Ed Hammond recalls the days when agents and office administrators in his RE/MAX Horizons Inc. office used to spend hours at the fax machine supplying copies of important documents for their listings to other agents. Since the release of Document Upload in MLS Blue, adding information electronically to listings has become part of the daily routine.
"Document Upload is saving us a tremendous amount of time," says Hammond, the broker of the Dover, DE office. "We get fewer phone calls for documents and spend less time at the fax machine because they're available in the MLS."
Since December 2007, Hammond and many other TREND members have been using Document Upload as a quick and convenient way to add information to their listings. Document Upload is the vehicle for sharing this information easily with other agents.
Shursky Among the First Agents to Upload Documents
"I used to get calls all of the time for documents," says Vladimir Shursky, an agent at Coldwell Banker First, Huntingdon Valley, PA. "But I wouldn't always be in the office to fax them." Now, agents don't have to call Shurksy because his important documents are available in MLS Blue.
Shursky was one of the first TREND members to upload documents to his listings. Although the feature has only been available for a short time, he couldn't image conducting his business without it.
"It's very convenient," Shursky says. "The more information you upload, the more helpful it is. It saves time for everybody."
Of Active Listings, 13 Percent Have At Least One Document
Within the first 45 days of Document Upload's release, 13 percent of TREND's active listings have at least one document to them. That translates into more than 8,200 total documents that have been uploaded to 7,450 listings. As expected, an overwhelming percentage - nearly 85 percent - of those uploaded documents are seller's disclosures. Other documents that members are uploading include: disclosure for lead paint, plot maps, surveys, building plans and presentation of offers.
Percentages of Uploaded Documents
Both Shursky and Hammond like the convenience of adding printed or electronic documents. While both fax and electronic upload options have been utilized, our statistics show that, nearly 70 percent of existing documents were uploaded digitally.
And that's not surprising. Many of the documents that you can add to a listing may already exist in an electronic format on your computer. Hammond and his agents no longer have to leave their desks to make this information available to any agent who wants it.
New Feature Helps Office in Going Paperless
Document Upload has also taken them one step closer to a paperless office. In an age where we are more and more focused on going "green" or being environmentally conscious, sharing documents electronically cuts down on paper usage.
Hammond has also benefited financially from Document Upload. Before its release, he was exploring the costs of building an internal website that would house digital documents for listings in his office. Document Upload now fulfills this need.
Uploading documents allows cooperating brokers and agents to view and read important information about your properties whenever they need. On-line documents are easily accessible, providing a valuable resource to quickly answer a potential buyer's questions. TREND encourages members to upload documents to listings, so you can make more information about your property readily available to other agents.
Document Upload Part of Routine When Entering Listings
That's exactly what Hammond has done, making certain his agents upload important documents in MLS Blue when entering new listing information.
These TREND members have already realized how Document Upload can become the primary vehicle for easily sharing important listing information with other agents. As time goes on, the prevalence and use of documents attached to listings in the MLS could become as common as the use of property photos. It's hard to imagine a listing without a photo. Soon, you may find it hard to imagine a listing without a document.
Viewing Documents and Adding Them to Your Listing
"It's just so simple and efficient," Hammond says. "It is one more step in the listing process, but it's so small. When documents are uploaded, it paints a more complete picture. It's beautiful - it's all right in TREND."
For more information about Document Upload, read
"Use Document Upload to Add Important Documents to Your Listings".