

Funny Story about Banks and the MLS

I heard a funny story the other day. A bank sent out letters to real estate agents telling them that the agents had to leave short sale listings as active after the seller had signed a contract!! That’s so funny! Isn’t that funny? It’s also true!

Not long ago, and not far away, a few ECAR agents received letters from one of the largest banks in the country. I won’t mention any names. It really doesn’t matter which bank it was because almost every bank dealing with short sales has suggested the same thing. The letter gave information about how to handle a property that needed to be marketed as a short sale.

The bank wanted to make sure that the agent knew what had to be done. Most of the letter was fairly common knowledge. Things like having the property in the MLS, send the contract to the bank quickly, make sure all the paperwork is completed corrected, etc. But then came a paragraph near the end that said that the listing in the MLS needed to kept as active after the contract was sent to the bank for review.

Of course, this made a few agents call ECAR and ask. They knew that the MLS rules said that listings with a signed contract have to be placed in the pending or contingent status, including short sales. The letter, from the bank responsible for accepting a short sale offer, was telling them to do the opposite.

The fear was that if the listing wasn’t left as active, the bank would reject the contract. But if the listing was left as active, it would be in violation of the MLS rules! So, welcome to the rock and the hard place!

I know what the rules say. I have no question about what should be done in the MLS for this situation. But can I tell you what to do when the bank says something else? Actually, yes, I’m pretty confident about that, but I’d rather have a legal expert backing me up. So a copy of the letter was emailed to Florida Realtors Legal Counsel.

A pretty quick response came back with the answer I was hoping for. The legal department had already seen the letter and had contacted the bank to resolve this. The reply email also confirmed that the request to leave the listing in the active status after a contract had been signed was not only against the MLS rules for many associations, but was also against NAR MLS guidelines.

Florida Realtors was also prepared to go further, if needed, and asked for the names of any of the ECAR agents who had reported receiving the bank letter.

Within a few days, another letter came from the bank stating that they understood the previous letter included some misunderstood information. While they do want the property to still be actively marketed through other forms of advertising, the listing in the MLS should be placed in the pending or contingent status if that’s what the local MLS rules require.

It’s awesome to have a partner association like Florida Realtors who can get the answers we need from organizations that are too big for the local associations to tackle alone. There truly is strength in size. One little association like ECAR has no power against the big banks, but Florida Realtors, in turned backed up by NAR, does.

So let’s do a quick run-through of what the ECAR MLS rules say about short sale listings.

• The first thing in the Remarks field must say that the property is a short sale.
• You must select Short Sale in the Sale Type field and complete the Compensation Reduction Disclosure.
• You must include the compensation as indicated in the listing agreement.
• The listing must be put in the pending or contingent (if available) status when the seller signs the contract.
• Offers cannot be held. They must be accepted or rejected by the seller within 3 business days of being submitted.

Questions? Comment on this post, or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Tech Tips

There’s been some big changes over the past weeks in several types of technology Realtors typically use: Windows, Internet Explorer, iPhone, Blackberry. Keep reading to see how this relates to services you probably use every day.

Windows: Does this picture look familiar?

If it does, you’ve got a new computer with Windows 8, or one of the new Windows tablets. After getting over my initial shock about how different it looks, and acts, I’m a little intrigued by this change.  Part of the initial shock is that this Windows version makes it very difficult to get to specific settings options that allow you to access the MLS website. But we’ve found the trick. But because the system doesn’t respond the exact same way every time, getting around it isn’t something I can cover in the blog. But if you’ve seen this image on your new computer and can’t get into the MLS, call us. We can help you.

Internet Explorer: Version 10 to be exact. Combined with Windows 8 (see above), it gets really fun. The main thing with IE 10 is that it will not allow you to log into the MLS unless you turn on Compatibility View. If you’re also using Windows 8, IE 10 becomes a hybrid with Bing search, and it gets difficult to work with because you can’t find the Tools menu to turn on the Compatibility View. But call us and we can help you.

iPhone: Here’s the word, straight from Supra.
Recently Apple released the iOS 6.1 operating system update for your iPhone. Please note the following eKEY behavior when using Apple iOS 6.1: 

• When performing “obtain key” or “release shackle”, the ‘SUCCESS’ message will not be visible after operating the keybox. However, the keybox should perform as normal. After performing the requested function, eKEY will return to the Apple home screen.  
• In some cases, it may be necessary to repeat “obtain key” or “release shackle” for successful keybox function.  
• This week, Supra will release an update to eKEY which corrects the behavior of eKEY on iOS 6.1.

Blackberry: Supra has announced that they will NOT be releasing an eKey version that works with Blackberry OS (operating system) 10. You may have already received a letter in the mail from Supra explaining the situation. If not, click here to see the letter.

If you have any questions, comment on this post, or email susan@ecaor.com. If you need help with Windows 8 or IE 10, please call us at 850-244-2411.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Check that Auto-Correct.com

There’s this website… That phrase can start a whole lot of different conversations. We can go just about anywhere from there. In this case, I’m going to a specific site. Do an internet search with the search engine of your choice and look for auto-correct. You’ll find numerous websites that reference one particular page: D@&^ThatAutoCorrect.com.

If you haven’t seen it, this is a page that celebrates the goof-ups that come from the auto-correct system on smartphones, tablets and iPads. Many of these are silly, some are naughty, some just weird. My favorites are the ones where the writer tries to correct themselves in a separate text, and continue to make the same mistake. It’s hilarious!

I’ve gotten fairly good at reading auto-correct. I can usually figure out what someone’s trying to say when the computer brain in the device takes over. I’m looking for a way to turn it off on my phone because it irritates the daylights out of me.

I see them all the time in texts in my personal phone. Sometimes I just have to send back a “huh???” Recently I’ve started see the same kind of auto-correct in my work email.

Agents are busy. Yeah!!! Busy agents mean real estate is moving. We love that. And agents are embracing technology! Again, yeah!!! You’re pulling up houses on the mobile or main site on your phones, or pads. You’re texting with your customers and with ECAR. Business in moving, both in transactions and literally doing business from your cars.

This next part will sound odd to my friends and family because they all firmly believe that I don’t follow the rule on this. But hopefully everyone is texting at red lights. Not while they’re driving. I have in the past texted while driving, but I have reformed. Now it’s only at red lights. I just wish I could get them to stop texting me while they know I’m driving, and then getting mad at me when I don’t answer quickly. Are they testing me or do they actually expect me to pull over every time???

I’ve had two emails from just this week that contain pretty obvious auto-corrections. And as much as I giggle a little in my head when I see it, the real concern is “am I understanding what’s being asked?” Hopefully everyone can see the issue with doing support when the question at hand is being corrected by a computer brain and now makes no sense whatsoever.

So here’s the point of this blog. CHECK YOUR MESSAGE BEFORE YOU CLICK SEND! Correct the auto-correct!

Funny.

If you have any questions, please call us at 850-244-2411, email susan@ecaor.com, or comment on this post.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

MLS Pot-purr-e

Before anyone says the obvious, I do know that the word is supposed to be potpourri. I was joking with a friend a while back about words that are mispronounced either on purpose or on accident (someone trying to sound smarter than they are and proving that they’re not). Like hors d’oeurves, or debonair. I googled “mispronounced words” and found tons of blog sites with even more. The most common being words like mayonnaise or athlete. Surprisingly, Realtor was not on any of the lists. It should be.

But I digress. I’d like to wrap up 2012 with a grab bag of little things that we’ve seen recently. Some of these may be useful for you, and others may not.

First, the Mayans were either wrong, or someone really misinterpreted what their calendar meant. I like the comparison that someone showed me between the Mayan calendar and the Oreo cookie. The cookie has a better outcome. Or you can believe that the Mayan calendar was predicting the end of the Hostess Twinkie, which is pretty close to the end of the world for some people. Except someone stepped in and rescued the company at the last moment and saved the world!

Did you get a new PC/Windows laptop for Christmas? I bet it came with Windows 8 and/or Internet Explorer 10. Most do, for now. Having trouble logging into the MLS? Turn on Compatibility mode. Find the browser Tools menu, and the option should be right there. Except Windows 8 likes to hide the Tools menu. Call us if you need help with this.

If you don’t want to find yourself locked out of the MLS on January 2nd or 3rd, make sure you’ve taken the NAR Code of Ethics before December 31, 2012. Go online to Realtor.org and take the course. It’s about 2.5 hours total but you can do a little at a time if you need. Or take an evening and power through. Just get it done!!

I’ll bet someone got a new iPhone 5. Hopefully you also got the Apple Lightning adapter as well. This is the extra little piece that allows the i5 to plug into older accessories and power cords. You will need this Apple adapter will allow the Supra adapter to plug into the new phone.

Let’s see, what else is there? Ahhh, 2012 committees members. If you participated in one of the 2012 committees and want to continue on to 2013, please let us know. Participation is not automatically carried over. Either let us know you want to stay on the committee or you might find yourself dropped. But if that happens, just let us know and we can put you back on.

Lastly, let’s talk MLS rules. Did you really think that I would have a blog that didn’t talk about the MLS rules at some point? Really? Have you read any of my previous blogs??

2012 saw a big change in the ECAR MLS rules; the implementation of a serious automatic fine. Call me if you haven’t heard of it. 2013 will see the continuation of this fine in branding. No branding in a customer available field. That means in word or image, on the MLS remarks, directions, media. Including photos, hyperlinks, virtual tours, or public documents. No branding of the list office or seller (builder) in any of these fields.

You take a picture of the front of the house and to the side of the picture is the real estate sign. I can’t read the name or the phone number, but I can see the image: the balloon, the red and blue house, the horse and carriage, etc. That’s branding. Those images have become commonly connected with a specific office or franchise. It may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but it’s a huge problem for others.

What will happen? Someone reports your listing. We review it. If we can see the branded image or phrase in an inappropriate field, you get fined. Immediately and automatically. The MLS needs to be fair for everyone. Just don’t do it. Automatic fines will start for branded images or fields at the beginning of 2013. Review all of your on-market listings (active, pending, contingent) now and remove the branding. Please!!!!!

Questions? Please call us at 850-244-2411, or email susan@ecaor.com.

Have a safe, prosperous, and Happy 2013!

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Tip of the Week – Using Proximity as Part of your Search Criteria

Your buyer or seller wants to know what’s for sale or recently sold near a particular address. How do you do this? The answer is easier that you might think and it comes up automatically every time you go to ProSearch!

The answer is Proximity. This search option actually comes up automatically every time you go to ProSearch, either through the Search menu, or by clicking More on the Quick Search page. And it allows you to select a map area based on a subject location.

I can already hear at least one question that you’re asking. “Where is Proximity?” I’m going to fall back on one of Michaela’s tricks that I’ve seen her use a few times before in her blogs. Right now, go into the MLS and go to ProSearch. I’ll wait.

Okay, are you there? Now, look at the middle section at the top of the MLS page. You’ll see the Proximity option with entry spaces for Distance, Address, City, State, and Zip.

First you choose the distance. How far from the subject location do you want? The default entry is half a mile. But you can change to whatever you need.

Next, enter the address of the subject location. You don’t need to put in a complete address; street and zip code is enough. But the more exact the address is, the better the results will be.

Then click the Find button. This will bring up a map showing you the location and a shaded circle to indicate the selected area.

On the left side of the map are some additional options. Under Proximity, you can leave the option set to Perimeter if that’s what you want. But you can also change the option to Map Search, or Polygon. Don’t forget to click the Accept Search Area button at the bottom of the left side panel. This will take you back to the ProSearch page with the map info added as part of your criteria.

Map Search will use the area included in the visible map range as part of your criteria. You can use the zoom in or out options to change the view. You can drag the map in any direction to get a different area. Or you can use the arrows to pan up, down, left or right to change the map view. Don’t forget to click the Accept Search Area button at the bottom of the left side panel. This will take you back to the ProSearch page with the map info added as part of your criteria.

The Polygon search option allows you to draw a custom area, clicking from point to point to create the defined area. I covered how use the Polygon option in another Tip. Just let me know if you would like that sent to you.

So there you have it. An easy way to find properties that are near a specific location.

Have more questions? Please call us at 850-244-2411, or email susan@ecaor.com.

Susan Beck, MLS Director
Emerald Coast Association of REALTORS
Fort Walton Beach, FL