ON THE INTERNET, TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED SCREAMING OR YELLING. IT IS ALSO VERY HARD TO READ. THE WAY CONSUMERS VIEW LISTINGS HAS CHANGED. AN OLD CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING TRICK WAS TO USE CAPS TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT FEATURES, AND THIS CARRIED OVER TO PUBLIC REMARKS. THE IDEA OF STANDING OUT WITH CAPS MAY NO LONGER BE EFFECTIVE. WHAT ARE YOU THOUGHTS?

HERE ARE SOME COMMON PRECONCEPTIONS PEOPLE HAVE WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS:

1. THE WRITER IS YELLING AT THEM.
2. THE WRITER IS ANGRY.
3. THE WRITER IS TRYING TO DEMAND ATTENTION.
4. THE WRITER HAS A LACK OF SKILL WITH TECHNOLOGY.

CAPS ON THE INTERNET ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVITY:

(YELP REVIEW)

The mystical jackalope, rumored but unsubstantiated.

In our ongoing correspondence with Subscribers, a common misconception keeps resurfacing: “Why does ARMLS keep raising Subscriber fees year after year?”

The fact is that ARMLS has not raised Subscriber fees in over 5 years. The increase in June of 2008 was the first increase since 1996, when fees were $156. The increase of $108 from 1996 to 2008 was less than the average annual inflation rate of 3.24% had ARMLS kept up with inflation each year. Over the last five years ARMLS has greatly increased its services to Subscribers without raising the cost of its Subscription.

With all the things Subscribers pay for, it is easy to get confused! ARMLS billing is always in May/June, Supra bills in late August/early September for their services, and Association (which includes NAR and AAR fees) dues come at the beginning of the year.

The Good News: ARMLS billing has started and Subscriber fees are the same price they were in 2008 (there is no price increase). Pay your fees here: http://www.armls.com/payfees

Postal worker Newman said it all when he explained why some postal workers go crazy: it’s because the mail never stops. ARMLS Subscribers may feel similarly about ARMLS emails. Some, like Cosmo Kramer, may even want to stop all ARMLS email, or simply delete it unread. But wait, there are some compelling reasons to stay connected with ARMLS.

ARMLS Rule 16.2 states that “Subscribers shall be responsible for maintaining current contact information, including mailing and email addresses with ARMLS and their Associations.” Penalty violation notifications are now sent via email only, so not having a current valid or working email address makes you vulnerable for a penalty if the notification bounces back to ARMLS.

Important information, such as flexAlerts, billing, rule changes, training, statistics and events, also come via email. A delete-all mentality means you miss valuable news. At the bottom of every ARMLS email is a link called Manage Your Subscription. Clicking it takes you to a screen where you can manage emails from ARMLS. It’s that simple. Be careful though not to check Never email me again because you’ll never hear from us again, you won’t even get your annual bill from ARMLS.

Manage emails sent from ARMLS:

1. Click the Manage My Subscription link found on every ARMLS mass email.

(sample button)

2. Select which messages you no longer wish to receive from ARMLS by un-checking each box, but never select Never Email Me Again (we won’t be able to send you billing messages if you check this option! See the image below,

In the past ARMLS used to roll out rule changes on an as-approved basis to get them into the hands of our Subscribers as soon as possible. Subscribers begged for mercy when the emails announcing changes felt like they were coming as fast and furious as the broom stick brigade of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Agents simply have enough trouble keeping up with their business, let alone an email every time ARMLS changes a rule. Now, new and updated rules, while approved by the ARMLS Board of Directors throughout the year, are rolled out on a semi-annual basis to make them more digestible. You asked, and we listened. 

This time the Big Kahuna rule change, in the changes published on Monday, May 13, involves notices sent out on violations of the ARMLS Penalty Policy.  Formerly, depending upon your penalty tier, you would be notified by email and/or snail mail. Now notifications on ALL violations will be sent out via email, as part of ARMLS’s ongoing green initiative.

An additional consequence involves ARMLS Rule 16.2 which requires all ARMLS Subscribers to have a current email address on file with ARMLS.  Now emails that bounce back on violation notices will be subject to a separate penalty violation. ARMLS recommends that you mark ARMLS as a safe sender in your email client to make sure the notices don’t get sent to Junk. Need to change your email address filed with ARMLS? The surest way is to make the change through your local REALTOR association.

Additional minor rule changes keep ARMLS in sync with NAR model MLS Rules, and accommodate the inclusion of Seasonal  Furnished Rentals as Vacation Rentals with all other residential rentals.

ARMLS.com has come over from the dark side and joined the ARMLS Blog as a full fledged member of the Responsive Design Club. ARMLS.com and MyARMLS have been redesigned for an optimal viewing experience which offers easy reading and navigation with a minimum of pinching, resizing, panning, resizing and scrolling, across a wide range of devices.

As the screen size changes, the content on ARMLS.com rearranges itself like magicso the content remains readable.  Gone are the days of static design when finding information on ARMLS.com or taking an action in MyARMLS on your smart phone was a painful experience.

Aside from the obvious,  it will now be easy for you to pay your fees, update your profile, sign up for or cancel a class without all of the pinching, pulling, squinting and other fancy finger work that was necessary in the past. No cheaters, bifocals or magnifying glasses required.

The ARMLS.com responsive design initiative is part of ARMLS’s commitment to supporting the mobility needs of its Subscribers with tools that make sense for the mobile user. Right now there are over 300 different models of smartphones Subscribers use when accessing ARMLS.com.  In the past two years mobile traffic to ARMLS.com increased by 170%, even though the website was not mobile friendly.  With the change to responsive design, we are expecting our web traffic to have a meteoric rise.

If you’re reading this blog post on a mobile device right now, hop on over to ARMLS.com or MyARMLS and give it a try.  We would love some feedback on your experience.

An article published by CNN on May 2 referenced the comeback of pocket listings. These are listings that are kept under wraps, or in the listing Agent’s pocket, and not posted in MLS. Sometimes this happens at the direction of the Seller who might prefer to keep the disposal of his property private. Other times, the listing Agent may prefer to keep the listing out of MLS to reduce competition and sell it directly to his own Buyer client, thus collecting both the listing side and the selling side of the commission. 

This phenomenon is not new. In markets where the Buyers are scarce, pocket listings are not desirable, because the Seller needs all of the exposure he can get. In markets or niches where inventory is down but demand is high, pocket listings can flourish. Pocket listings are legal themselves, but there are some caveats. The listing Agent should consider if exposing the listing in MLS will put the property in a position to bring a better price.  As a fiduciary, the listing Agent is obligated to put the Seller’s needs above his own, and that means favoring a better price for the Seller over more commission for the Agent.

The ARMLS Exclusive Right to Sell/Rent Listing Contract addresses the owner’s authorization of the listing Agent to list the property in MLS. Any deviation from that expectation should be done with the Seller’s approval and permission.  Some Agents may even argue that keeping a listing out of MLS is not very sporting because it further reduces an already scarce inventory.

With inventory in the Valley at low levels, particularly in the highly desirable, more affordable price ranges, are you aware of pocket listings or keeping some yourself? How do you feel about others doing it?

Posting a listing that belongs to another Agent on Craigslist is very much like the children’s game, Mother, May I?  You may not take the step if you don’t get permission from Mother, or the listing Broker. This requirement for permission includes not just Craigslist, but also your personal website, promotional displays, newspaper advertising, flyers and non-IDX sites like Facebook, Google, Postlets, Trulia, Yahoo and Zillow.

Some make the case that additional postings give a listing more exposure, and that’s good for the Seller.  But ARMLS Rule (10.11 Advertising of Listings Filed With ARMLS), Article 12 of the Code of Ethics (specifically Standard of Practice 12-4 and 12-5) and the Internet Data Exchange  (IDX) Policy all require permission from the listing brokerage before advertising another Broker’s listed property.  Further violating ARMLS Rules concerning the posting of another Broker’s listing without permission is a violation of the ARMLS Penalty Policy.  The Arizona Administrative Code (R4-502. Advertising by a Licensee) cautions that all advertising contain accurate claims and representations and not create false or misleading impressions. If you include a link back to an IDX-enabled website, make sure you are abiding by all IDX Rules.

Agents who post information about another Broker’s listings should regularly review the posts for accuracy, and remove the post if the property is no longer Active.

There are plenty of listings now on Craigslist that are posted by Agents who are not the listing Agent. Care to share any experiences with postings of your listings by other Agents?