MRED Blog
REinventing MLS
Category Archives: connectMLS
MRED Delivers Another Fall Classic
Two New Services and a Photo Enhancement Added to its Leading MLS System
LISLE, ILLINOIS (October 23, 2013) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced today that it has completed a major enhancement of the photo browser/upload functionality in its MLS system, while introducing two new products to its suite of services. Just another typical month for one of the largest MLSs in the country.
MRED premiered a new Photo Manager in its connectMLS™ system. A key feature allows users to take full advantage of the newest browser versions, including Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera. With this upgrade, it is now even easier to view, add, and edit photo titles and captions, while also simplifying the reordering and repositioning of listing photos. New advanced features support photo editing for brightness, contrast and cropping. The new photo management capabilities work on most mobile devices for the Realtor® on the go.
MRED has also introduced a way for its customers to become television stars. Well, at least their listings. Realtor.com and MRED have launched a Real Estate channel in the Chicago area. In collaboration with the Home Tour Network, this interactive On Demand channel shows virtual tours of home listings in the Chicago area on Comcast Cable Searchlight (channel number 888). For additional information and to guarantee listings get placed on the network, MRED customers should visit the realtor.com TV product page on MREDLLC.com.
One of MRED’s more popular products, The Thing – an interactive statistical package – has been upgraded. Its newest version is called Infosparks, and takes interactive market analytics to the highest level yet. Featuring compatibility with the iPad and other tablets, MRED real estate professionals can now choose multiple areas with more variables and expanded metrics. Infosparks offers the ability to create customizable price ranges and place a live data widget on their own websites. The classic version will remain within the Infosparks platform during the transition period.
“At MRED, we strive to be innovative in delivering services to our customers,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron. “With nearly 40,000 demanding customers, our MLS has to be the best. The products and services we provide to complement connectMLS™ are always held to the highest possible standard.”
MRED goes three for three in October…
About MRED
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers and appraisers and 8,000 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country per the latest WAV Group MLS Technology Survey. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.
New connectMLS Photo Manager
Introducing the new connectMLSTM Photo Manager
with Advanced Photo Edit Capabilities
- Photo management in connectMLSTM has been enhanced with some powerful features that take full advantage of modern browsers, including Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera
- This new photo management capability also works on most mobile devices
- It’s now easier to view, add, and edit photo titles and captions
- There are new ways to reorder/reposition photos
- You can correct and perfect photos with Advanced Editing features
Take a couple of minutes and review the release notes to learn more about this new functionality
Any questions? You can always contact the MRED Help Desk at 630-955-2755 or help.desk@mredllc.com
MRED’s MLS System Continues to Connect With Its Customers
Newest Version of connectMLS™ Hits a Home Run
LISLE, IL–(Marketwire – Jun 21, 2012) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) (www.mredllc.com), the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS), announced the successful implementation of the latest enhancements to its MLS system, connectMLS™.
The connectMLS™ version 4.2 MLS system is the backbone of the local real estate agent’s business. Populated with property listings encompassing the entire Chicagoland market, the MRED system provides access to invaluable information and functionality to all MRED brokers, agents and appraisers who rely on the MLS to conduct their business 24/7 — to either market their sellers’ properties or to find new homes for buyers. Even in the current market, more than $19 billion in real estate sales have been directly supported by the MRED connectMLS™ system in the last year.
MRED and its MLS system vendor, dynaConnections, are always researching ways to improve the MLS and provide even better service and functionality to MRED customers. connectMLS™ 4.2 premiered several cutting-edge features that will maintain its stature of being at the forefront of MLSs across the country.
A few of the new features include: default searches for each property type; saving and instant recall of the previous 20 searches, including a Previous Searches widget on the My MLS home page; Power (Natural Language) Searching; Bing 7 mapping enhancements down to the parcel level; and updated Driving Directions with an integrated Buyer Tour function.
“All MRED staff work tirelessly with dynaConnections to identify, design, test and implement modifications to the connectMLS™ system to increase the functionality and benefits it provides to our customers,” said MRED CEO Russ Bergeron. “We proudly provide connectMLS™, as well as a vast array of the other products and services, because we know we are a critical part of the modern real estate professional’s business. We can’t let up, because they can’t. It’s an incredibly successful partnership that can continue only if we continue to deliver on our part of the bargain.”
About MRED
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers, agents and appraisers and 8,000 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. For more information, visit: www.mredllc.com.
About dynaConnections Corporation and connectMLS™
dynaConnections Corporation is an Austin-based software company whose flagship product, connectMLS™, is renowned for constant innovation, dedication to service, and providing a one-of-a-kind multiple listing service solution for the real estate industry. connectMLS™ boasts millisecond response time, an intuitive design and seamless access on all devices and web browsers. For over 10 years, dynaConnections and the connectMLS™ solution have been continually exceeding all standards of what the real estate industry expects from an MLS provider. For more information, visit: www.dynaconnections.com.
Reverse Your Prospects in connectMLS™!
By: Jessica Ruminski, Training Department Manager
One of the most under-utilized connectMLS™ features is reverse prospecting. Many connectMLS™ users may think that if they use reverse prospecting other REALTORS® will see their clients contact information, but this is not true. You can only view the agent’s business card, not your client’s information.
Reverse prospecting can be used in multiple ways that will make you look like an all-star Realtor®! For example, create a draft listing of a potential seller’s property and then click on reverse prospecting. A list of Realtors® that have set up searches for their buyers and have allowed reverse prospecting on those searches will appear. These potential buyers have searches that match the features you indicated in your draft listing. Use this information in your listing presentation to inform your potential sellers that you have already targeted potential buyers for their property. Why wouldn’t they list with you?
For more ways to use reverse prospecting check out MRED’s online class connectMLS™-Listing Marketing Tools, sign up for a MRED computer lab day or call MRED to schedule a custom office training on reverse prospecting for 10 or more agents in your office!
AH HA Moments
By: Jessica Ruminski, Training Department Manager
During MRED training classes we often see what we call “ah ha” moments when the students faces light up and they say “I didn’t know connectMLS™ could do that.” We love these moments and often they happen over the simplest things. So here are a couple “ah ha” moments that we see frequently.
– Did you know in connectMLS™ you can open a second connectMLS™ page? Just click on “New Workspace” in the upper right hand corner of your connectMLS™ screen. You can continue working on your main connectMLS™ page while using the second to search for information, such as tax data!
– Do you wish your search results displayed more than just 20 results on a page? No problem! Just click on the setup tab in connectMLS, then select search and report defaults. Click on the drop-down arrow under the section titled “Number of properties displayed on a single page in 1-line summaries.” You can select to have up to 40 properties display on your results page. Be sure to click on save when you’re done so that your selection will be saved for the next search you do.
MRED Training Tips from the Trenches
By: Jessica Ruminski, Training Department Manager
Often MRED will ask our trainers, who are also REALTORS® , to give tips and suggestions that they think all REALTORS® should know. Here are a few great tips from MRED trainer Carrie Bey:
- New Agents should take all the classes MRED offers. They are FREE!
- Take advantage of MRED training during your slow months.
- Add 60 minutes of training to your work week. Sign up for an online class, watch a video or take a class.
- Update your Setup tab in connectMLS™ every quarter. MRED makes changes often so you want to make sure you are taking advantage of all the features.
- Setup a buyer account for yourself in connectMLS™. By doing this you are able to understand what your buyer sees in their version of the MLS.
Did you know MRED has a social media tool and a lead capture form? You don’t need to be a social media expert to take advantage of MRED’s social media tool called the Share My Listings widget. Sign up for a MRED computer lab day or watch MRED’s video to learn more.
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