Qualified Housing for Older Persons
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Do you have Customers who want to live in a Florida community with qualified housing for older persons?
Would you like to market your listings in MLXchange to include they are in a community that is Qualified Housing for Older Persons?
Disclosure of “Qualified Housing for Older Persons” is now available and optional in MLXchange. This is a new field for members who want to take advantage of adding this to their existing listings or when submitting a new listing.
For additional information, see the “Housing for Older Persons” Rules and Regulations article.
If the Listing Participant chooses to disclose that a property is qualified housing for older persons, then at the time the listing is input into the MLXchange, the Listing Participant must immediately obtain and upload to the MLS an executed copy of the approved “Housing for Older Persons Affidavit Verifying Occupancy and Qualification”. The Affidavit must be signed and notarized by authorized parties of the qualified community or its legal counsel and must state that any restriction on the age of the occupants of the property does not violate any federal, state, or local laws.
Housing for Older Persons: (If the Listing Participant chooses to disclose that a property is qualified housing for older persons) Failure to upload the completed notarized “Housing for Older Persons Affidavit Verifying Occupancy and Qualification” immediately at time of listing as an attachment will result in an automatic fine beginning with the first offense, i.e. with no initial courtesy warning letter. Due to the serious nature of this offense in terms of the nation’s Fair Housing laws, the fine will be $500.00 for each occurrence for the first three violations within one year. Should there be a fourth violation within one year, the Participant/User must appear for a hearing before the MFR Board of Directors at which additional sanctions may be imposed.
Required in MLXchange (if the Listing Participant chooses to disclose that a property is qualified housing for older persons):
- Upload the completed and notarized “Housing for Older Persons Affidavit Verifying Occupancy and Qualification” immediately at time of listing as an attachment attesting that the property is located in a community for older persons.
- Under “Housing for Older Persons”, select the appropriate age category ("55 and Over" or "62 and Over").
- In the Realtor Only Remarks and Public Remarks field, the Listing Participant could describe the property as "Qualified Housing for Older Persons" or could use other acceptable terms which include "Senior Housing", "55 and Over" or "62 and Over" or "retirement community". In addition, the traditional "55+" would also be acceptable.
Would you like to search for Qualified Housing for Older Persons Communities in MLXchange?
Now you can search for Qualified Housing for Older Persons listings using the new field, “Housing for Older Persons” which has two options, 55+ and 62+.
- Click on “Add more search criteria” in the bottom left corner of the Search screen.
- Then, select the “Housing for Older Persons” field out of the list of search criteria.
- Select 55+ or 62+ or you may choose both in the Housing for Older Persons pick list.
Are Your Listings Mapped Properly?
Monday 27 October 2008
The latest integration of Microsoft Virtual Earth(TM) within MLXchange has revolutionized how many REALTORS® search for and display properties to their clientele. Instead of relying on a list, you can view the potential listing matches on a map, even showing the aerial view if you choose to. At the time the listing is loaded into MLXchange, when using tax autopop to populate the listing with the tax information, the property is automatically geo-coded so that it will show up on the map. Microsoft Virtual Earth TM generally does a good job, but it does not always know the exact location. This could pose an issue when fellow Realtors® use the polygon or the other mapping tools to do a very specific geographic search. A listing that is incorrectly mapped down the street or on the wrong side of the road could be left out in the search results, which could mean the loss of a potential buyer or comparable if using this tool for your CMA’s. Therefore, it is important that agents make sure that their listings are mapped properly. If you notice that your listing is in the wrong location, you can easily correct it.
In order to determine if your listing is mapped correctly:
- On the MLXchange home screen, click on the “My Active listings” link in the Inventory Watch box which will show your listings in the results screen.
- Next, click on the edit button in the Information bar which will take you directly to the listing maintenance section for this particular listing.
- Click the map button where you will be able to view and edit the map location.
- It is recommended that you zoom in and switch to the aerial view to better determine if the listing is mapped correctly.
- Move the cursor to the exact location where your listing should be and then, left click your mouse. This places a red target icon directly on that spot. Click “OK” which will save this as the new location for your listing. Your listing will now be properly mapped and will show in the mapping searches that your fellow Realtors® are utilizing.
Look for an upcoming article that will walk you through how to use the map to find properties for your buyer or CMA comparables.
USDA Guaranteed Rural Housing Loans Offer 100% Financing!
Monday 27 October 2008
One of the lesser known options for available financing might be of great benefit to prospective clients. The USDA Guaranteed Rural Housing (GRH) program provides up to 102% financing for low to moderate income folks who are thinking about purchasing a home in a rural area. The program is an excellent option for those that have not saved a lot for a down payment.
There are several benefits of the GRH program that make it unique, including no required minimum credit score, no mortgage insurance, and no reserves are required. Repairs may be financed (up to the appraised value) and seller contributions are allowed. This program is not just for first time homebuyers and can even be used to finance new manufactured home purchases.
There are certain criteria that the applicant(s) must meet to be eligible. The property must also satisfy certain criteria to qualify. Find out the requirements to qualify for the GRH program, as well as other information regarding this type of financing.
When entering a listing simply select USDA Financing in the “Financing Available” field. Additionally, to search for properties with this option add the “Financing Available” field to a search and select USDA Financing from the drop down menu.
MyFloridaHomesMLS.com
Tuesday 14 October 2008
MFRMLS and our Thirteen Shareholder Associations/Boards Launch Consumer Website
More than 80% of homebuyers start their home search online. Increasingly, 3rd party services are taking over the top search engine spots for the most relevant search terms. REALTORS® who wish to take advantage of 3rd party services such as Yahoo Real Estate, Cyberhomes, Realtor.com, Trulia, and Zillow often find it can get very expensive. Those may be unnecessary expenses because the MLS is in a unique position to provide a more accurate service at no additional expense to its members.
Introducing MyFloridaHomesMLS.com
In cooperation with our thirteen shareholder Association/Boards, MFRMLS has decided to leverage our technical expertise so our subscribers can compete effectively against even the most well funded 3rd party real estate listing portals on the web. The result of our efforts is a website called MyFloridaHomesMLS.com, a consumer website that makes the listings of MFRMLS subscribers accessible to the public.
Right from the home page, the consumer may search by address, street, neighborhood, city, state, zip, MLS # or an easy to navigate map search is available by clicking on the county. Rolling over each county with your mouse will enlarge the county and display the cities. Consumers may also search by additional fields such as list price, beds, baths, square footage, year built and acreage.
How does it work?
MyFloridaHomesMLS.com is powered by MarketLinx, the same company that provides MLXchange. The listing data on MyFLoridaHomesMLS.com is in sync with the MLS, which gives the consumer updated information every fifteen minutes as opposed to the 3rd party sites which require daily updates from the MLS, and other third party sites which do not update listing content on a regular basis. Consumers begin their search by entering their preferences and then viewing a list of matching listings. The property detail for each listing prominently features photographs of the property and, perhaps most importantly, showcases the contact information of the listing agent and brokerage firm. When a consumer wishes to contact an agent regarding a property, they have the choice of calling, emailing, or completing the contact form. At the broker’s option, leads can be sent directly to the broker, to the agent or both. As the default and subject to the broker’s policy, the lead is immediately entered into the agent’s MLXchange account and an email is sent to the agent when the consumer completes the contact form. This functionality allows the listing agent to capture the lead at the point of contact. If you have a mobile telephone that delivers your email directly to your cell phone then you will know that a potential buyer has just requested the information about your listing giving you the ability to respond to that lead within minutes of the contact request being submitted.
Designed to Complement Individual REALTOR® Websites
MFRMLS President Marty Hunt stresses that MyFloridaHomesMLS.com is not to compete with individual REALTOR® websites, company websites or franchise sites. Because the largest competitors for search engine placement on leading real estate search terms are in fact 3rd party aggregators, the presence of the MLS consumer site, which is a member benefit for MFRMLS subscribers, will actually complement individual REALTORS® and company internet marketing efforts. In some regions where consumer MLS websites are active, participants have reduced their online marketing budget because the 3rd party services are essentially non-players in their market.
Designed to Increase the Value of a REALTOR®
MyFloridaHomesMLS.com is not nearly as powerful as MLXchange. Consumers have access to only a handful of the search criteria available in MLXchange, which means as a REALTOR® you have the power to deliver much more highly-targeted results to your clients than the consumer website can. MyFloridaHomesMLS.com is really meant to be a first stop for homebuyers, a place where they can get a feel for what they want and establish a relationship with a REALTOR®. Once that relationship is established, they are most likely to begin relying on your expertise, on your IDX website, and on the custom agent web page that you provide.
Other Features!
Check out the “Open Houses”, “Foreclosures” and “Waterfront” Searches! “Find an Agent” gives every member additional exposure. The “Value My Home” feature offers a fun valuation tool that appears to be very popular with consumers. There will be no advertising, up selling, lead redirection, premium placement or any other way for agents or listings to have an advantage over any other. All Listings are “enhanced” including up to ten photos compared to one on some consumer sites!
The MFRMLS Board of Directors and your local Association/Board invite you to visit the NEW consumer website at www.MyFloridaHomesMLS.com
No More LoginKeys on October 7th
Friday 03 October 2008
Are you ready to set aside the LoginKeys?
Logging into MLXchange, without the LoginKeys™, begins Tuesday, October 7th.
Starting October 7, when you login to MLXchange, you will see a new Sign In screen that asks for your User ID and password. Depending on what type of user you are, you may have different instructions for logging into MLXchange.
What If I Forgot My Password?
Password Retrieval
If you need to retrieve your password, you can click on the “Forgot your password?” link. Your password will then be sent to your Primary E-mail address.
Where Will My Password Be Sent?
Your password will be sent your primary email address. To verify your primary email address, log into MLXchange and in the upper right corner, click on Settings, click on Personalize, then, click on Contact information.
How will I Login to MLX Wireless?
Members will NOT be required to re-register in order to continue using the wireless service. Members can simply login to MLX Wireless with their password. Any password changes will also apply to logging into MLX Wireless.
In 2005, MFRMLS members began using LoginKeys™ as the important first step in our MFR-Secure program. Our initiative is to protect the valuable information contained in our MLS. Additional software based authentication techniques have been successfully deployed and proven in other markets, without having to use LoginKeys™. The new techniques represent a balance between security, usability, and cost-effectiveness that is best for MFRMLS.