Archive for FAQs
Minnesota MLS Removing MLS Areas Field by Early 2011
From the Northstar MLS system.
Municipalities and Townships: NorthstarMLS has changed its rule so that if you list a property that is located in a Township, you now have the option to select the Postal City for the Municipality field (instead of the Township). You may do this for future listings and for existing Active listings (using the Edit function in Home Base). This option is available only for those properties located in a Township.
There are over 700 Townships in Minnesota. Most of them are not known by the public, even in the areas around the Townships. They are more commonly grouped with the nearest town/city which is usually also the mailing address. These Township properties can now be more easily found by and for potential buyers, giving them more selection. The Township name will continue to be reflected on the Tax record (available by clicking the PID Number).
MLS Areas to be Discontinued: The Minnesota MLS Area field will be phased out of NorthstarMLS by early 2011. Reasons for this decision include:
- MLS Areas were developed many years ago for a form of newspaper listing that no longer exists.
- Boundaries are mostly subjective. As areas have developed over the years, many boundaries have come into contention with no clear consensus on where new boundaries should be drawn. Even if new boundaries are drawn, they will likely change again over time.
- Changing MLS Area boundaries is difficult. Besides gaining consensus, there is system reprogramming, reclassification of existing listings and redo/printing of maps (including some broker/agent Web sites).
- Many listings (over 1,000 per month) are routinely entered into the wrong MN MLS Area in an attempt to improve the listing’s exposure. This requires a great deal of staff resource time to respond to complaints from other agents who object to incorrect location information.
- Consumers have no knowledge of MLS Areas beyond what their agent tells them.
- NorthstarMLS provides many alternative search tools, particularly Map Search which allows you to define a very specific search area for your client’s needs.
- NorthstarMLS mapping is extremely accurate. With three to four thousand new listings entered per week, only a handful (less than half a percent) report mapping problems which are quickly corrected. Agents even have a utility in Home Base where they can easily correct the map on their listing if needed (select “Map By MLS#” from the Home Base main menu).
Many of you still routinely search based on MLS Area. We are giving months of advance notice to give you time to become accustomed to other search methods. Throughout this transition, we will soon offer online videos on how to do Map Searches. If you have never used this tool, we think you will find it extremely useful. You can also continue to search by Municipality, Postal City, School District and ZIP Code.
MN MLS Tokenless Switchover to Start this Week
From the Northstar MLS Site, April 5, 2010.
Starting this week, we will ask MN MLS users to switch over to the new tokenless SafeMLS login system. The first thing you will notice is that there will be a new Tokenless login section on the Login screen (in addition to the existing login with PIN and token password). Both will be available until we have everyone switched over to Tokenless.
At the start of the week, we will switch over MLS and Association staff to ensure there are no issues. Then NorthstarMLS users will start switching. Because switchovers to the new tokenless security system require a set amount of server resources, the process needs to be managed gradually over several weeks. As a result, you cannot choose when you want to switch. The system will automatically prompt you to make the switch when there is room on the enrollment server at the time you log in. We understand everyone is anxious to make the change, so we appreciate your patience with this process.
When you are prompted to switchover, you will follow two quick steps. The first is to enter new answers to your 3 secret questions (birth city, birth year and mother’s middle name). You will be newly answering these, so they do not have to match your responses from your token enrollment last year. Second, you will enter your new MLS Minnesota password that you create. Your new password must be at least 8 characters, include both letters and at least one number, and no number or letter may be repeated more than three times in a row.
After you enroll, you will log on to NorthstarMLS systems using the Tokenless section of the login screen, entering your user ID and new password. You will no longer need your token, you will no longer enter a PIN, and your password will remain the same until you choose to change it. Also after enrollment, your SafeMLS token will automatically be deactivated. Because your token has a battery in it, we encourage you to return it to your Association for recycling and not throw it in the trash.
HUD Properties on the MN MLS
The federal agency, Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD guarantees loans that are taken out by certain borrowers. Unfortunately, when the houses go into foreclosure HUD get’s the houses back from the lender. This is much like if you bought a car, got in an accident and it was totaled. Your insurance company would pay off your loan and then own the car which they would then sell to someone for parts. HUD works exactly the same.
Although you can go to the HUD website, it is not the easiest to use. All HUD properties, fortunately, are on the MLS in Minnesota. Your real estate agent can simply search for these properties as there is only one agent currently in the Twin Cities that lists these houses. Once you find one on the MLS, you must go to the HUD website (Best-Assets.com) to actually buy the house.
Only registered brokers are allowed to put in offers for the properties. You will need to be working with an agent or broker that has been approved by HUD. Most larger brokers are. This also gives your agent access to HUD keys to show the properties as HUD sets all their houses to open with the use of 1 of 5 master keys.
Using the MLS MN is by far the easiest way to find these HUD homes and get the best deals.
BR3KFQKQW7N9
BR3KFQKQW7N9
Fob-U-Less SafeMLS Security Update
NorthstarMLS is getting closer to going key fob token-free for login! They will test the new tokenless SafeMLS security system in early March. The vendor is completing the infrastructure and software set-up. Assuming there are no major issues during the testing phase, they expect to be ready for release by the end of March.
When they release, changing over your user ID to token-free will be a simple online process that you can complete anytime at your convenience over a 30-day period. Once you changeover, your key fob token will automatically be deactivated, and you will log on with your User ID and a single password, to the MN MLS, that you create and use each time you login. You will no longer need the key fob token or a PIN number. The new password you create for yourself will be 8 characters, case sensitive, and will include at least one number but no symbols. You will be able to keep it as long as you wish and not have to change it every 90 days.
The switch to tokenless SafeMLS access will NOT reduce the security of NorthstarMLS access. In fact, the new tokenless technology provides improved security with much less inconvenience for you. Also, you can continue to be assured that NorthstarMLS’ convenient Single Sign On and administrative support logins will continue to offer you the benefits to which you have become accustomed.
City of Minneapolis Receives $19.5 Million for Foreclosure Help
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the City of Minneapolis $19.5 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds. This money will be used to acquire, demolish or rehab foreclosed homes around the city. The city will use this money in areas hardest hit by the foreclosure housing market such as North Minneapolis.
The funds area provided by the Federal Government as grants to state and local governments as well as non-profits. These entities must compete for the limited funds available. Minneapolis submitted the application in conjunction with the Cities of Brooklyn Park and Hennepin County. Saint Paul was the only other city in Minnesota to receive grant money.
Minneapolis will used the funds to purchase and rehabilitate or demolish homes and other properties that have been foreclosed and/or abandoned. The vacant lots from the demolished properties will then be held by the city for future development. These may be sold to non-profit groups that can afford to build properties despite the decline in the housing market. Some of the funding will also be used to develop financing programs for homeowners or developers that wish to purchase and renovate foreclosed properties.
The city was awarded $14 million in similar funds in 2008. It used $12.5 million to purchase properties for renovation or demolition. $6 million of that was used to demolish vacant or foreclosed homes that the city deemed were not worthy of rehab. If you are interested in finding any foreclosed properties, you can search the Minnesota MLS on this site.
Q4 MN MLS Compliance
The MLS has many rules that real estate agents must adhere to. Some include how quickly you must post a picture on your listings to the fact that you can not have your phone number in any of the supplements in the listings. With over 15,000 Minnesota MLS subscribers, these rules help keep a level playing field and insure that everyone plays nice!
Northstar MLS sent over 8,000 compliance notices during the 4th quarter of 2009. The majority of these were for missing, incorrect or incomplete listing information. The goal is to ensure that listing data is correct and that agents/offices learn from any mistakes to avoid recurrences. They achieved 100% compliance on these notices, with less than 6% resulting in an actual fine to the listing office (for 94% of these notifications, there was no fine or the fine was waived). Typically if you get a notice from the MLS police, you snap to attention and do whatever they want!
In all seriousness though, I do appreciate the fact that they are as diligent as they are when it comes to keeping the MLS updated and accurate. Our job as real estate agents is tough and frustrating enough at times. Having mis-information in the system could be unbearable (and embarrassing for our customers).
MLS Upgrade and Outage
The Minnesota MLS was upgraded on Wednesday night with many new features including the following:
- CMA Wizard: A new and easier way to create your CMA’s step-by-step.
- Speed Bar: A quick search bar available from wherever you are in Matrix. Use it for quick shorthand searches of listings, tax records, open houses and agents. You can even create your own shortcuts!
- My Matrix and Contacts Management: Redesigned to better organize everything by client with special filters to help you work more efficiently.
- Price Search: Search for prices in “000′s” meaning you no longer need to enter the three zeros at the end. For example, to search homes in the $200,000 to $350,000 range, you will enter “200-350″ instead of “200000-350000.”
- Drop the asterisk: When searching Street Name in listings and tax records, you can drop the asterisk at the end for wild card search. The system will automatically assume it there.
- Search Criteria on PDF Reports: Your search criteria will now display at the end of any PDF Report you run. No more writing them in by hand! (Note: This is currently available in Single Family and Multi-Family, except the ”Comprehensive Report” and will be configured for the other property types and Comprehensive Report later today.)
Unfortunately, the upgrade does not appear to have go so well. Users of the MN MLS experienced a 4 hour outage on Thursday afternoon of various parts of the MLS system including Homebase, which is used to upload new home listings and make changes. Today we have experienced another complete outage of the entire system for about 2 hours starting at 11:00 am.
I firmly believe these upgrades will be worth the pain, but it would be nice to have the outages limited to the night time. Being a former IT Director myself, I can understand the stress level of the computer department at the NorthstarMLS!
Northstar MLS to Eliminate the Need for Key-Fob SafeMLS Tokens
In the coming months, Northstar MLS will adopt the newest version of SafeMLS security that will make it easier and more convenient for you to access Northstar MLS while increasing their ability to identify and stop unauthorized use of services. The push-button “key fob” tokens are going away!
MAAR and NorthstarMLS understand that the tokens have been an inconvenience. With the latest technology advancements, the new tokenless version of SafeMLS provides an even higher level of protection. Best of all, you can be assured that NorthstarMLS’ convenient Single Sign On and administrative support logins will continue to offer you the benefits to which you have become accustomed.
Over the next couple of months, you will start to see this next generation of SafeMLS Secure Login taking shape. The new Secure Login combines information you enter at login—a user ID, PIN and password—with a technology that recognizes your own personal keystroke and computer use patterns to verify your identity.
Until we get there, the SafeMLS key fobs are still required for NorthstarMLS access and must be replaced if broken or lost. A lost key fob will still require payment for replacement. Even though they will be phased out soon, we still incur the full cost from the vendor for all replacements that are not the result of a defect.
We are very excited to bring back the convenience of quick login without losing any of the protection for Minnesota MLS listings and systems. Stay tuned for more information.
MN 2009 Certificate of Rent Paid
If you are a landlord, you are required each year to send your tenants a Minnesota Certificate of Rent Paid. Over at MinnesotaInvestmentRealEstate.com they have recently written a post on how to get and fill out the 2009 Minnesota Certificate of Rent Paid. Make sure to stop by and check it out. This is an important part of being a Minnesota Landlord. Get them done now before your tenants start calling!