The H. Highlights. In This Issue: Tina. Shared Account Information NJMLS does not allow members to share their passwords. pg. 2

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1 V o l. 7 /5 NEWS AND MORE... NJMLS Highlights Mission Statement: To provide cost e!ective and comprehensive real estate information using the latest proven technology. may 2010 ee h s t o The H t In This Issue: Shared Account Information NJMLS does not allow members to share their passwords. pg. 2 FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I would like to dedicate my note this month to Phil Birmelin, a long time Director of the New Jersey MLS. Phil was the most irreverent man I knew. It was his very irreverence that made him who he was. In a real estate world where however much brokers and agents need to cooperate, they also compete with one another for resources and recognition. They are acutely aware of the potential for head to head conflict, they protect their own turf and avoid attacking anyone s sacred cows. The result is that often major issues don t get addressed. This did not happen on the NJMLS Board of Directors. Philip had no sacred cows and would gladly step on yours. Every issue was addressed openly and resolved, for the most part, in the best interest of the membership. Phil will be missed on our Board. I will remember Philip for many personal reasons, but mostly for the fact that he always told me to thine own self be true. He certainly was. Tina XLP Enhancements What s new in XL Paragon? Read all about what NJMLS is doing to enhance and improve the way you work. pg. 4 Special IDX Offer NJMLS has a truly cost-saving offer for new IDX customers. pg. 5 Contact Us: HAWORTH Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm and by appointment from 5:00-7:00pm 160 Terrace St. 2nd floor, Phone: Fax: RUTHERFORD Mon - Wed 9:00am - 5:00pm but closed from 12:00-1:00pm 97 Chestnut St., Phone: Fax: The NJMLS extends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Leslie Goldberg, Designated Realtor of Friedberg Properties in Englewood Cli!s. Leslie was a real estate agent since 1982 and an esteemed member of our MLS, who served on our Board of Directors for two terms. Leslie will be missed by all in our real estate community who had the opportunity to work with her. Find Us on Facebook

2 Action on Those Who Share Account Information NJMLS closely monitors and analyzes the login patterns of our members to detect shared accounts. Some of you may have already received past notification from us, including denied access to XL Paragon, changes to your password, and sometimes a sizable fine. We don t allow shared access to XL Paragon. Think of it this way: If you re using the system as a paying member, you wouldn t like finding out that the person next to you is sharing their password with someone else in the office who isn t paying, such as another agent or an assistant. Or, knowing how important the security of your personal information and the integrity of our content is to us, finding out that another member is giving their login information to someone else who is looking for a house, rather than sending them to our public website or their own IDX website. You may register administrative personnel or a personal assistant as a member of NJMLS at a reduced rate. The semi-annual access fee for this type of membership is $75.00 (prorated quarterly $37.50). These members pay reduced fees, but they still get the full benefits of membership including access to XL Paragon, our distinctive technical phone support, and access to our training classes. In contrast, the fine for sharing passwords is $ per offense. The goal of NJMLS has always been to provide you with accurate information in a secure environment. All our members have a responsibility to do their part to keep the content -- and the site-- secure. See Page 5 for Limited Time IDX O!er! Spring Has Sprung... Let the Sneezing Begin There are over 50 million people in America who suffer from some form of seasonal allergies. Although we all enjoy the coming of Spring, for some of us this otherwise beautiful time of year comes with bouts of sneezing, runny noses, and itchy, watery eyes that can most likely be attributed to the pollen produced by the budding trees and grasses. You may not be able to do without some type of allergy medication, but here are some alternate, natural remedies that may help keep your symptoms at bay: If you re spending time outdoors, once you re inside take a shower and change your clothes. Pollen from the air can collect on your skin, hair, and clothing. When possible, keep the windows in your car and home closed to keep out pollen and other outdoor allergens. It is always tempting to open up those windows once the warm weather hits, but when everything is in bloom those suffering with allergies may do better using air conditioning. Also, make sure to change air conditioning filters regularly. Allergens can get trapped in those filters and may get redistributed in the air if left in the equipment too long. Did you know that dry, windy days - especially after a rainy day - are particularly higher in pollen? Try to adjust your outdoor schedule accordingly if you suffer from allergies. 2

3 That Time of Year is Here Open House season is open us! The number of Open Houses increased from 2371 in February 2010 to 3588 in March Many of you tell us that you "nd visitors coming to your Open Houses are "nding out about them by looking at njmls.com. This is a great way to market your listings and Open Houses; make sure your agent information is completed and up to date to make sure potential buyers know about you. And don#t forget to add your Open House information to your listing in XL Paragon by choosing Tour/Open House in Listing Maintenance. Got Google? Food for Though& Over 175 million people use Facebook on a daily basis. Researchers have now determined that the cause of death for 19 year old King Tut was malaria combined with a degenerative bone condition. Here Are Some Great Tips to Make the Most of Your Search Whether you#re a Google novice or you are addicted to this search engine, you could always use a few tips to help you get even more out of what you#re searching for. Here are some that might help you out: 1. Use the!site:" Operator to Limit Searches to a Particular Site. This is very handy because many sites# built$in search tools don#t return the results you#re looking for %and some sites don#t even have a search feature&. 2.Use Google as a Spelling Aid. Entering a word into Google is a quick and simple way to see if you have the correct spelling. You can also look up the word#s meaning by using the 'de"ne( operator to return de"nitions from various dictionaries %for example, de!ne: pragmatic&. 3.Use Google as a Calculator. Google has a built$in calculator. Very convenient if you#re a frequent search engine user. 4. Use the "or# Operator. This can be useful if you#re looking at researching a topic but you#re not sure what keywords will return the information you need. 5. Exclude Speci#c Terms with the "$# Operator. You can narrow your searches using this operator. As an example, if you#re looking for information about the town of Allendale but you don#t want to include information about the Celery Farm, you could try!a%endale $celery farm." 6. Search for Speci#c Document Types. Google can search the web for speci"c types of "les using the '"letype( operator. If you#re looking for PowerPoint "les about the Department of Education, for example, you could type in "department of education!letype:ppt.# 7. Area Code Lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located? Google will tell you, and also give you a map of the area. 8. Search within Numerical Ranges. As an example, you can search for Olympic events that took place in the 1950#s, you would use the search: Olympics Scienti"c studies have shown that it may be bene"cial to 'harness the power of dreaming( to improve learning. Sleep is the time when the brain is tuned to "nd associations you may not notice while you#re awake. As an example, a student preparing for a test might "nd it helpful to dream about it in order to get the best possible grade. Does that mean a Realtor should dream about being at the closing table? 29) of the American population say that Vanilla is their favorite *avor ice cream, giving it the #1 spot on the makeicecream.com website. Coming in last is Chocolate Marshmallow. The top three selling domestic brands of beer are all light beers. Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite top the list. Looking for fresh ingredients for your summer salads? You#ve chosen the right state. New Jersey is nicknamed the Garden State because there are over 10,000 farms stretching out over 733,450 acres. These farms actually comprise over 15) of the state. 3

4 What#s New In XL Paragon? The following enhancements have been recently released in XL Paragon. As always, if you have any questions about this new functionality, please give us a call at (201) Prospects A new option to flag a Prospect as a High Priority Prospect has been added. When viewing the Run Matches screen, High Priority Prospects will always appear at the top of the Actives or Inactives section and the link will be bold for easy viewing. To set the flag on an existing Prospect, follow these steps: Listing Tracker Report A new option called Listing Tracker Reports is available in the Listing Maintenance section of the Menu Bar. This module provides the following tracking options on your listings: Hit Count Report on individual listings. Auto the Hit Count Report to your client on a weekly or monthly basis. Quick link to view the property on njmls.com. Summary Listing Activity Report for all active listings (Brokers/Admin can run a Summary Report on all active listings in the office). Go to Run Matches Select the E hotlink Select High Priority Prospect Save Changes When deleting a Prospect Search, the system will now give you the option to also delete the information from your Contacts. TAX REPORT. A link to the tax report is now available on the top of the Listing Load screen, based on the block and lot entered. Price Range Report and charts are now available for Leased Properties in Statistics.!!!!!!!! 4

5 What#s New In XL Paragon? %continued& CMA An option to include a six month Market Trend Report is now available. This is based on the town the subject property is located in. To include this report, be sure to enter the county and area on the Subject Property Page or select the Market Trend Report option on the Pricing and Summary Page. To add this report to an existing CMA, follow these steps: Go to CMA/Saved CMA Go to Pricing and Summary Reports Hit Continue Select the Market Trend Charts option Select a County and Area MANAGE MLS PHOTOS Photo maintenance has been changed to eliminate the pop-up window. This resolves issues some members were having resizing the window and issues of those using pop-up blockers. COMPARATIVE REPORTS Summary information is available under each chart showing total units sold, average days on market, total dollar volume, and average or median price from one year to the next as well as the % of change. When running this report for 2010 the chart only displays and totals data for the completed months. Look for new Client Connect module in our June newsletter! IDX: Sign Up Now To Take Advantage of Tremendous Savings NJMLS is offering our members big savings to try IDX. Beginning May 1, 2010 through the end of this year, you can take advantage of the following discount: Already have a website? If you currently have a website up and running, add our IDX Smart Frame, with thousands of listings, at a 50% discount. Normally, there is a $50.00 set up fee, and a monthly maintenance charge of $ During this promotional period, you will pay $25.00 for set up, and only $10.00 per month through December 31, This special offer is for first-time IDX customers only and requires pre-payment through December 31st*. Need a web presence? NJMLS introduces our new Internet Package for new IDX customers without a website. You will get a full-featured agent website with IDX Smart Frame, web hosting, domain registration, and your website domain for $ set up fee (normally the charge for these services starts at $649.00) and $24.95 per month (this monthly fee is usually $49.90). Pre-payment through December 31st is required to take advantage of these savings.* These promotions were designed to provide the greatest value to those who sign-up early. The sooner you sign-up, the more you"ll save. Internet Data Exchange gives Gentry Realty Associates the competitive advantage in a growing real estate market. Denise Cerone *Promotional period ends on December 31, Regularly scheduled fees will apply beginning January 1, SPECIAL OFFER!!

6 REMINDER: BUYER AND OWNER NAME REQUIREMENTS A letter must be on "le with NJMLS when a Seller does not want their name to appear in a listing. The letter must be signed by both the Seller and the Listing Broker. Our policy states: 'If the owner name and owner phone number are going to be left out of the listing, a letter must be sent to NJMLS, signed by the seller, stating the seller does not wish to publish their name and number in the NJMLS.( Similar policy applies when a Buyer does not want their name included in the NJMLS. The policy states: 'If the buyer does not want their name published through the NJMLS, the listing o+ce must send something in writing stating the buyer does not want their name and number published through the NJMLS. This letter can be drawn up by the listing o+ce, and would not need to be signed by the buyer.( HOW TO CHANGE ESTIMATED CLOSING DATE IN AN UNDER CONTRACT LISTING You may easily edit the estimated closing date in a listing that you#ve already marked as 'Under Contract.( Go to Listing Maintenance, then Maintain Listings. Highlight the listing in Current Listings. Choose Modify Listing from the Action Menu. You will now see the Under Contract Info. Change the Estimated Closing Date and click on Save. Please note that you will not be able to modify any other listing information in a property that is in the Under Contract status. REQUIRED SIGNATURES Listing Agreements, Change of Status Forms, and Withdrawal Forms are not valid unless they are signed by all owners and the Listing Broker. Until all signatures are secured, the listing or change should not be entered into the MLS. In addition, please write the MLS number on forms and fax to the NJMLS after making the changes. SHOWING INSTRUCTIONS Information that should be viewed by agents only and not appear in Customer Reports must be entered in Showing Instructions and not in the Remarks section. This includes selling bonus information, all negotiations through Listing Broker, Open House information, Property Address, Contact information including Agent names, O+ce names, phone and fax numbers, and website addresses, etc. SHOULD I EXTEND MY UNDER CONTRACT LISTING? You have the ability to extend a listing that is showing Under Contract in XL Paragon, as long as it has not gone past the expiration date. You may want to consider doing this if there is a possibility that the listing might not close prior to expiration and you will need to change the estimated closing date, or if you think the closing may not happen and the listing will need to go back on the market. If the listing is marked Under Contract, when it expires it will still show as 'UC.( You will not see it shown as 'X( or expired in the system. OPEN HOUSES Open House information entered into NJMLS must include a speci"c beginning and ending time. During this time, the property must be open for viewing. Open Houses by appointment are not permitted. 6

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