New ‘Preview’ Listing Status in REsearch 6

If you have a listing contract for a property that’s not quite ready to be marketed to the general public, you can still give your fellow MLS members an early look! Also known as ‘Coming Soon’ listings, this additional ‘Preview’ status is an emerging concept among MLSes to help agents and brokers address their pre-marketing needs.

Read on for all the details, from how preview listings work to the associated requirements and rules. The new listing status comes into play as you complete the listing input form in REsearch 6:

After you finish entering your listing, clicking the ‘Release’ button now gives you an updated confirmation window:

You can select ‘Release’ to make your listing active, or ‘Preview.’ Preview or ‘P’ status listings will be visible inside REsearch but will not be distributed our syndicated outside the MLS.

Please note that Preview listings are also only supported in REsearch 6, and will not display in the old system.

How Preview Listings Work

While a listing is in Preview status, no Days On Market will accrue. A listing may remain in Preview for a maximum of 30 days. Upon release to Active status, the DOM will start count. If it is not released by the listing agent to Active status within 30 days, the listing will automatically be withdrawn by the system.

Preview Listings:

• Will be viewable and searchable by other participants of the service.
• Will not be displayed to the public on AlohaLiving.com.
• Will not be included in IDX or VOW feeds.
• Will not be exported in feeds to third parties like ListHub or Zillow.
• Will not be available in Prospects.

Preview Status Rules:

Some of the rules of the service have been revised to accommodate this new status.

Definition of P/Preview:

There is a valid listing contract between the seller and the listing broker, and there is no pending escrow or purchase agreement. The property is not yet ready for marketing to the public. The property may not be available for showing. The listing will be placed in W/Withdrawn status if not released to A/Active status within thirty (30) days. Once the listing is released to A/Active status, the listing may not be put back into P/Preview status. The listing will not automatically expire in the system.

• Photos for listings that are in P/Preview status are permitted but not required.
• Disclosure why the listing is not yet available sale or shown must be provided in the Public Remarks.
• Participants and associate subscribers may not display Preview status listings information in advertising or websites.

As a reminder, in the event that a seller does not want his or her property to be entered into the MLS, a Certification to Withhold Listing from HIS [PDF] must still be submitted to the service. Otherwise, any property listed with a participant or associate subscriber of the service located on Kauai or the island of Hawaii, must be submitted to the service within four (4) calendar days of the listing contract.

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Support team by calling 1-800-628-3121 or by email to support@hiinfo.com.

October 2015 Training Schedule

Below is the schedule of upcoming online training classes for the month of October. If you’re new to REsearch, we strongly encourage you to attend an “Orientation” session on Oct. 5 or Oct. 21.

Even if you’ve participated in a session before, it’s often a good idea to get a refresher. Our live trainers can answer your questions and help you get the most out of REsearch. Descriptions of each HIS webinar can can be found here.

To sign up immediately, simply click on the links below. If you are going to participate/watch online classes as a group, only one person needs to sign up.

Oct. 5-9, 2015

• Orientation
  October 5, 2015 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2911627006407469826
• Getting Started
  October 5, 2015 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6252598640521435905
• Formats
  October 7, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7142887499183301122
• Enter & Manage Listings
  October 7, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/79055255327123458
• Searching
  October 9, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7488568457398001410
• Advanced Searching
  October 9, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2192987306005602818

Oct. 12-15, 2015

• Farming & Labels
  October 12, 2015 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3394936034095007234
• Prospect & Contacts
  October 12, 2015 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4403856699835319554
• Maps I
  October 14, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2797574665259298050
• Maps II
  October 14, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5114693166215868930
• “Listing Update” & CMA (Part I)
  October 16, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/395534284219921410
• Cloud CMA (Part II)
  October 16, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1940633994268457218

Oct. 19-23, 2015

• Enter & Manage Listings
  October 19, 2015 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8804872991846163714
• Open House
  October 19, 2015 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/95052050000006914
• Orientation 
  October 21, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6007916621411962114
• Getting Started
  October 21, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5407402952739339778
• Customizing
  October 23, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4279155588571442946
• zipForms, Roster Download & Downloading
  October 23, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4796939803347054082

Oct. 26-30, 2015

• TMK Essentials
  October 28, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
  Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6787575918621162498

Instructions on how to register for online classes:

• To register, please click on the applicable link located below the class. The link will then take you to the registration site.
• Please complete all the required fields marked by a red asterisk (First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Phone, Organization AKA Office Name).
• Click “Register Now” to complete the registration process. Once registered a confirmation email will be sent to your email address to confirm your registration along with a unique web ID number and instructions on how to login to the session on that day.
• If you need login assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer/Technical Support team at 800-628-3121, press # and then 457.

Remember, after you have participated, please make sure to fill out the survey or e-mail me your feedback so we can continue to improve upon our training efforts! Mahalo. 

System Requirements for Online Classes

• PC-based attendees – Required: Microsoft Windows® XP or newer
• Macintosh®-based attendees – Required: Mac OS® X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or newer
• Mobile attendees – Required: Apple iOS 8 or newer, Google Android 4.0 or newer

System requirements apply only to the GoToMeeting webinar service, not to the REsearch system. Questions? Comments? Please feel free to contact us via support@hiinfo.com or call (808) 599-4224 or (800) 628-3121.

REsearch 6 is Live!

We are excited to announce that the latest version of REsearch is now live. After nearly a year of development and more than four months of intensive beta testing, REsearch 6 is now the primary system. This means that you will now be directed to log into REsearch 6 by default.

Most of our members have logged into REsearch 6, and many have already been using the beta version as their primary system. But for those who need more time to transition, REsearch 5.1 will remain available through the end of the year.

Known Issues

We have spent the last few weeks working through hundreds of pieces of feedback and bug reports, representing our most robust and successful beta testing period ever. As with any software launch, however, there are few open items that are still in development that may affect your work.

An updated list of known issues can be found in our new Knowledge Base, but these are the most notable as of today’s launch:

• Action button displays incorrectly on smaller screens (#1553)
• ‘Email page’ doesn’t open for some users (#1542)
• CMA search queries reset when switching views (#1174)
• Difficulty reporting a sale (#1556)

None of these are critical issues and in most cases occur only on specific platforms or in certain situations. If you experience unexpected behavior in REsearch 6, please contact support.

REsearch 6 Resources

We’ve provided as much information as we can to ensure that you’re ready for REsearch 6, but if you need a refresher, here are a few helpful links:

• REsearch 6 Training Video: A 34-minute video of the same in-person training we brought to you in July, walking through the key parts of the new system. You can also browse our YouTube channel to check out additional REsearch 6 guides and quick tips.
• REsearch 6 Bulletins: You can review our archive of REsearch 6 announcements, covering everything from the main objectives of the upgrade to specific features and changes.
• REsearch Knowledge Base: We’ve rebuilt our online help system from the ground up, providing a new, searchable library of frequently asked questions as well as detailed notes on REsearch 6 development.
• Online Training: Our monthly slate of live, instructor led webinars are taught using REsearch 6. There are still classes available in September (including an ‘orientation’ on Sept. 21), and you can find the current schedule of classes at any time in REsearch under ‘RETools.’

Mahalo for your continued support!

The release of REsearch 6 is an important milestone for HIS, and involved the entire team. But the testing and feedback from members like you were also very important parts of ensuring a successful launch. Thank you again for your help, and we hope you love REsearch 6 as much as we do!

REsearch 6 Launches on September 15!

On Tuesday, September 15, 2015, REsearch 6 will emerge from beta testing and become the primary system. For those needing more time to make the transition, the previous version (REsearch 5.1) will remain available through the end of the year.

We’ve been hard at work on the next version of REsearch since last fall, officially announcing REsearch 6 in April. Over the past several months, we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to share the many great improvements coming with the new system.

We are especially grateful to the record number of people who have helped us test REsearch 6 — more than two thirds of you have logged into the new system at least once — providing invaluable feedback on what works and what could work better.

We enjoyed visiting you Lihue, Kona and Hilo to provide in-person sneak peek and training sessions earlier this summer.

And for those who were unable to join us, we’ve transitioned our existing monthly slate of live online training classes to use REsearch 6, and we’ve introduced online videos to make it easier than ever to learn how to get the most out of REsearch.

From a sleek new design with flexible, mobile-responsive elements to an improved input form and photo loader, REsearch 6 will help you get things done faster and from any device. And some of the biggest improvements are under the hood, from modern development frameworks to infrastructure upgrades — REsearch 6 is the first to run in a powerful, scalable cloud environment.

REsearch 6 Resources

We’ve provided as much information as we can to ensure that you’re ready for REsearch 6, but if you need a refresher, here are a few helpful links:

• REsearch 6 Training Video: A 34-minute video of the same in-person training we brought to you in July, walking through the key parts of the new system. You can also browse our YouTube channel to check out additional REsearch 6 guides and quick tips.
• REsearch 6 Bulletins: You can review our archive of REsearch 6 announcements, covering everything from the main objectives of the upgrade to specific features and changes.
• REsearch Knowledge Base: We’ve rebuilt our online help system from the ground up, providing a new, searchable library of frequently asked questions as well as detailed notes on REsearch 6 development.
• Online Training: Our monthly slate of live, instructor led webinars are taught using REsearch 6. There are still classes available in September (including an ‘orientation’ on Sept. 21), and you can find the current schedule of classes at any time in REsearch under ‘RETools.’

Mahalo for your continued support!

The release of REsearch 6 is an important milestone for HIS, and involved the entire team. But the testing and feedback from members like you were also very important parts of ensuring a successful launch. Thank you again for your help, and we hope you love REsearch 6 as much as we do!

Office Closed on Monday for Labor Day

The Hawaii Information Service office will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2015 in observance of Labor Day. Normal office hours will resume on Tuesday, September 8.

If you require urgent assistance, please leave a message on our emergency line by calling (808) 599-4224 and pressing * (star), and our on-call staff will get back to you as soon as possible.

Looking ahead, our next observed holiday will be Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, Nov. 26 and the following day, Friday, Nov. 27, 2015.

Thank you for your continued support. All of us at Hawaii Information Service would like to wish your team a peaceful holiday weekend!

Photo courtesy Mike Mozart on Flickr.