Holiday Hours

The following holiday hours will be in effect:

Thursday December 26th 8:30 - 5:00
Friday December 27th 8:30 - 5:00
Monday December 30th 8:30 - 5:00
Tuesday December 31st 8:30 - 3:00
Wednesday January 1st  - Closed.

Upcoming Matrix and Listingbook Classes

SIgn up for one of our informative, dynamic training sessions.  Whether it be hands-on or webinar, we have classes to fit everyone's busy schedule!

Matrix I           January 7     6pm-9pm                   Webinar

Matrix II          January 10   9:30am-12:30pm     Norwalk

Matrix I           January 14   9:30am-12:30pm     Bethel

Listingbook I   January 14   1:30pm-4:30pm       Bethel

Matrix I            January 16   9:30am-12:30pm    Bridgeport

Listingbook I    January 16   1:30pm-4:30pm      Bridgeport

Listing Entry    January 22   9:30am-12:30pm    Norwalk

Matrix I            January 23    9:30am-12:30pm   Stamford

Listingbook I    January 23   1:30pm-4:30pm     Stamford

Listingbook II   January 28   6pm-9pm             Webinar

Matrix II           January 30   6pm-9pm             Webinar  

Click here to register now!

New Matrix "Hotsheet Thumbnail" Displays

We have just added new "Hotsheet (Thumbnail)" displays for all property types.  In addition to expanding on the information typically contained on Hotsheet displays, these new displays also include listing photos.

We have also enhanced all existing Agent and Client Thumbnail displays.

Upcoming Matrix and Listingbook Classes

SIgn up for one of our informative, dynamic training sessions.  Whether it be hands-on or webinar, we have classes to fit everyone's busy schedule!

Matrix I           October 17       9:30am-12:30pm     Bridgeport

Matrix II          October 17       1:30pm-4:30pm       Bridgeport

Matrix I           October 21       6:00pm-9:00pm       Webinar

Listingbook I  October 22       1:30pm-4:30pm        Norwalk

Listingbook II October 23       9:30am-12:30pm      Norwalk

Listing Input   October 29       6:00-9:00pm            Webinar

Matrix I           November 4     9:30am-12:30pm     Norwalk

Matrix I           November 7     6:00-9:00pm            Webinar

Matrix I           November 13   9:30am-12:30pm     Bethel

Matrix II          November 13   1:30pm-4:30pm       Bethel

Matrix I           November 14   9:30am-12:30pm     Bridgeport

Listing Input   November 14   1:30pm-4:00pm       Bridgeport

Listingbook I  November 18   6:00pm-9:00pm       Webinar

Listingbook II November 21   6:00pm-9:00pm       Webinar

Matrix I           November 26  9:30am-12:30pm     Norwalk 

Click here to register now!

Beware of a Recent Phone Scam

We have recently heard from several CMLS members who have gotten phone calls from people claiming to be working for Microsoft.  These callers said they had received error code transmissions emanating from the user's computer and that they were calling to help.  They wanted to install programs on the user's computer to help "fix" problems.

This is a scam.  Nobody, including Microsoft, will call you unsolicited and offer to help you with problems on your computer.

If this happens to you, do not follow their instructions.  Hang up the phone.  Do not allow them to connect to your computer, do not give them any personal information (including a credit card number), and do not install any programs they advise you to install.  

If you are concerned that there is an infection or some other problem with your PC, please contact the CMLS.  We will be happy to check it out for you.

Listingbook Advanced Webinar

Click here to join tonight's (Thursday, September 26th) Listingbook Advanced Webinar from 6-9PM. 

Learn how to make the most of Listingbook for you and your clients & customers!  

Enjoy!

Planned Unit Development listings

Going forward, the CMLS no longer allows PUD listings to be entered both as a Single Family and a Condo.  All PUD listings should be entered as Single Family only.

To search for PUD listings, open a SF & CN search, choose Single Family as the property type and put a check in the Yes box for Planned Unit Development.

Enhanced Multi-Family Property Full Displays

We have just deployed enhanced Multi-Family property Full displays. 
The new displays feature larger fonts, a map and a layout that closely resembles both the recently enhanced Single Family/Condo displays and Flyer displays.
The Full displays for the Land and Commercial property types will be enhanced in this same fashion in the near future.

New Member Webinar

Please click here for tonight, Tuesday, September 10, 2013's New member Webinar. 
ENJOY!

Full Display Enhancements

We have just finished enhancing the Full Display for Residential properties.  The new version of these displays features a map, larger fonts, and a layout that closely mirrors the Flyer displays. 

 

The Full displays for our other property types will be enhanced in this same fashion in the near future.

Auto Narrow

We have enabled the Auto Narrow feature on Matrix, which makes it easier to work with just those listings that you have selected from a larger group of listings.

Please see this document for a comprehensive explanation of this feature.

Spaces Available!!!!

Sign up now for one of our Matrix training sessions!

August 27     9:30am - 12:00pm     Listing Entry          in Norwalk

August 29     9:30am - 12:30pm     New member        In Norwalk

Click here to register online or call 203 - 840 - 6674 x 300.

Rising Home prices

Home prices seem to be on the rise, even with increased mortgage rates.
To read the full story, click here

July Class Schedule

Sign up now and reserve your seat for one of our dynamic and informative training sessions!

July 26        9:30AM-12:30PM      New Member in Norwalk
July 29        6:00PM-9:00PM        New Member Webinar

Click Here to register online OR call us at 203-840-6674!

Updating Tax Information

When you go in to update the tax amount on your listings, please remember to just enter whole dollar amounts- do not include decimal points or cents.  If you enter decimals and cents, you will get an error when you try to save it.

July Class Schedule

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us, and what better time to brush up on your Matrix and Listingbook skills than over the next few weeks while sitting in our air conditioned classrooms..... Below is the class schedule for the remainder of July with seats available in all classes.  Sign up now and reserve your seat for one of our dynamic and informative training sessions!

July 23        6:00PM-9:00PM        Matrix Intermediate Webinar
July 25        9:30AM-12:30PM      Listingbook Advanced in Norwalk
July 26        9:30AM-12:30PM      New Member in Norwalk
July 29        6:00PM-9:00PM        New Member Webinar

Click Here to register online OR call us at 203-840-6674!

Follow CMLS on Twitter!

We are constantly looking for unobtrusive ways to keep our subscribers up to date with important information regarding CMLS services, system updates, helpful hints, and other MLS related news. To that end, we are excited to announce that we have just opened a Twitter account (@gfccmls).

Click here to follow us, and receive these important updates directly in your Twitter feed.

 

 

4th of July Holiday Hours

On Wednesday, July 3rd we will be closing at 3pm.  We will reopen Saturday, July 6th at 9am and will close at 1pm.  If you need assistance with your electronic key you may call Supra at 1 877-699-6787.
Note, if your account is suspended for non-payment you can pay your invoice at the Manage Account section of our website.  Once payment is made your Matrix service is available within 5 minutes and your key service is available within 2 hours.

Listing Input Questions???

Tonight, Monday, June 17th, from 6PM- 8:30PM, there will be a Matrix Listing Input webinar for anyone new to our system, having trouble with inputting or modifying listings, or seeking to polish their inputting skills.  

Click here anytime between 5:45 and 6:00 PM to join us!

Matrix Search Tip

If you want to run a search and use certain criteria more often than others, there is a way to set that up ahead of time.

Start your search, pick the County and Town, and/or any other criteria you like to use on a regular basis.

In the upper right, click the gear icon.

Click "Set Currently Selected Search Criteria as my starting default".

Now every time you run the search, it will have the criteria you picked ahead of time.

June Education

We have a seat just for you! Sign up now for one of our very informative Matrix or Listingbook classes and take your business to the next level.

June 12 Listingbook Adv 6-9 PM Webinar

June 17 Listing Input 6-8:30PM Webinar

June 19 New Member 9:30AM-12:30PM Bethel

June 19 Listingbook 1:30-4:30PM Bethel

June 20 New Member 9:30AM-12:30PM Bridgeport

June 20 Matrix Intermed. 1:30-4:30PM Bridgeport

June 25 New Member 6-9PM Webinar

Click here to register!

May Matrix Training

Sign up now for one of the following Matrix classes....seating is limited!


May 30 6:00PM-9:00PM New Member Webinar

GFC CMLS Invoices

Invoices for the 3rd Quarter were emailed to all subscribers NOT enrolled in our automatic credit card payment program. You can click here to view and pay your invoice online.

May Matrix Training

Sign up now for one of the following Matrix classes....seating is limited!

May 22 9:30AM-12:00PM Listing Input in Norwalk

May 30 6:00PM-9:00PM New Member Webinar

Search Screen Revisions

In an effort to make searching more logical and efficient, we have created a redesigned version of the Residential (SF & CN) Search which we will be releasing today, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. It is called SF & CN Search (New) and it replaces the SF & CN Detailed Search. Several new fields have been added to the search, and the screen layout has been redesigned to hopefully give searching a more intuitive workflow. This new search still has all of the fields that you have become used to from the SF & CN Basic search; some of the fields have simply been regrouped and/or enhanced to make searching easier.


Our intent is to have this new search replace the current setup where we have two different Residential (SF & CN) Searches: Basic and Advanced. Once the new Residential search is in place, we will be revising the search screens for the other property types as well.

We will maintain the current format of having two different Residential searches for the next two weeks so you can get used to the new layout. We hope to transition to a single Residential (SF & CN) Search (and eliminate the SF & CN Basic Search) around Monday, May 20th.

We would really appreciate your feedback on this new search screen. If you have any questions, please call the CMLS office.

Pending home sales up

Homes with contracts for sale are up to their highest level in 3 years.

Click here to read the full story on USA Today.

Take Listingbook To The Next Level!

Sign up now for the Listingbook Advanced webinar to be held on Thursday, May 2nd from 6-9PM.

This class covers adding appointments and showings, communicating with your clients, creating flyers, viewing hotsheets, and using the address book as well as doing a CMA.

Click here to register now!

Newtown CE Classes to Benefit Sandy Hook

On Wednesday, May 8, 2013, the Newtown Board of Realtors is offering CE classes, and the profits are being donated to the Sandy Hook teachers.

For more information, please click here.

Attention: Admins and Assistants

If you are an assistant or admin who has your own MLS ID but often log in under the ID of the agent you are assisting, you should have the agent set up a team and then add your ID to that team. Team functionality allows you to either work on behalf of the agent or impersonate him/her. Once the Team has been set up, you can log into Matrix under your own ID and when you have to do work as the agent you can switch to the Team login directly from the Matrix homepage and have the access to the agent’s work as though you were logged in under his/her ID. This is the proper way to work as an agent, rather than logging into Matrix using their ID.


Here is a brief document explaining how to set up Team functionality within Matrix.

Printable Listing History Reports

We have just finished adding a new printable Listing History report to Matrix. If you select a group of listings and click Print, you can go to the Additional Reports tab and you will find Listing History at the bottom of the list. This report will show you all of the status changes and associated information (who made the change, when it was made, old/new values, etc.) for the specified listings.

Home Sales

In certain market areas, February home sales are up to levels not seen since 2007.

Click here to read the full story on USA Today.

Sign Up Now!

Spaces are available for the classes listed below...........Sign up NOW!


March 19 Matrix Intermediate 9:30AM-12:30PM Norwalk

March 21 New Member 9:30AM-12:30PM Bridgeport

March 21 Listingbook 1:30PM-4:30PM Bridgeport

March 26 New Member 6:00PM-9:00PM Webinar


Call 203-840-6674 to save a seat for one of these dynamic sessions TODAY!

Commercial Record Real Estate Outlook

March 20th, Farmington CT.


The Commercial Record has assembled a strong group of speakers and panelists who will discuss their visions about the 2013 market from the varied points of view of builders, brokers, appraisers and others.


The seminar is March 20th at the Farmington Marriott, which is right off Route 84 and easily accessible. Registration is just $49, which includes breakfast.

Go to the Commercial Record Real Estate Outlook Site for complete details and to register.

Space Available Just For You!

Sign up now for a Matrix Class!


Wednesday, March 13 9:30AM-12:30PM New Member Class at NFCAR in Bethel (required for all new members)

Wednesday, March 13 1:30PM-4:00PM Listing Input Class at NFCAR in Bethel

Thursday, March 14 6:00PM-9:00PM Advanced Listingbook Webinar

Call our office NOW to reserve your space for one of these dynamic sessions!

CTS is now a 45 day status

The procedure that automatically changes a CTS listing to PEND after 30 days has been modified- the time frame has been increased to 45 days. So, a listing can remain CTS for 45 consecutive days, after which the Matrix system will automatically change it to PEND. You may still go in at any point and manually change the listing's status yourself if necessary.

Unit # has been added to the Single Family forms

We have just added the Unit # field to the Single Family property type. If you have listed a property that is a PUD and has a unit # in the address, you may now go in and add that Unit # to your listing. The field has been added to the address section of the listing input form within Matrix. This field should appear on the search screens as well as any displays and reports.

Short Sale Reporting

In a Short Sale situation, the listing must be marked as CTS within 48 hours of the buyer and seller reaching a meeting of the minds. Approval of the bank is a contingency of the transaction and should not affect when the listing is reported as CTS.

Attention: Admins and Assistants

If you are an assistant or admin who has your own MLS ID but often log in under the ID of the agent you are assisting, you should have the agent set up a team and then add your ID to that team. Team functionality allows you to either work on behalf of the agent or impersonate him/her. Once the Team has been set up, you can log into Matrix under your own ID and when you have to do work as the agent you can switch to the Team login directly from the Matrix homepage and have the access to the agent’s work as though you were logged in under his/her ID. This is the proper way to work as an agent, rather than logging into Matrix using their ID.


Here is a brief document explaining how to set up Team functionality within Matrix.

If you are an assistant/admin that does not have your own ID, please contact the CMLS office and we’ll help you set one up.

Presidents Day hours

We will be open 8:30-5pm on Presidents Day, 2/18.

We will be open again with our normal hours (8:30-6pm) on Tuesday morning, 2/19.

Chrome and GFC CMLS Forms

If you're using the Chrome browser and try to fill out GFC CMLS forms online and save them, it won't keep the text you've typed in to them.

One way around that is to use Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Another thing you can do (if you still want to use Chrome) is to save the blank PDF form to your PC or Mac first, then re-open it from there, fill it out, then save.

Another thing you can do is disable Chrome's built-in pdf viewer. If it is disabled, you can then type in the form and save it normally.
Type in "chrome:plugins" in the web address field, and hit enter.

Look for Adobe Reader in the list of plugins, and click Disable. You may have to restart the Chrome browser for it to work correctly.

Matrix documentation and videos

We have many helpful instructional videos and documentation for Matrix available.

Click the link below, and login with your ID and password

http://www.ct-mls.com/MembersOnly/Support/Matrix/Default.aspx

We are open M-F 8:30am-6pm and Saturday from 9-2pm if you have any questions.
Our number is 203-840-6674 or you can call 800-474-0101.

Random Auditing of Listings

We are always looking for ways to ensure that the CMLS listings database is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. It is in the best interest of all CMLS users that the information that appears within the system is reliable and reported within an acceptable timeframe.

The integrity of the data within our system is not only critical to our members who rely upon the MLS system for their livelihood, but also to their customers whose CMAs, appraisals, and other property valuations are based on that same data. The downstream effects of data that is carelessly or inaccurately entered into the MLS can be profound.

To that end, we will be performing daily random audits of both active and off market listings. If your listing is selected, CMLS will contact you and request a copy of the listing agreement be sent to us within three (3) business days. Some examples of the information we will be verifying are:

1. Was the listing entered on CMLS within the required two (2) business days?

2. Were the listing and expiration dates reported correctly?

3. Does the listing agreement meet all requirements for entry into CMLS?

4. Were written permissions from the homeowner obtained for extensions, price changes, etc.?

The objective of this campaign is solely to preserve and improve the integrity of the CMLS system. Making sure our data is as accurate and timely as possible allows you to more effectively perform your job as a real estate professional.

Updated Training Schedule

Thursday, January 31st New to GFC CMLS Webinar 6:00 - 9:00pm Online