my florida resource - april/may 2012

The monthly magazine of My Florida Regional MLSApril/May 2012

Volume 2, Issue 1Spring into Action!Annual Marketing Issue

Reports galore! Impress your clients!

Market Yourself as a Stats Expert with Stats IQ!

One Month FREE Proxio Trial

Write Ads That Sell

Quick Email Marketing Tips!

Six Real Estate Technology Mistakes

page 14

page 15

page 17

page 19

page 22

page 23

Friendly Reminder: 2012-2013 Annual Subscription payments due before 5 pm, Tuesday, May 15

ALSONew MFRMLS Leadership

My Office Savings of the Month

page 11

page 35

Resources &

Marketing

April/May 2012

My Florida ReSource MagazineApril/May 2012

Volume 2, Issue 1

My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS)555 Winderley Place, Suite 320

Maitland, FL 32751Tel: (407) 960-5300

Toll-Free: (800) 686-7451Fax: (407) 960-5450

About MFRMLSMy Florida Regional MLS is Florida’s larg-est multiple listing service with over 32,000

subscribers. Owned by 15 Shareholder REALTOR® Boards and Associations in

Central and Southwest Florida, MFRMLS offers a comprehensive suite of productiv-ity and marketing tools to professionals in

the real estate industry.

Positioning StatementMy Florida Regional MLS is the only real estate information resource that helps our members deliver quality service to their

customers by providing the tools and op-portunity to succeed in their profession.

2012-2013 MFRMLS OfficersMelody Hall, President

Steve Amburgey, President-ElectJoe Perez, Vice President

Michael Bindman, TreasurerBill Dryburgh, Immediate Past President

MFRMLS ExecutivesMerri Jo Cowen, CEO

Jay Markell, CFO, COODeanna Rogers,

VP of Business DevelopmentCarole Burgess, VP of Administration

Jennifer Thompson-Kersting,VP of Sales and Marketing

Editorial StaffNatashia Ford, Editor

Doug Wise, Editor, Creative Director

In this issue...

In every issue...

Featured

Featured

Featured

Featured

Featured

Featured

Featured

Featured

11 MFRMLS Installs 2012-2013 Leadership ...11 Note from Melody Hall, 2012-2013 MFRMLS President12 RNC and Short-Term Rentals ...

3 Training & Tips—Recent My Tips of the Week —May 1 Course Changes!

7 Compliance Corner—It’s that time of year. Your annual subscription is about to renew!—Craigslist Reminder—Reminder: Expected Closing Date

13 Marketing & Resources—Marketing: It’s all about value (and being a REALTOR®)—Reports galore! Impress your clients!—Market yourself as a stats expert with Stats IQ!—Free One Month Proxio Trial ...—Write Ads That Sell—Quick Email Marketing Tips

—You’re Doing it Wrong: 6 Real Estate Technology Mistakes ...

27 Real Estate News—Big changes to BofA short sale process ...

29 Spotlights—Team Member: Sue Queen, Senior Help Desk Technician

—Product and Services: Stats IQ

31 Commercial Real Estate News (present-ed by MFCRE)

—Smart Decision Making in an Uncertain Age

33 Around the House (an article for current and future homeowners)—Simple Tips for Better Home Showings

www.MFRMLS.com April/May 2012 | My Florida ReSource | 2

MFRMLS PROPERTY REPORT & LINK

Online, interactive housing payments & lending info displayed side-by-side with property information on a new Consumer Report

Keeps customers on listings longer

You choose the lender to display

Interactive mortgage tool allows homebuyers to play ‘what if’ scenarios to address their financing needs

PROPERTY FLYER PROGRAM

The system creates detailed flyers with property listing information and acurate mortgage payment information

Created with one mouse click

Can be emailed or printed

Promotes both the Agent and chosen Loan Officer

RatePlug provides your prospective homebuyers with valuablepayment information specific to each property they view.

1.

2. Provides marketing material for your Open House functions or general display.

How does RatePlug helpAgents in today’s market?

FREE to MFRMLS Members!Visit www.rateplug.com/mfrmls to enroll

3.*Participating lenders pay a license fee.

3 | My Florida ReSource | April/May 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

Recent My Tips of the Week

Training& Tips

MYof the WEEK

March 5, 2012

Looking to shorten the timeframe in between transactions going from “list” to “contract” and to comply with the FTC requirements regarding mortgage advertising? Then give RatePlug a try! A recent study shows that Agents that are active with RatePlug experience an average of a 23.71% reduction in the transaction timeline between List Date and Contract Date. Additionally, RatePlug guarantees that Brokers and Agents using RatePlug are fully compliant with the new FTC guidelines. Best of all, RatePlug is included in your MFRMLS membership, so why not take advantage! Click here to get started!

Go to http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/education-and-training/my-tip-of-the-week for more My Tips of the Week.

March 12, 2012

Using the new Green Certifications field in MLXchange?Then don’t forget to upload proof of certification after you enter or update your listing. Under Listing Summary for your listing, simply click on the Attachments section, Add New Attachment and then upload documentation or certification of the respective green/energy efficient feature that you chose when entering or updating the listing.

Note: For the list of attachment types, choose “other” as the type.

As a reminder, under Article 4, Section 27 (http://mfrmls.myismart.com/articles/search?q=4.27) of the MFRMLS Rules & Regulations, documented proof or certification of any “Energy Efficient” features or ratings (those found in the Green Certifications field) “must be uploaded to the listing immediately following listing entry or update.”


April 9, 2012

Using Data Co-op?Data Co-op can be accessed through the home page of MLXchange, in the SmartLinks section.

Once in the Data Co-op, agents can search by address and/or MLS ID Number, as well as other additional property features. Agents have access to listing information from MLXchange and Public Record, giving them easy access to several reports and other info, including:

—Real AVM Report (you can see what lenders see)

—Listing/Market Activity Report

—Neighborhood Report

—Listing Info

—Tax and Public Record Info

—Comparable Properties

—Statistics

—Community Demographics

—and much, much more.

So, find the Data Co-op link under the SmartLinks section in MLXchange and find success with Data Co-op!

April 23, 2012

How do you market a listing in a 55+ or 62+ retirement community in the MLS?1. Locate the Inventory Watch menu on the homepage of MLXchange, and then click on the Active Listings link.

2. Check or select the listing that you want to market as an age-based retirement community, and then click the Edit button.

3. Finally, scroll down to locate the Housing for Older Person’s field, selecting 55+ and/or 62+.

Please note: To use this option, you must validate that this community is listed on the FCHR website, adding the renewal date for FCHR. Or, you can upload a notarized affidavit if the community is not registered with FCHR. Hint: Click on the question mark help bubble for this field in MLXchange, which will provide the link to the FCHR website, as well as the affidavit.

MLS Data Co-op


Class is Now in Session!

Have you been to MFRMLS University? This training portal will connect you to the many courses available to you as an MFR Member. Online, or in person, we’ve got a class for you.

Looking to learn in your pajamas? With easy registration and no waiting, you can bring our trainers into your home through live and recorded webinars. Available online, you can save gas and you can save time. Best of all, the courses are free.

Need face time? No problem. MFRMLS University also con-nects you to live courses taught at your association/board by MFRMLS instructors. With interactive sessions in a classroom setting, you’ll be an expert in no time.

In-person or online, MFRMLS University can help you boost ered with

your membership. Log on today to learn more!

www.MFRMLSUniversity.com

Go Big "U"


Training& Tips

May 1 Course Changes!By MFRMLS Staff

Hello MFRMLS students/members!

Please note: Effective May 1, 2012, there are course changes, including new courses and new course require-ments, coming to the MFRMLS Edu-cation and Training department.

Here are the May 1, 2012, changes:

Compliance 101—NEW Course (*required)

*New members (on or after May 1, 2012): Required to take Compli-ance 101 within 60 days of becom-ing an MFRMLS member.

*Current members (before May 1, 2012): Required to take Compli-ance 101 by April 30, 2014.

After April 30, 2014, all members will be required to take Compli-ance 101 every two years.

Course description:

In this class you will learn about the My Florida Regional MLS Rules and Regulations and the compli-ance procedure for accuracy of Listing Data, along with additional educational materials available on MFRMLSUniversity.com. This class is available through live webinars or you may attend at any Associa-tion/Board.

—Rules and Regulations

—Profile Sheet Terms

—iSmart Tool

—MFRMLS University

Entering & Updating Listings is now called Adding & Modifying Listings

Course description:

This class is mandatory if you will be adding and modifying listings in the MLS. You will be taught how to input and modify listings, enter photos, and add attachments, along with valuable tips and techniques. This class is available through live webinars or you may attend at any Association/Board.

—Profile Sheets

—Adding listing information to the MLS

—Adding photos, attachments, Open Houses

—ShowingTime, RealBiz 360, lockboxes

Other NEW courses

We are pleased to present you with the following three new courses:

—Statistics

—CMA (not the 3 CE course)

—Mobile Agent Class

Please click on the following link to download all of your course descriptions, including your new course descriptions: www.mfrmls.com/resources/document-library/doc_download/563-mfrmls-training-courses-effective-5112

Link to course calendar: www.mfrmls.com/resources/training-and-events

We look forward to seeing you in class!


Compliance Corner

MFRMLS prides itself on accurate data, and one of our goals is to main-tain a listing service that is successful for everyone. With that said, we want to thank all of our members who comply with our rules and regula-tions. If there is a violation, a warning will be issued. Most warning notices allow 24 hours for correction before a fine is assessed. However, failure to change the status of a listing is a more serious offense, which is an automatic fine without any warning notice.

Thank you.April statistics for rules violations:

Total number of Warnings: 6,884 (March: 7,160)

Total number of Agents Reported: 1,028 (March: 1,206)

Total number of Fines assessed: 51 (March: 78)

Top five violations for April:

1. Status – failure to change the status from pending to sold within two busi-ness days of the closing.

2. Short Sale – failure to add “Short Sale” as the first two words in the Public and Realtor Remarks.

3. Incorrect Photo – failure to add a front exterior or rendering, or aerial photo or water view photo in the first photo slot. If a water view or aerial photo is in the 1st slot, the 2nd photo slot must contain a front exterior photo. If plac-ing a water view photo, it must be a photo from the property/unit. Photos may not contain any contact information, text, etc.

4. Driving Directions – are required and must be for narrative directions that include full street names, beginning and ending points and use standard direc-tional designations. Reference to online electronic mapping isn’t allowed (e.g. Mapquest, Google, GPS is not acceptable.)

5. Active with Contact (AWC) – failure to have seller’s written authorization and/or add the “Active with Contract” in the Public Remarks directly after “Short Sale,” if applicable.


It’s that time of year! Your annual subscription is about to renew!

By MFRMLS Staff

Reminder: Your 2012-2013 MFRMLS and/or MF-CRE subscription payment is due by May 15 before 5 pm.

Your subscription with My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS) is about to renew. Please know that we are committed to providing you with top-notch products and services to help you grow your busi-ness, and we value your membership.

How do you pay?

To PAY ONLINE, please visit https://mdweb.marketlinx.com/mfr/ (and log into the Membership Director payment center, using your MLXchange log-in credentials).

Payments can also be taken over the phone by calling 407-960-5300 or 1-800-686-7451. However, to reduce wait time, we encourage you to pay online. It’s FREE and the online payment center accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and electronic check payments.

MLS fees are non-refundable in full or pro-rata.

What’s the due date?

Due date: Your annual payment is due before 5 pm on May 15, 2012.

(Late fee: $50 after 5 pm on May 15, 2012 and before 5 pm on May 31, 2012. Reactivation fee: After 5 pm on May 31, 2012, accounts will be suspended and incur a $150 reactivation fee (in place of the late fee).)

Questions?

Our Administration staff is here to help!

Call 1-800-686-7451 (option #3) or 407-960-5300 (option #3).

Administration Dept Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 am–5:00 pm

Note: If you are a Punta Gorda-North Charlotte-North Port Association mem-ber, please contact your association at 941-629-8261 for billing.

Thank you for your subscription, and we look forward to helping you reach your goals.

More Compliance Corner on page 9.


By MFRMLS Staff

In light of recent occurrences relating to unauthorized postings of listings on Craigslist by someone other than the listing agent, MFR would like to remind you to check to be certain your listings are not misrepresented as a rental or for-sale by an unknown party. If you discover a problem with a listing that you did not post yourself, try this link from Craigslist: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.

We’d also like to offer a reminder that using listing information directly from MLXchange or an IDX feed to post listings of another agent/broker-age is against the MFRMLS Rules and Regulations. Brokers and agents are, of course, welcome to post their own listings on classified advertising sites such as Craigslist, but if the listing belongs to another member, you must first have permission from the listing broker to advertise his/her listing(s).

MFRMLS Policies and Rules have recently been updated to include an auto-matic fine for advertising listings of another agent/broker without permission from the listing broker, outside of authorized IDX use. The first offense will carry an automatic $500 penalty; the second offence will result in an auto-matic penalty of $5,000; further violations may lead to additional fines and possible suspension of membership. MFR encourages all brokers and agents to ask for permission before posting another broker’s listing without permission.

Craigslist Reminder

Reminder: Expected

Closing DateDo you have “Active with Contract”

or “Pending” listing? If so, please ensure the Expected Closing Date field has the correct

date.Also, if you receive a warning notice,

please make sure you make the necessary corrections within one day,

excluding weekends and federally recognized holidays (i.e. update

the listing with the new date, etc.). Otherwise, a fine will be issued.

Thank you for your help in making the MFRMLS database as accurate as

possible.Compliance Corner


Have you heard about MLS Data Co-op™?

MLS Data Co-op is a My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS) member benefit that provides you with new tools, new reports, and a new way to access MLS listings. Best of all, there’s no additional fee to use MLS Data Co-op, so be sure to take advantage of this new, value-added MLS tool!

Here are some MLS Data Co-op highlights:—Enhanced mapping and parcel boundaries —Sales history —Price and days on market analysis —Nearby comparable sales —Community demographic charts —Neighborhood demographic report —School information —Real estate trends —Foreclosure map overlays (pre-default, auction and bank-owned/REO) —RealAVM™ report (MLS Enhanced Property Value Report)—LAMAR™ report (Listing and Market Activity Report)

You can access MLS Data Co-op directly within MLXchange (by clicking on the link in the SmartLinks section of the Home page).

Or, for more information, visit the following link to access the MFRMLS Member Benefits page on Data Co-op:www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/mlxchange-benefits/data-co-op

for MFRMLS members!

Visit the Data Co-op Member Benefits page on MFRMLS.com:www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/mlxchange-benefits/data-co-op

For more information

Rave Reviews

Why are REALTORS® across the country giving the MLS Data Co-op rave reviews?

► Brings you easy access to MLS data across the nation

► Lets you market your properties across the country

► Gives you all the information you need on a single screen

► Provides free access to RealAVM™ for fast, accurate property values* (subject to

availability)

► Access local and national listings through a great new map interface

► Gives you a side-by-side view of foreclosure* and listing data (subject to availability)

► Shows all listing fields, including agent-only confidential fields

► Lets you access the most current, most comprehensive data on properties nationwide

► Works across all popular browsers and platforms – desktop, laptop, and tablets, including Apple® Mac® and iPad™ products

► Provides a common format for listings across MLSs without sacrificing locally unique data values

MLS SOLUTIONSMLS Data Co-op™

MLS Data Without Borders

The MLS Data Co-op™ by CoreLogic® brings you a wealth of information you couldn’t access before and marketing opportunities that were once beyond reach.

Access MLS listings from across the nationWhether you have a client who’s relocating or looking for a vacation home, you can tap into the MLS data you need. This isn’t the information clients see on public-facing sites, it’s the agent-to-agent information you need on the market, listings, neighborhood, and more.

Market your properties across the countryYour MLS has always been the best way to market locally. Now it’s much more. It’s also a great way to get your listings in front of agents in markets across the county who may have clients relocating to your region or looking for investment properties. Unlike public sites that take you out of the equation and provide no professional benefit, MLS Data Co-op offers MLS confidentiality with your peers in other markets.


MFRMLS installs 2012-2013 leadership, including new President

A note from Melody Hall, 2012-2013 MFRMLS President:

Greetings fellow MFRMLS members,

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share my plans for the

future of our organization.

As the recently installed President of the MFRMLS Board of Directors, it is important that you know that I believe we are fortunate to belong to one of the most innovative and service oriented multiple listing services in the nation.

By MFRMLS Staff

On Friday, April 20, MFRMLS installed its 2012-2013 Board of Directors, including its Officers. Here are the new Oficers:

President: Melody HallPresident-Elect: Steve AmburgeyVice President: Joe PerezTreasurer: Michael BindmanImmediate Past President: Bill Dryburgh

To see the new Board of Directors, please visit http://www.mfrmls.com/about-us/board-of-direc-tors

Congrats to all of our new Officers and Directors, and we look forward to a successful year!

Although we have an excellent staff of trainers, help desk staff and technical support, who are always available to assist you with utilization of products and services, there is always room for improvement and change. We welcome your input as we strive to continually improve as an organization.

Furthermore, I would like to encourage you to utilize the many resources offered through MFRMLS. Your annual subscription fees pay for the majority of tools that are provided to you. Challenge yourself to participate in a class or webinar and learn to use a new product! It

really can enhance and simplify your business.

We are well into 2012 and it has proven to be an active year thus far. Our inventory has diminished and prices continue to stabilize. Our staff and board members look forward to assisting you in making this a very prosperous year.

Sincerely,

Melody HallPresident, MFRMLS


The RNC and Short-Term Rentals: A message from Florida RealtorsBy MFRMLS Staff

Hello MFRMLS members,

As you have probably seen in prior articles about the Short-Term Rental field, the Republican National Con-vention is coming to Tampa in late August this year and MFRMLS is partnering with Florida Realtors® to help market short-term rental op-portunities to people attending the convention. The first step is getting more short-term rentals in the MLS. Please see the following message from John Sebree, Senior Vice Presi-dent of Public Policy for Florida Realtors®:

Dear member,

We have an exciting opportunity for you. The Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa from August 27-30, 2012. Due to a shortage of hotel rooms, we believe there is an opportunity for REAL-TORS®, as well as their clients, to rent their own homes, investment properties, and any unoccupied rental properties to visiting del-egates, families, media and others.

Our hope is to market this op-portunity outside of Florida and encourage convention attendees to turn the convention into a fam-ily vacation opportunity, arriving in Florida early and staying after the convention ends. For instance, even if your primary listing area is one or two hours from Tampa, we believe there is an opportunity to

market your short-term rental to convention attendees, given the fact there are many vacation des-tinations in Florida. As a result, in order to take advantage of this opportunity, we’d like to utilize the fact that My Florida Regional MLS (MFRMLS) has added a short-term rental field to its MLS, including a short-term rental field to its consumer website, MyFlori-daHomesMLS.com.

Here is where we need your help: We need you to populate this short-term rental field in MLXchange so that convention attendees can go to MyFlorida-HomesMLS.com and search for short-term rentals.

How do you populate this short-term rental field? For instruc-tions on how to populate this short-term rental field in MLX-change, please visit the following link for more information: http://www.mfrmls.com/news/550-how-to-add-short-term-rentals-in-mlxchange

We thank you for your help. We will be eager to market this poten-tial for short-term rentals outside of Florida as soon as we get a good number of properties listed.

John M. SebreeSenior Vice President of Public PolicyFlorida Realtors

“Vote”Long Term Y/N

for Rentals in MLXchange to add

Short-Term rentals to the MLS.

=N

Visit the following link for more information on

how to populate the short-term rental field and how MFRMLS is partnering with Florida Realtors to

promote your short-term rentals to people attending

the Republican National Convention:

http://www.mfrmls.com/news/558-the-rnc-and-short-term-rentals-a-

message-from-florida-realtors


Resources &

Marketing

Marketing: It’s all about value (and being a REALTOR®)By Doug Wise, MFRMLS Communications Specialist

Marketing is essential in any competitive business environment. So, what is marketing?

According to the American Marketing Association (bear with us through this definition), marketing is “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large”.

Did your eyes glaze over? Well let us break that definition down into one simple word: value.

Essentially, value is the key to marketing.

As a REALTOR®, what value are you delivering to your clients?

Well, you’re already ahead in the game, because having the REALTOR® brand to your name is, in its own regard, value for your clients. Being a REALTOR® means, beyond other things, that you’re serious about the real estate profession, that you adhere to a REALTOR® code of ethics and that, quite simply, you have access to tools and other sources of information that most non-REALTORS® don’t have.

And hopefully that’s where MFRMLS plays a part in your success: helping to bring value to your REALTOR® brand. (And even if you’re not a REALTOR®, such as having an MFRMLS membership as a Thompson Broker, you’re still ahead in the game with your access to MFRMLS tools and information.)

Through the products and services we offer, including education and training, we hope to provide value that you can use to make yourself more valuable to your clients. After all, the more you know about your profession and the more tools you have, the more value you can bring to your next client meeting.

And, of course, the more you know and the more unique you are, the more you standout from your competition—and that makes you even more valuable!

So without further ado, we hope you find value in all issues of My Florida ReSource, including the following articles in this expanded “Resources & Marketing” section. Thank you for reading.


(page 14)

Market Yourself as a Stats Expert with Stats IQ!

(page 15)

One Month FREE Proxio Trial (page 16)

Write Ads That Sell (page 17)

Quick Email Marketing Tips! (page 20)

Six Real Estate Technology Mistakes (page 21)

Even if you’re not a REALTOR®, such as having an MFRMLS

membership as a Thompson Broker,

you’re still ahead in the game with your access to MFRMLS tools and

information.

In this section


Have you seen this icon?

We like to call it the “House in the Hand” and it’s the icon for Down Payment Resource. It could help your client get a down payment for his or her

home.For more information please visit http://www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/down-pay-ment-resource/dpr-in-mlx-

change


By MFRMLS Staff

As an MFRMLS member, did you know that Data Co-op is one of many op-tions you have to obtain reports and impress your clients?

Check out the video below to learn how you can compile a striking listing or buyer presentation with various MFRMLS stats and reports (including Data Co-op)! Click on the video screenshot below to link to the video.

Link to download video transcript: http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/document-library/doc_download/554-reports-galore-transcript

Marketing ResourceStandout and showcase your expertise utilizing your MFRMLS reports.

Market Yourself as a Stats Expert with Stats IQ!And upgrade to rbiEXPERT with new, lower pricing!

By MFRMLS Staff

Looking to get accurate, updated listing statistics for the MFRMLS listing area?

Looking to see those statistics in nice, easy-to-read graphs and reports?

Then Stats IQ, powered by RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI), is your an-swer!

To learn more about Stats IQ, visit the Member Benefits page for Stats IQ on MFRMLS.com: http://www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/stats-iq

The above link to the Stats IQ Member Benefits page will provide you with the direct link to navigate to the Stats IQ website, as well as additional information about rbiEXPERT (a Stats IQ upgrade option for MFRMLS members).

So, what is rbiEXPERT?With rbiEXPERT you have the ability to view stats according to region, county or zip code. With rbiEXPERT, you also have the following features, among others:

—The option to compare stats for specific listing areas (i.e. Average Days on Market for 32801 vs. 32828).

—Access to a mobile product, called rbiMobile.

And now rbiEXPERT is being made available to MFRMLS members at a new, lower price!

To learn more about the NEW price of rbiExpert, as well as other information about Stats IQ, please visit the Stats IQ Member Benefits page: http://www.mfrmls.com/member-benefits/stats-iq

rbiEXPERT

Marketing ResourceStandout and showcase your Stats expertise utilizing Stats IQ.

NEW pricing


The below Market Insight report is an example of the reports you can get with Stats IQ. And, by upgrading to rbiExpert you can get reports and stats as localized as zip codes.


Recipe for success for today’s real estate agents and brokerages:

1. Online visibility2. Global networking3. Services for multicultural clients

EXPAND YOUR MARKETS WITH PROXIO:• Property industry’s most extensive professional network• A powerful property marketing tool in 19+ languages• A trusted network with privacy safeguards

Proxio is an international MLS and business network – online and exclusively for real estate professionals.

Proxio provides global visibility and connections for you and your listings, plus tools for serving clients who don’t speak your language. Gain competitive advantage and borderless success!

Subscribe today.Free registration and basic access included with your MFRMLS subscription!*Upgrades available (see back of this flyer for options)

www.Proxio.com/MFRMLSConnect. Communicate. Sell. TM

PROXIO provides:• Connections to real estate

professionals in 100+ countries

• Automatic translations of property listings into 19+ languages and 30 currencies

• Global display of properties within the Proxio network, to partner sites and to Facebook.

• Opportunity to obtain leads from global web portals, and buyer referrals from agents

• Marketing tools to help you capture more listings

GAIN GLOBAL VISIBILITY!

30-day FREE Trial! Visit the below link to sign up!


One Month FREE ProxioPro Trial—Exclusive for MFRMLS MembersConnect with international homebuyersBy MFRMLS Staff

As an MFRMLS member, you already get your listings translated into 19 differ-ent languages through Proxio and MyFloridaHomesMLS.com. However, we’d now like to announce a FREE trial for ProxioPro, an upgraded Proxio account that allows you to:

—Automatically get your listings promoted on WorldProperties.com.

—Market yourself and your listings to 400,000 agents in 100 countries.

—Get discounts on premium listings placement, multilingual property search ‘widgets’, and more!

So, market yourself globally and connect with foreign homebuyers and other agents. There’s no obligation to purchase and no payment information needed.

Start your FREE trial today at www.proxio.com/MFRMLS

Fast facts about international real estate in Florida:

—Florida leads the nation in number of international homebuyers (NAR sur-vey 2011)

—1 out of 4 homes sold in Florida are to buyers from outside the US (NAR survey 2011)

http://www.inman.com/reports/global-buyers

According to a 2012 report by Inman News, titled “10 Hotspots for Global Homebuyers,” six of the 10 hotspots for global homebuyers are in Florida. Better yet? Four of those six Florida spots are primary MFRMLS listing areas.Click on the image to the right to read the article.

Did you see the news?MFRMLS listing areas are top in the country for global homebuyers.

MARKET yourself as an international

real estate specialist with

Proxio.

Marketing ResourceTap into the global real estate market through Proxio.


April 2012 | By Ian Grace

When real estate professionals tell me, “When consumers read my ad, they will understand …” I respond that their ad getting read in the first place is not a foregone conclusion. Statistics show that with all advertising, only one out of five people read past the headline of an ad.

Where It All Begins

Headlines are absolutely vital for any good ad. In fact, the headline and photo are the sole determining factors in whether the prospective buyer decides to read the ad at all. So, your first objective, then, should not be to create an ad that requires people to read through all of it in order to be persuaded by it. It should be to create an ad with a compelling headline to encourage five out of five people in the market you’re targeting to read it.

Remember the HOODOO concept I described in my first column? (If not, go check that out now. I’ll wait.) You need to remember the “who” when you write your headline, then qualify it quickly so the reader knows you’re both on the same wavelength. Then ideally, reinforce or remind about the headline at the end of the ad.

For example, let’s say you have this headline: “Swim in winter!”(The effectiveness of that would depend on which state you’re in, of course). Reading that headline, one would assume that to swim in winter, the pool would have to be heated. Thus, the qualifying statement might be: “The solar-heated pool in this home

Write Ads That SellEffective real estate ads begin with a compelling headline and pull the audience in by making them understand how they benefit from what’s being promoted. Learn more.

offers year-round family fun and entertaining.”

When reading an ad, people can get distracted. So at the end of the ad, it pays to reinforce the headline and bring their attention back to what attracted them to the ad in the first place. For example, you could close with: “So, if you’d like to be able to swim this winter, call me today at …”

The Rules for Great Headlines

Powerful headlines must contain one or more of the following:

· A benefit — stated or implied — for the reader.

· Something that is novel or topical.

· A curiosity element (but beware of gimmicks for gimmicks’ sake).

For example, you’ve probably seen or heard ad headlines like, “Announcing the all-new XYZ dishwasher, which saves you time and money!”

Ask yourself, how many of the rules above are followed in that headline? That’s right, all three of them.

Here’s another example —“Hard work does pay” as a headline for a property that needs a lot of work done to it. That headline has two of the rules — a benefit and also the curiosity ele-ment. It makes the reader ask “What and how much do I have to do?” and “What will the rewards be?”

What You’re Really Selling

Now is probably a good time to ex-plode a myth in the real estate indus-try, as it will pave the way for what I’ll be covering in later columns in order to help you to create better advertis-ing. That myth is this: Most real estate pros around the world believe they are selling houses. Sadly, most ads in this business reflect just that. In fact, many real estate ads only seem to prove that practitioners can count — e.g., “4 bed-rooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 dining room.”

It is vitally important to understand that you are not selling a house. What you are selling is: living there.

You see, that is the picture prospective buyers have in their mind — living in their new home, which may have an extra bedroom or two, so the kids can have their own space and privacy and the resultant family harmony. Or perhaps the extra entertaining areas, where both parents and their children can host their friends at the same time, but separately.

Once an ad matches the picture the prospective buyers have in their minds about what it will be likeliving there, you have a match and have now attracted the right buyer.


When I was presenting at the REAL-TORS® Conference & Expo some years ago, Colin Powell was the key-note speaker. He told a story about a military officer who was continually transferred from base to base, city to city. Their young son was asked if it was hard for him, always living in a different home. His response was “Oh, no, no, no, no — we always live in the same home, we just put it in a differ-ent house.”

It’s a cute story, but it resonates be-cause it’s true. Think about it: If you’ve ever walked through brand-new display homes, they are normally decorated exquisitely. As you look around, you can really imagine and feel yourselfliving there and enjoying what it has to offer.

However, when you buy the house and those furnishings are gone, all you have left are bare floors and walls. It doesn’t look as inviting as it did be-fore, but then you fill it with your own furniture, furnishings, and photos, and make it your home.

Consumers also need to know what living there is all about. What are the neighbors like? How close are the schools? Where are the near-est golf courses? Where is all of the retail? What transport is available and where? What are the best ways to get to work? Are there other children in the area for the kids to play with? The list goes on. Great real estate advertis-ing will answer all these questions for them.

I’ll provide a personal example of this. We sold our own property in Brisbane, before moving to the Gold Coast. The buyers lived a two-hour plane flight away, and only the hus-band visited our home and made the buying decision.(And yes, I created the ad campaign for our home.

The day before the family was due to pick up the keys from our solicitor, we agreed to meet them there and demonstrate the pool and the hot tub, their operation, and the neces-sary chemicals.

While we were doing that, their two children ran around the house saying, “There’s my bedroom, the one with the V-shaped bookshelf.” They knew exactly which room they would be living in, even though they had never visited the home previ-ously. That’s what great real estate advertising does. Oh, and by the way, we had four other prospective buyers lined up, waiting in case the sale fell through.

The photos for these ads definitely played a role, but that’s a subject for my next column. Here’s a sneak pre-view of the kinds of results you can get from great pictures. I’ll tell you the story of John McKenna, a real estate professional based in Penn-sylvania, who recently picked up a listing that had been on the market for three years.

The previous agent couldn’t sell the property for $259,000, and blamed the failure on the price while drop-ping it to $249,000, $239,000, and finally to $219,000. However, McK-enna sold the property in a few short weeks, for $289,000 — $30,000 more than the original list price.

If you’re ready for that kind of suc-cess, be sure to check out my next column.

Copyright National Association of REALTORS®. Reprinted with permis-sion.

Article link: http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/ar-ticle/2012/04/write-ads-sell

Resources &

Marketing

Have you seen the new Resources page on MFRMLS.com?

With different categories of resources, such as “MFRMLS Resources,” “Green Resources,” and “Marketing Resourc-es,” the new Resources page contains many links to different websites that we hope you find useful: not only as a member of MFRMLS, but as a Real

Estate professional.

So check out the new Resources page!

Link to the new Resources page: http://www.mfrmls.com/resources

Resources Page on MFRMLS.com!


By Natashia Ford, MFRMLS Communications Specialist

Email marketing has changed a lot since the birth of social media. Now every campaign you email has the potential to reach way beyond your mailing list.

Here are a few quick tips we wanted to share with you to hopefully take your email marketing to the next level.

1) Use the power of social media. Utilizing the Facebook share button feature in your email campaigns can provide the potential for your content to go viral. The Facebook share button allows your clients to share your message with friends and family. Remember, not every email is “share worthy,” so make sure the content is something you wouldn’t mind syndicated on various social media sites. Also, if you want them to share the content, include a call to action like “if you like what you’ve read, share it with a friend”.

2) Diversify your opt in feature. You should make sure your opt in form is working hard for you by collecting interested subscribers. Make sure you include an opt in form, not only on your website, but on your Facebook page. Every now and then, push the link to your opt in form to your Twitter followers.

3) Target your email to your audience. When it comes to email marketing, one size doesn’t always fit all. Create campaigns either focused on your buyers OR your sellers, not both.

4) Content. At the end of it all, your content is the key to keeping your clients from unsubscribing. When you write, put yourself in the email recipients place. Is this useful information or is it just a sales pitch? Not to say that you can’t market to the recipient (it is called email marketing, after all), however it shouldn’t be blatant.

5) Keep in mind the 80-20 rule. The 80-20 rule in email marketing says that your emails should be no more than 20% images and no less than 80% text. So, essentially, don’t forget to include an image or two to compliment your content. The eyes of your reader will thank you.

Quick Email Marketing Tips!

Are you subscribed?Subscribe to MFRMLS Communications emails by completing our brief opt-in form at http://www.mfrmls.com/news/464-opt-in-form


Guest contributor Michelle Costa of Showing Suite says:

Many agents consider themselves “real estate technology gurus,” but just because you have a website and a Facebook page does not necessarily mean you are utilizing them correctly.

Nowadays, agents must learn how to take advantage of technology – every-thing from Internet marketing and savvy use of the MLS system, to mak-ing a home’s details and photos attrac-tive and accessible to potential buyers through mobile technologies. What ways can you avoid making real estate technology mistakes? Take a look at the most commonplace mistakes:

1. QR Codes: This is one of the most widely misused real estate technology methods. One of the most common mistakes is when a QR code does not lead to a mobile friendly web page. This completely defeats the purpose, since QR codes are meant to be scanned with a mobile device. Also, we’ve witnessed agents sticking QR codes in places that aren’t exactly the most well thought out--like on a car, for example (accident, anyone?!).

2. Blogging: Having a blog is a great start, but you need to be sure you are actually using it. If you don’t fre-

quently post on your blog, it is actually hurting you more than not having a blog at all. Be sure your blog is properly optimized as well by targeting the right keywords in the body and title of each post, and include im-ages in each post.

3. Social Media: Don’t forget that social media is about connecting with people, not pushing a product. Social media is not a contest about who has the most followers/likes, but rather to engage with your net-work of followers who are interested in your company.

4. Website Traffic: Forget the mindset that a website by itself will generate leads and traffic. Without proper SEO tactics, your real estate website will just get lost in the never ending sea of websites. To gain traf-fic, you need to create a strategy, and utilize organic search, keywords, and paid advertisements. It’s best to take some time to learn about SEO techniques, or hire an agency.

5. Listing Photos: Pictures are the first thing any home buyer is in-terested in seeing. Unless you also happen to be a professional level photographer, leave this up to the experts. The worst thing an agent can do is use their camera phone, or take grainy, unprofessional photos of a home.

6. Smartphone: As a real estate agent, you’re always on the go, which means you need quick access to emails, property listing photos and details. Without a smartphone, you are missing out on providing your clients with instant informa-

tion, which could potentially hinder the sale. Beyond all these mistakes, the absolute worst thing you could do is avoid technology all together. Don’t be overwhelmed! Real estate technol-ogy is always growing and changing, you will not know everything right off the bat. But you simply can not solely rely on the old-school marketing tech-niques from the 1980s. By avoiding all of these technologies, to put it bluntly, you are killing your business. There are plenty of free and easy to use re-sources and real estate tools online to help you get started and improve your business.

To view the original article, visit the Showing Suite blog (http://blog.showingsuite.com/real-estate-tech-nology-mistakes)

You’re Doing it Wrong: 6 Real Estate Technology MistakesAn article from the Showing Suite blog

article courtesy of

Resources &

Marketing

Have you seen the latest news from RETechnology?

RETechnology is included in your MFRMLS subscription and ready to assist you with insights on new

products, emerging industry trends and breaking news.

See the RETechology portal on the bottom of the Message of the Day in MLXchange to sign up for your

free account or log into your existing account.


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Kurio For Your Clients.

A Better Home Buying ExperienceKurio is a valuable, FREE service you can make available to your clients. Access to key property information like beds, baths, list price and more, will help narrow their home search and when they need more information, you are only one click away. Give them a better home buying experience, and they’ll thank you for it.

Location, Location, LocationWith Kurio's location based searches, your clients can retrieve

they’re in the neighbhorhood, providing immediate & relevant results.

Real Estate Search. Made Easy.With Kurio, your clients can search listings for sale by MLS number, cross street, address or by a variety of other criteria. ‘Kurious’ daydreamers can look up the biggest McMansions or the smallest, charming starter homes. Searching for local real estate has never been so easy.

Kurio For REALTORS®.

No Missed OpportunitiesUsing Kurio on your mobile device you can look up compa-rable properties, recently solds, roster info, showing instructions and other ‘Realtor only ’ MLS information so your clients are getting the information they need WHEN they need it.

Instant Access to `My Active Listings‘Kurio provides one-click access to your active listings. So when you get a call from a prospect asking about one of your properties, you can give them the information they‘re

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Always ConnectedWith Kurio, you can get a complete picture of the daily real estate activity in your market area. In addition, you’ll

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Down Payment ResourceSM connects home buyers to the incentive/assistance programs that are right for them!

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ORLANDO, Fla. – April 9, 2012 – Bank of America is set to roll out a new short sale process and documents designed to reduce the approval pro-cess to 20 days.

The changes are so extensive that the Equator [https://www.equator.com/home/] platform will be down for 10-12 hours during the overnight hours starting Friday, April 13.

If you’ve submitted a short sale with Bank of America, be aware that be-fore April 13 you must complete the following tasks or risk having your file declined: Submit Short Sale Offer, Upload Offer Documents and Upload Supporting Documents in Equator.

Links to these documents and other vital information is available at the Bank of America Short Sale Resource Center [https://realestateagent.banko-famerica.com/shortsale/Default.aspx?l=ss]. Consider bookmarking this page and subscribing to email updates.

On April 14, Bank of America’s short sale process will change as follows:

Five documents will be required for short sales initiated with an offer:

• Purchase Contract including Buyer’s Acknowledgment and Disclosure

• HUD-1

• IRS Form 4506-T

• Bank of America Short Sale Ad-dendum

• Bank of America Third-Party Authorization Form

All email communications between Bank of America and the sales as-sociate will occur in Equator. Sales-persons will be alerted via email that a message is waiting in their Equator mailbox. Florida Realtors attorneys recommend brokers obtain their sales associates’ logins/passwords to ensure the short sale transaction proceeds smoothly if a salesperson changes firms.

New timeframes. Currently, salesper-sons have 14 days to submit a coun-teroffer in Equator. On April 14, that will be reduced to five days. What’s more, Bank of America is limiting prospective buyers to two counterof-fers. Responses will be given within three days.

Realtors are invited to view a Bank of America webinar about the new pro-cess on Thurs., April 19 from 4-5 p.m. EST. Click here [http://mp135934.cdn.mediaplatform.com/135934/wc/mp/4000/10584/12423/14062/Lobby/default.htm ] to register for the webi-nar.

For its part, Florida Realtors has noti-fied the Florida Real Estate Commis-sion and Department of Business and Professional Regulation of the new Bank of America short sale process so the information can be shared with all licensees.

Be sure to check the floridarealtors.org Short Sale Center (http://www.floridarealtors.org/LegalCenter/short-sales/index.cfm) for updates. How-ever, please visit the Bank of America short sale center regularly, as it will contain the most up-to-date informa-tion.

Give us some feedback about the new

Bank of America short sale processes. Send your comments to [email protected]. Please note that Bank of America will not reply to individual comments.

Reprinted with permission. Florida Realtors®. All rights reserved.

Big changes to BofA short sale process ...


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Every month we spotlight one MFR team member, in order to help distinguish the dedicated, hard-working, friendly faces we have on our MFR staff. We truly have an outstanding team of individuals. And, of course, this is no coincidence, as we look to provide our members with outstanding service.

So, without further ado, we are pleased to spotlight (drum roll please) … Sue Queen, Senior Technician and Eggplant Parmesan fan!

How long have you been working at MFR?

I joined the MFR family in November 2005.

What aspect of your job do you enjoy the most?I enjoy the opportunity to work with our members in helping them to resolve any challenges they are having.

Any hobbies outside of work?I enjoy cooking, shopping and spending time with my family and friends.

What is your favorite thing to cook?I like to try and make different kinds of recipes, but I would say my favorite is Eggplant Parmesan.

Where were you born and where were you raised?I was born in Plainfield, NJ, and raised in South Plainfield, NJ. I moved to Florida in 1988.

If there’s one place in the world, all expenses-paid, you could visit tomorrow, where would that place be and why?I love the beach and the mountains, so I would say Hawaii.

Thank you, Sue, for your dedication and hard work!

Spotlight

MFRMLS Team Member

Sue Queen, Senior Help Desk Technician

Spotlight

Products and Services

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SpotlightsLooking to get accurate, updated listing statistics for the MFRMLS listing area?

Looking to see those statistics in nice, easy-to-read graphs and reports?

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Basic Stats Package (included in your MFRMLS membership)

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Commercial Real Estate presented by

MFCRE for your mobile phone

September 2011 | By Mariwyn Evans

Commercial real estate is a numbers game—run the figures and pull the trigger. Right? Not so fast. Economic volatility and shaky property funda-mentals make it hard for commercial real estate investors to trust their assumptions. What decision-making techniques are most valuable to over-come these uncertainties? Magda Os-man, lecturer in cognitive psychology at Queen Mary, University of London, and author of Controlling Uncertain-ty, provides insights.

How does today’s uncertain business climate affect a person’s ability to make good business decisions?

In a complex situation, there is much more information to take into account before making a choice. Usually, this means that the greater a person’s ex-pertise, the better able that individual is to sift through what is relevant and minimize the risk of errors in judg-ment. The problem is that errors can occur at both ends of the knowledge spectrum. Experienced people will often recognize a problem as some-thing they’ve faced before and quickly choose previously successful strate-gies to solve it. This may be foolhardy. There’s a risk that an individual is zooming in on superficial aspects of a situation while neglecting an underly-ing issue that’s different and requires a different solution. Pressure to make a decision quickly may also increase the chance of biasing information to

Smart Decision Making in an Uncertain AgeA conversation with Magda Osman.

support a choice the decision maker favors.

How else does uncertainty make the decision process more challenging?

Uncertainty can destabilize what we think we know. In turn, that can result in our junking information that would otherwise be useful or shifting the focus from looking at success in the long term to meeting short-term needs. When uncertainty persists, bad decision makers frequently make ruthless changes to their plans with-out considering how these changes affect other aspects of the plan. These methods of coping increase uncer-tainty.

What techniques can assist a deci-sion maker in volatile times?

Having clearly defined goals based on reliable information and follow-ing a well-structured plan of action help individuals cope with uncertain situations better. If a lot of things are changing at once, it’s incredibly dif-ficult to identify whether subsequent changes in a situation are the direct result of your own behavior or caused by unknown factors in the environ-ment. In tackling an uncertain situ-ation, it’s often a good idea to make as few interventions as possible in a strategic plan, at least initially.

What role does intuition play in decision- making during uncertain times?

Much has been made recently about the role of intuition and the uncon-scious. In particular, strong claims have been made that we should make decisions based on our gut feelings. The rationale for this approach holds that our intuition, which is based on experience, can integrate complex information better than our rational analytical system. This is nonsense. Our experience comes from evaluat-ing information carefully and learning which decisions and actions worked best. To continue to make good deci-sions in an uncertain world, the best thing we can do is to keep rerunning the numbers. The more accurate our estimates of future outcomes are, the more sensible our decisions become.

Copyright National Association of RE-ALTORS®. Reprinted with permission.

Article link: http://realtormag.realtor.org/commercial/conversations/ar-ticle/2011/09/smart-decision-making-in-uncertain-age


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AroundHouse

the An article for current and future homeowners

Simple Tips for Better Home Showings1. Remove clutter and clear off coun-ters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put ex-cess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.

2. Wash your windows and screens. This will help get more light into the interior of the home.

3. Keep everything extra clean. A clean house will make a strong first impression and send a message to buyers that the home has been well-cared for. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates, mop and wax floors, and clean the stove and refrigerator. Polish your doorknobs and address numbers. It’s worth hiring a cleaning service if you can afford it.

4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpet-ing and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows to air out the house. Pot-pourri or scented candles will help.

5. Brighten your rooms. Put higher wattage bulbs in light fixtures to brighten up rooms and basements. Replace any burned-out bulbs in closets. Clean the walls, or better yet, brush on a fresh coat of neutral color paint.

6. Don’t disregard minor repairs. Small problems such as sticky doors,

torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well-maintained.

7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, add new mulch, trim the bushes, edge the walkways, and clean the gutters. For added curb appeal, place a pot of bright flowers near the entryway.

8. Patch holes. Repair any holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9. Add a touch of color in the living room. A colored afghan or throw on the couch will jazz up a dull room. Buy new accent pillows for the sofa.

10. Buy a flowering plant and put it near a window you pass by fre-quently.

11. Make centerpieces for your tables. Use brightly colored fruit or flowers.

12. Set the scene. Set the table with fancy dishes and candles, and create other vignettes throughout the home to help buyers picture living there. For example, in the basement you might display a chess game in progress.

13. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light. Show off the view if you have one.

14. Accentuate the fireplace. Lay

fresh logs in the fireplace or put a bas-ket of flowers there if it’s not in use.

15. Make the bathrooms feel luxuri-ous. Put away those old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pam-pered. Add a new shower curtain, new towels, and fancy guest soaps. Make sure your personal toiletry items are out of sight.

16. Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that’s not possi-ble, crate them or confine them to one room (ideally in the basement), and let the real estate practitioner know where they’ll be to eliminate surprises.

17. Lock up valuables, jewelry, and money. While a real estate salesper-son will be on site during the showing or open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.

18. Leave the home. It’s usually best if the sellers are not at home. It’s awk-ward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opin-ions of your home with you there.

Visit www.HouseLogic.com for more articles like this.

Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSO-CIATION OF REALTORS®.

Article link: http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/handouts-for-customers/for-sellers/simple-tips-for-better-home-showings


Upcoming Events: District 13 Conference & Expo

June 22, 2012

(Look for the MFRMLS table!)Time:

9 am-3:30 pm

Location: Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center

75 Taylor Street, Punta Gorda, FL 33950

Register by June 1 for a chance to win an iPad!

Register here: http://www.pgpcnprealtors.com/?page_id=879

SAVE THE DATE!!

Florida Realtors® 2012 Convention & Trade Expo

August 9-10, 2012 (Trade Expo days)

MFRMLS will be there! Stay tuned for information.

http://convention.floridarealtors.org/


Looking for a calendar of upcoming training classes?Visit http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/training-and-events for a

complete calendar of upcoming courses.

Did you know we also offer live webinars?http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/training-and-events/webinars/cat.listevents/2011/05/20/-

Help Desk Hours:

Monday–Friday: 7:30 AM–8:00 PMSaturday–Sunday: 8:00 AM–6:00 PM

Toll Free: (800) 686-7451Local: (407) 218-8607

http://www.mfrmls.com/member-support/help-desk

New Address

My Florida Regional MLS555 Winderley Place, Suite 320

Maitland, FL 32751

Telephone:

New Tel: (407) 960-5300Toll-Free: (800) 686-7451 New Fax: (407) 960-5450

Administration and Membership Question?

The Administration Department at My Florida Regional MLS has two main re-

sponsibilities—ensuring an accurate MLS database and maintaining your member-

subscriber information.

Whether you have questions about our MLS Rules and Regulations, listing viola-

tions, subscriber fees or simply need to update your contact information, our

Administration Specialists are ready to assist you.

Department hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

1-800-686-7451 (option #3)http://www.mfrmls.com/member-

support/administration-and-membership

Already have an MFRMLS-Office Depot Account? Then see the My Office Savings of the Month for May 2012! Visit the following link for more information: http://www.mfrmls.com/resources/member-savings/mfrmls-savings#savings-of-the-month

My Office Savings of the Month


MFRMLS Associations and BoardsShareholder OrganizationsBartow Board of REALTORS®— http://www.bartowboardofrealtors.com/index.html

East Polk County Association of REALTORS®— http://epcar.com/

Englewood Area Board of REALTORS®— http://www.englewoodareaboardofrealtors.com/

Greater Tampa Association of REALTORS®— http://www.gtar.org/

Lakeland Association of REALTORS®— http://www.lakelandrealtors.org/

Manatee Association of REALTORS®— http://www.manateerealtors.org/

Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association— http://www.orlrealtor.com/Main/Main.asp

Osceola County Association of REALTORS®— http://osceolarealtors.org/

Pinellas REALTOR® Organization— http://tampabayrealtor.com/

Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte-North Port Association of REALTORS®— http://pgpcnprealtors.com/

REALTORS® Association of Lake & Sumter Counties— http://www.ralsc.org/

Sarasota Association of REALTORS®— http://www.sarasotarealtors.com/

Venice Area Board of REALTORS®— http://www.vabr.org/

West Pasco Board of REALTORS®— http://www.wpbor.com/

West Volusia Association of REALTORS®— http://www.westvolusiarealtor.org/

Customer OrganizationsCentral Pasco Association of REALTORS®— http://www.centralpascorealtors.com/

Desoto County Board of REALTORS®— N/A

Lake Wales Association of REALTORS®— http://www.lwar.net/

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