When you have your clients name and account number on any document (like a check) you have to heavily safeguard that document according to the Massachusetts Written Information Security Act (WISP).  Here’s a hint – sending a copy without blacking out the account number (redacting) to and from unsecured or encrypted email is a violation …

Join Flex trainor, Josh, for a 30 minute dive into all of the settings for your customer portals.  Learn how to customize your general portal settings in order to: Control which statuses are visible in the New Feed, Set the default events that trigger subscription emails, Determine whether listing links open in the New Feed, …

How do you get visitors to your site? How do you get them to stay and then come back? And then how do you turn visitors into clients? Grab a cup of Joe and we’ll give you some quick-and-easy tips and tricks to implement right now, that can help you boost your lead generation strategy. …

We’ve posted several times about the need for constant vigilance when opening, reading, replying to or forwarding emails received from unknown senders.  It seems there is a rash of emails being received in the Berkshires from overseas individuals looking for your assistance in securing a home or investment property.  Don’t forget, if it sounds too …

Brokers, you’ve been asking and our MLS Board of Directors heard you.  At their August meeting, the MLS Board of Directors approved the use of automatic debit or credit card charges for payment of your monthly MLS invoices. To enroll, please complete the Automatic Debit / Credit Card Authorization Form and return it to the …

On August 31, Flexmls will update the design of the Address search page. This change is part of an ongoing initiative to modernize the look and feel of Flexmls Web to make it easier to use. This update will not change any existing functionality for the Address search. The layout of the new Address search …

The horrors. Email makes getting in hot water so very easy.  Recently, our members have gotten caught sending emails off to multiple people in a transaction that included a longgg thread of past conversations. And some of the comments made created a very strained transaction moving forward.  Even worse, attorneys have reported that they also receive messages with old message threads that contain confidential client information – and knowledge shared could harm the best interests of the sending Realtor’s client…. Remember, if the other Realtor or the attorney is a fiduciary of the other party, it must be disclosed, no matter that it was an accident. Also, be especially careful of cc’ing the buyer’s attorney on EVERYTHING. Attorneys must print, read and respond to all client messages and can charge your client accordingly. Most only want the critical documents, compiled in some fashion.  Talk to them to find out what works best for a smooth transaction!

We know you’re working fast on the road, but please take extra care to:

• Send information ONLY to the person that needs it
• Don’t cc everyone in a transaction UNLESS they need the information.
• Don’t add new recipients to existing email threads; send a new, clean message for new group of recipients. When people respond to an email, they know who their reply will go to and respond accordingly.  You have no right to share other people’s past comments with others, without their consent.
• Make sure the message you send contains only the information you need to convey. Past requests or documents can make it confusing for recipients to focus on the current to-do items.

And finally, guard electronic conversations you have with your client! Confidentiality is a critical fiduciary duty you promise and are held accountable by law.  Your client can be harmed if you breach that confidence (and so can you). That is our PSA for today!

With the proliferation of scams, spoofed email messages and general mayhem in the online world, it is critically important that you use a little person-to-person communication when sending documents, especially for the first time.  Give the listing broker a call or text and let him/her know that an offer is on the way, call and …

Trainers at Flexmls are offering several webinars on various topics throughout the month of August.  These are free tutorials, lasting under 30 minutes, that you can watch live to stay on top of all things MLS: August 15:  The LIVE Data Difference!  2:00 p.m. EST Your website is more than just a digital business card; …

Do you wonder how syndication options stack up?  We pulled our July report of the sites you syndicate to through ListHub, and are happy to share the views, click-throughs and inquires passed on to agents.  This doesn’t include Realtor.com.  Interesting, no?  You are sending your listings to a LOT of places where they are never …