We’re excited to deliver a new feature to make managing dues easier and more efficient for your members. Launch can now integrate with Rapattoni and GrowthZone to display MLS and Association dues balances directly on your agents’ dashboard.

With the new Member Dues button, your members can instantly see their balance due or available credits upon logging in, without needing to navigate away from the dashboard. And, if they need more details, one click on the button takes them directly to their member portal for full billing details. Members can also see their balance due or available credit on mobile in the menu; simply click the hamburger button at the top right corner to access the menu. 

Here’s How to Get Started Setting Up the Integration for Your MLS
To initiate the configuration of the billing balance integration, follow the steps below for your specific vendor.

If Your MLS Uses Rapattoni:

• Company Name – FBS
• Key Contact Name – FBS Support
• Key Contact Email – api-support@fbsdata.com
• Key Contact Phone – (888) 525-4747

• Members
• MemberDuesDetails
• ViewMemberDues

• Client Name – Launch Dashboard
• Client_Id: accountprefix.launch (e.g. abc.launch, xyz.launch)

• Authentication URL
• Grant_Type
• Scope
• Client_Id
• Client_Secret
• API URL

Step 5:
Coordinate Single Sign On (Optional) – If SSO is desired, submit the following formal request to GrowthZone and CC Chris (cevenson@fbsdata.com) and the FBS Integrations team (integrations@fbsdata.com).“I would like to request that Single Sign-On (SSO) be set up between Flexmls and Rapattoni for our [MLS/Association Name].”If you have any questions or encounter issues during the setup process, please refer to the API Setup Guide or contact Rapattoni Support (support@rapattoni.com)

If Your MLS Uses GrowthZone:

Step 1:
Request API Credentials – Contact GrowthZone Web Support to request an API Key and Endpoint for the billing balance display on Launch. You can submit a ticket here or email websupport@growthzone.com. 

Step 2:
Coordinate Single Sign On (Optional) – If SSO is desired,  submit the following  formal request to GrowthZone and CC Chris (cevenson@fbsdata.com) and the FBS Integrations team (integrations@fbsdata.com).

“I would like to request that Single Sign-On (SSO) be set up between Flexmls and GrowthZone for our [MLS/Association Name].”

Step 3:
Provide API Details – Once you receive the API Key and Endpoint URL from Step 1, send that information, along with your GrowthZone member portal URL, to Chris (cevenson@fbsdata.com).

Step 4:
Integration Setup – FBS developers will configure the integration, and you will receive confirmation when it is complete.

Want to reduce compliance violations in your listing remarks? That’s exactly what ARMLS did. Since 2022, they have seen a 77% reduction in violations of their Public Remarks – Inappropriate Use policy due to their implementation of Flexmls’s text constraint feature and help text. We’re going to show you how to do the same. Read on to learn about what text constraints are, as well as tips on implementing them. 

What Are Constraints?
Text constraints are powerful data integrity tools that prevent non-compliant content from entering your system. Applying a constraint to a field limits what data can be entered. For example, you can add a constraint to the Public Remarks field to prevent a user from entering a phone number in that field. When your field has constraints applied, an information bubble is available next to that field. Hover over the info bubble to view detailed information about what is disallowed. In addition to constraints, you can also add optional help text for clarification on how the field should be used. 

If the user enters prohibited data in a constrained field, an error message will be displayed when they move to the next field. If the user is not allowed to override the constraint, they will not be able to save the listing until these errors have been resolved.

Why Text Constraints Work
Instead of spending time catching violations after the fact, text constraints stop non-compliant content before it enters your system. This proactive approach not only saves staff time—it also  helps educate members about proper listing content in real time.

Implementation Tips:
Setting up text constraints is quick and easy. You can manage most changes independently, ensuring your system stays current with your market’s needs.

1. Start Small and Scale Up

• Begin with common violations like phone numbers and websites.
• Gradually add more constraints as you identify patterns.
• Use a phased approach to avoid overwhelming members.

2. Research Before Restricting

• Don’t just guess; review existing listings to confirm problem terms.
• Consider context (e.g., “open house” vs “open house floor plan”).

3. Educate While You Restrict

• Include helpful pop-up messages explaining why terms are restricted.
• Link directly to relevant rules and regulations in the help text.

4. Keep It Dynamic

• Treat your constraint list as a living document.
• Continue to modify and refine based on feedback.
• Don’t worry about catching everything at once.

Ready to get started? Watch our Data Integrity Tools recorded training  to see exactly how to implement text constraints in your Flexmls system.

“We found the Flexmls tool for constraints so easy to use and implement. We were able to set up the initial constraints without help from FBS and can easily update them in real-time as we identify new terms. This proactive approach helps us catch compliance violations before they enter our system, making our data integrity efforts more efficient than ever.” Lucy Engard, ARMLS MLS Analyst/Administrator

Have questions? Contact the Customer Success team (cpr@flexmls.com) to learn more about how text constraints can work for your MLS.

We are expanding the functionality for transferring listings, making it easier and faster for MLS admins and office staff to transfer listings. Previously, this function only allowed for the transfer of a single agent’s listings, on the list side only. But now, with these new transfer updates, you will be able to:

Select an Unlimited Number of Agents Whose Listings you Want to Transfer 
In the Flexmls menu, navigate to Add/Change > Transfer. For List or Buyer agent transfers, select an unlimited number of agents and choose your statuses and property types. 

Select All Listings for an Entire Office
For List or Buyer Office transfers, select a single office.

Click Next, and select the listings that you want to transfer. 

Once you have made your selections, click Transfer. 

In the “To” column, confirm the agents that the listings will be transferred to, and click Transfer. 

Note: If Flexmls detects a new account, it will be preselected. Click the dropdown to change the destination agent.

New MLS Settings

Flexmls Menu > MLS Settings > Menu
Lowest level of brokerload allowed to transfer listings on the List agent/office side: With this setting, you can select the lowest level broker load that will have access to the Transfer function. Office is the default selection. Other options are Company, Association, and MLS. This pref controls access to the Transfer function for the List Agent/Office side of listings only. Users are restricted to transferring listings within their broker load permissions to edit listings. For example, Office staff may only transfer listings in their office to other members of their office, Company staff to other members within the Company, etc.

In addition to MLS staff, allow Association brokerload to transfer listings on the buyer agent/office side: When set to ON, this setting allows Association staff access to the Transfer function on the buyer side for their Association members only. This setting is OFF by default, which restricts transfers of listings on the Buyer Agent/Office side to MLS staff only.

Important to note: This feature is for transfer of listings only, not agents.

We are updating the way floor plans from any source are managed, displayed, and integrated within Flexmls. 

When is this live?
January 30, 2025

What is changing? 

Floor Plans Now Have Their Own Media Category
When editing or adding a listing, there will be a new section called Floor Plans, where you can upload floor plans. The process to upload and manage a floor plan will be similar to the current process for uploading and managing photos. 

Accepted file types for floor plans include all currently accepted photo file types (JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, HEIC, BMP, TIF, TIFF, PBM). Maximum accepted file sizes are also the same as maximum accepted photo sizes (15 MB or 3000 x 2000 pixels). PDFs are not currently an accepted file type for floor plans. MLS watermarks will also be applied to all uploaded floor plans.  

Improved Display for Floor Plans When Searching
Listings with a floor plan will now have a “Floor Plan” tag on Android, Mobile Web, and Portals, similar to the 3D Tours or Price Change tags you see today. Users are also able to search for listings with floor plans in Quick Search using the Additional Search Options.

FlōPlan Floor Plans
Any FlōPlan floor plans that are currently linked to listings will automatically be migrated to the new floor plan category on the FlōPlan sunset date (1/31/2025). Floor plans that are not linked to listings will not be migrated over to the new floor plan category.  To read more about this change for FlōPlan floor plans, check out this article. 

As the industry continues discussions around NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy, MLS administrators are looking for tools that offer both flexibility and compliance. Flexmls has long provided a solution for brokers and agents with our Office Exclusive feature, a powerful and customizable tool that helps maintain MLS transparency while allowing listings to remain private until the agent is ready to make them public.

What is the Office Exclusive Feature?

The Office Exclusive field in Flexmls is a simple Yes/No setting that allows brokers and agents to determine who can see their listings. The field name “Office Exclusive” simply describes the function of the setting–but the MLS can name the field anything they want.  When an agent marks a listing as “Yes” in the Office Exclusive field, the listing is only visible and shareable to other members of their same office or company, as well to clients, but not to other agents—making it an ideal way to manage listings that are kept private until they are ready for wider exposure.

How Office Exclusive Works in Flexmls:

As with most everything in Flexmls, the Office Exclusive function is customizable to your MLS. What’s listed below are our recommended best practices. 

• Private Listings Before Public Exposure: When an agent sets a listing as “Yes” for the Office Exclusive field, that listing is kept private within the office or company. Agents can still share the listing with their clients, but it will not be visible to other agents or the broader MLS.
• Transitioning to Public Visibility: When the agent is ready to list the property publicly, they can easily change the Office Exclusive setting to “No”. This transition automatically:
  • Makes the listing searchable by all MLS members.
  • Triggers the listing to appear on the Hot Sheet as a new listing.
  • Updates the Days on Market (DOM) for the listing.
  • Records the change in the listing history, including updating the begin date to the current date.
• No Impact on Inactive Listings: If a listing is not active, changing the Office Exclusive setting does not affect its status or visibility.
• Automatic Public Access Upon Sale: Once an Office Exclusive listing is sold, it automatically becomes visible to all MLS members, ensuring that final sale data remains transparent. 

Why is This Important?

The Office Exclusive feature supports brokers, agents, and their clients—offering the option for a period of exclusivity while also complying with the NAR Clear Cooperation Policy. This feature also keeps the MLS at the center of the listing entry process, retaining their valuable data while still giving everyone a full picture of the market. 

If you are interested in turning on this feature for your MLS, reach out to Customer Success (cpr@flexmls.com).

In keeping with our commitment to improving your user experience, we have added two new customization options to Launch—giving you more flexibility and enhancing the look and feel of the dashboard.

When is this live?

Available January 6, 2024. 

What is changing? 

New App Tile Layout Options

You can now choose to display links in three, four, or six columns. 

To modify a column, click “Edit Dashboard” to go into Edit Mode.

Once you are in Edit Mode, you can click the buttons for either 3 columns, 4 columns, or 6 columns to display the links the way you want. The size and position of the links will automatically adjust depending on the column number you choose.

You can now access the editing tools for each app tile under the gear icon when you are in Edit Mode.

Social Media Icons

You now have the option to replace social media links with icons for Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X. These icons will display in the header on desktop or in the footer on mobile. To replace social media links with icons, admins can submit a request directly to Chris Evenson (cevenson@fbsdata.com) for implementation.

Do you have completed data license agreements sitting in a desktop folder on your computer? Are you overwhelmed by stacks of recently completed data license addendums for API users? The Spark Datamart now allows you to upload PDF documents to data plan subscriptions and reported licensees, helping you conveniently keep track of relevant agreements.

When is this Available?

December 19, 2024

What’s New?

With the Spark Datamart, developers, agents, and brokers can be required to agree to your MLS data license terms as they subscribe to a data plan, creating a reviewable trail of who agreed to what, when. We’ve also recently added the ability to notify data consumers of changes to your license terms, and even request and track acknowledgement of new terms (details here).

But what if you’ve made previous changes to your license terms and executed new data license agreements outside the Spark Datamart? Now you can upload completed PDF agreements to data plan subscriptions and licensees. Any data use agreements that pertain to existing data plan subscriptions or licensees can be stored right on the subscription or licensee cards in the Spark Datamart for easy reference. 

When completed license agreement PDFs are added to a data plan subscription or attached to individual licensees, a file icon appears next to the Terms of Use link as an at-a-glance clue that there’s an attached PDF.

Data Plan Subscriptions

Individual Licensees

To upload a PDF, click into the Terms Of Use link, then the “UPLOAD PDF” button:

From there, you can select one or more PDFs to upload, then hit “SAVE”:

The uploaded PDFs now appear on the Data Plan Subscription Terms page as clickable links that open in a new browser tab: 

Our recent improvements to the Spark platform give you greater flexibility to update data plans without requiring developers to move to new plans. 

When is this live?

December 12, 2024

What’s Changing?

Data License Fee Updates

When you make a change to the MLS data licensing fees for a data plan, current subscribers will be notified of the updated pricing via email and automatically charged at the new price the next time they’re billed.

Updates to MLS Data License Agreements

When you edit the license terms associated with a data plan, you have the option to select who should be notified by email. Not only can you email the updated data license terms to existing subscribers (including developers, agents, and brokers), you can request that they acknowledge the new terms, then track who has and hasn’t done so, allowing you to follow up as desired. 

Below, you can see the options available now when updating data license agreements.

When viewing Datamart Subscriptions, you can quickly see if the Terms of Use still need to be accepted. To see who has and hasn’t accepted, you can click on Terms of Use.

Below is a detailed view of who has and hasn’t accepted updated terms. 

You can now create your own custom links in the Launch Dashboard so that you can provide timely, relevant resources for your members. With this new enhancement, admins can create, edit, and delete custom links on their dashboards (when superusing as the MLS or Association root account). Custom links are helpful when you want to highlight key resources or events that don’t need an SSO integration. You can instead create a custom link that goes directly to a landing page. 

When is this Available?
October 24, 2024

What’s New?
When superusing as the root account, admins are now able to create, edit, and delete custom links in their Launch dashboard. To add a link:

Keep in mind that when adding a custom link, if you do not upload a custom icon URL,  the link’s favicon (favorite icon) will automatically display. If there is no favicon available, the custom link icon will default to the Launch logo (see example below). 

To edit or delete a link, click Edit Links. On your custom links, you can click the trash can icon to delete the link, or you can click the pencil icon to edit the link. 

We have released a new feature designed to give you more control over your Launch dashboard. You can now create custom sections for your links, allowing you to more effectively organize and highlight the tools and services you offer your members. MLS admins can create sections and assign links to those sections for the entire MLS. Associations are able to do the same for only the association-level links, but they do not have control over any MLS-level created sections. You have total freedom over the sections you add and can create sections for events or education–whatever makes sense for your MLS and the links you provide. Check out the link below to learn how to create new sections.

When is this Available?

October 1, 2024

What’s New?

You can now organize your links into custom sections in Launch. Learn how to create new dashboard segments with our training video:

Or you can see the new functionality highlighted in the steps below.

To add a new section, make sure you are superusing as the root MLS/Association account. On the dashboard, click Add Section.

Next, name the section and click Create. 

Once your section is created and named, you can begin adding links to that section. Click Edit Mode and then Assign Link to add links to that section and select which links you would like to display in that section.

Once you have created your section and added your links,  you can un-assign links from that section, rename the section, or delete the section entirely. Admins have the ability to change the order of links in the sections they create while supervising as the root MLS account. However, members will not be able to edit that order once the admin has set it, and the Change Order option will no longer be visible on the dashboards for individual admin and member accounts. Any links that are not assigned to a section will remain in the “Unassigned” section. For individual admins and member accounts, this section will be called “Other Links”. The order of links in this section cannot be edited by admins or members. If you delete a section entirely, all links that were previously displayed in that section will automatically go back to the Unassigned section.

Note that you can only reorder links within a section. You cannot drag and drop links from one section to another. If you want to move a link from one section to another, you will need to delete the link from the original section and then add it to the section where you want it to display.

Sections are not required and are completely optional for the MLS. If you choose not to create sections, your dashboard will not change. 

We are creating an FBS-controlled setting that limits MLS administrator access to read-only for certain field settings on the Main and Detail Fields setup pages. This FBS-controlled setting is On by default. When set to On, MLS admins must contact Customer Success to request changes to these specific field settings. Historically, MLS-made changes to certain field settings have caused issues that affect RETS feeds, API data delivery, cross-property type searching, and RESO certification, among others. This new setting is designed to strike a balance that allows MLSs to view their field setup and make edits to some field settings (list items and help text, for example), while leaving FBS to handle the field updates that involve increased risk of unintended complications for MLSs. 

When is this live?

This setting will be turned on for all MLS on 8/29/24. However, if you would like this setting turned off, reach out to Customer Success (cpr@flexmls.com). 

What’s Changing? 

See below for which field settings remain editable by MLS administrators and which field settings are now only editable by FBS. Settings controlled by FBS will be greyed out. 

We are excited to deliver another enhancement focused on data quality, MLS-friendly licensing terms, and agent efficiency through our partnership with iGUIDE. If your agents have an iGUIDE virtual tour, with just one click, they will soon be able to upload that virtual tour to their listing and have the room dimensions,  room names, and room level auto-populated using the data extracted from the virtual tour while adding or editing a listing. To learn more about the partnership between FBS and iGUIDE, click here.

When is this available?

August 15, 2024

Integration Questions? Here’s The 411

• What are the licensing terms?

Equally important and powerful, the terms of this integration allow FBS to set license terms that make your uploaded content a part of the MLS compilation. As you may recall, your contract with FBS already specifies that the MLS owns the data entered into Flexmls. Thus, the terms we have with iGUIDE automatically grant each of you the license rights under our contract with you. Given the cascading value and benefits to you, the MLS, your members, and ultimately, consumers—we expect to add more vendors under similar terms to ensure that our MLS customers are the best source of the aggregated data in their market. If you have any questions about the licensing terms, please reach out.

• Is my MLS able to turn this feature off?

Yes. This feature will be enabled if your MLS uses the Rooms tab on listings and if your rooms include Master Bedroom or Bathroom, as well as other RESO-compliant room names. There is an FBS-controlled setting to turn this off. If you would like to turn this setting off, please email cpr@flexmls.com.  

See how your members can take advantage of this feature that makes work easier while helping improve listing accuracy by minimizing errors:

First, upload an iGUIDE virtual tour to your listing the same way you’ve always uploaded virtual tours. For information on adding a virtual tour to your listing, refer to this Flexmls Help article. 

Once you’ve uploaded your iGUIDE virtual tour, you will see a prompt asking if you would like your Rooms data on your listing to be auto-populated. This data is extracted from the virtual tour with iGUIDE’s technology.

If you select Add Data to have your Rooms data auto-populated from your iGUIDE virtual tour, you will be taken back to the Rooms section to review the data that has now been entered. Any previous Rooms data that had been entered when creating the listing will be overwritten by the iGUIDE data. 

Rooms data that will be filled based on the virtual tour includes: room name, level, and size.  And once the data is populated from the iGUIDE virtual tour, you can still change or update any Rooms information if you wish to do so. 

In addition to the new functionality above, now, when you look at an iGUIDE virtual tour on a listing in Quick Search, you can view that virtual tour in Flexmls as an embedded experience rather than having the virtual tour open in a new browser window as it previously did. 

We are excited to share a new Flexmls integration in partnership with Matterport. This integration leverages AI-powered property intelligence from digital twins to save agents time and streamline the listing entry process. With just a single click, Flexmls users can use their Matterport digital twin to auto-populate data in the Rooms section when creating or updating a listing. This auto-populated data includes each room’s dimensions and room name, eliminating the need for manual data entry from agents and back office staff.

When is this available?

July 25, 2024

Integration Questions? Here’s The 411

• What are the licensing terms?

Equally important and powerful, under the license terms of this integration, FBS passes along license terms that make uploaded content part of the MLS compilation. As you may recall, your contract with FBS already makes it clear that all the data entered into Flexmls is owned by the MLS. The terms we have with Matterport automatically grants each of you the license rights under our contract with you. Given the cascading value and benefits to you, the MLS, your members, and ultimately consumers, we expect to add more vendors under similar terms so we’re ensuring that our MLS customers are the best source of the aggregated data in their market. If you have any questions about the licensing terms, please reach out.

• Is my MLS able to turn this feature off?

Yes. This feature will be on if your MLS uses the Rooms tab on listings and if your rooms include Master Bedroom or Bathroom, as well as other RESO-compliant room names. There is an FBS-controlled setting to turn this off. If you would like to turn this setting off, please email cpr@flexmls.com. 

See how your members can take advantage of this feature that makes work easier while also helping improve listing accuracy and minimizing errors:

First, upload a Matterport digital twin to the listing the same way as always. For information on adding a virtual tour to a listing, refer to this Flexmls Help article. 

Once a Matterport digital twin has been uploaded, you will see a prompt asking if you would like your Rooms data on your listing to be auto-populated. This data is extracted from the digital twin by Matterport’s AI property intelligence. 

If you select Add Data to have your Rooms data auto-populated from your Matterport digital twin, you will be taken back to the Rooms section to review the data that has now been entered. Any previous Rooms data that had been entered when creating the listing will be overwritten by the Matterport data. 

Rooms data that will be filled based on the digital twin includes: room name and size.  And once the data is populated, you can still change or update any Rooms information.

Integrations help expand, enrich, localize, and customize the Flexmls user experience through third-party vendors (tax data, CMA software, demographics information, and more) that provide additional data or resources.

Our Approach
We’re proud to deliver the best experience in the industry when integrating with third-party vendors. Our thorough involvement with all parties throughout the process ensures Flexmls integrations are deep, fast, and provide your members the richest experience possible.

Current Integrations
We can integrate with any third party and currently have over 85 integrations that are live in Flexmls. 
Our most popular integrations are:

Setting Up New Integrations for your MLS

• New Integration requests should start with the integrations inbox: integrate@fbsdata.com
• Our standard timeline for launching an integration is 6-8 weeks. The working time frame is highly dependent on vendor responsiveness. Frequently, we can execute faster than this and provide a more accurate timeline once our integrations team is involved and can assess the work.
• Here is a list of vendor questions we ask to provide us with the information we will need.

Types of Integrations Provided:

• App-to-App Links: This integration type facilitates a smooth transition between the Flexmls mobile app and other integrations with mobile apps. Clicking on an integration link within the Flexmls app will immediately redirect the user to that third party’s app.
  • Example: SentriLock
• RESO Standard Parameters and “No Code” Options: Flexmls offers pre-built integration options with custom configurations, allowing MLSs to easily incorporate various third-party services without the need for extensive setup processes. Getting these types of integrations live can be as easy as checking a box to display that vendor for your MLS.
  • Examples: Showingtime, CRS Data, Realist, Rental Beast, and more
• Looking for datashare or data sync access? Reach out to Customer Success. API and RETS data access? Visit our API HUB

Where Can I Find Integrations in Flexmls?

• The vast majority of integrations are available under the Detail Tab (A) so that they are easily accessible when looking at listings. Here, MLS admins have the ability to customize the display and order of integrations. These deep links intelligently direct users to the relevant pages within third-party applications based on their specific actions within Flexmls.
  • Ex: When adding a listing, a showing service deep link will take the user to create showing time options, compared to when looking at a listing a showing service deep link will take the user to schedule a showing. 
• Additionally, all integrations can be found in the main Menu under Products (B) and are conveniently accessible via the chevron dropdown within a listing (C).

Did You Know:
Flexmls allows MLSs to offer integrations at both the user and listing levels, empowering agents to choose preferred services from a range of options provided by the MLS. This ensures that agents have access to the tools most suited to their needs and preferences.

Have additional questions? We’re here to help: integrations@fbsdata.com

We know how critical our software and service are to you and your members and we take that responsibility very seriously. Although no system can be made 100% secure, FBS is confident in the solutions and services we’ve deployed to protect your MLS system. Let’s walk through what some of those solutions are—what FBS does, what the MLS can do, and what agents can do to ensure system protection. 

General Security Practices
Most malware/ransomware attacks are the result of unpatched or outdated software or due to employees clicking on untrusted links or attachments. In general, to mitigate these elements:

• FBS performs scheduled updates on server operating systems to keep them up-to-date. Installed package versions are monitored and cross-referenced with databases of known vulnerabilities. Critical security updates are performed quickly (usually within 24 hours) for systems that might be impacted by a critical bug.
• All FBS employees are trained and tested on various approaches used in inbound email attacks.
• Inbound emails are scanned for malware to prevent them from appearing in inboxes.
• All employees run Endpoint Detection and Response software. This software combines static and behavioral detections to neutralize known and unknown threats.
• There is a firewall at the edge of the network filtering in and out traffic. This ensures that the outside world can only send traffic to servers that are specifically intended to handle that traffic.
• Traffic that is allowed through the firewall is analyzed by an intrusion prevention filter which looks for common attack methods and filters them out.
• FBS has a service that monitors traffic patterns and will mitigate traffic that corresponds to a denial of service event related to Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

FBS Uses the Leading Tools and Services to Protect, Prevent, and Remediate Attacks:
Regular antivirus software doesn’t offer protection against “unknown threats.” It usually has a database of virus signatures and it scans the hard drive for known viruses, quarantining them when detected or executed. This software will only protect against what is known or what has been seen before. For more proactive protection, all FBS servers use the leading Endpoint Detection and Response software and service. This solution protects our server network using a combination of known signatures and behavioral data (e.g., snooping the network, phoning home, encrypting files, etc.) to identify threats on the server endpoints. This software detects, understands, and ejects malicious intrusions in under 60 minutes (less than the average ransomware breakout time of 84 minutes). Any time a threat or suspicious activity is detected, experts get involved to immediately investigate and remediate the threat. 

In the Event of A Successful Attack, What Would Happen?
With the ever-changing nature of cybercrime, there is no 100% protection or guarantee available. It isn’t possible to predict solution times without context of the specific threat. What we can say is that FBS’s contracts all promise 99.9% uptime, which only allows less than 45 minutes of downtime per month. To meet this obligation, FBS has all customer data backed up locally and to the cloud. Depending on the severity of the threat, customer traffic may be routed to the cloud or restored from backup to provide continued service to our customers. If the solution is to failover to the backup site, capacity can be increased in the cloud in minutes to accommodate the increased workload of handling production traffic. If the type of threat requires restoring from backup, that likely would take hours but not days.  

In-System Security Tools for Admins?
Login sharing is a security risk to the MLS. To help mitigate password sharing, admins have access to the member-tracking Gumshoe Detective report. This report aggregates information (IP addresses per username, number of failed password attempts, browsers per username, etc..) from multiple member reports to show users who are likely sharing their login information. We then use that information to tally up a score for each user based on sharing probability and confidence (how conclusive the probability is) in the Gumshoe Report. From there we give admins the ability to automatically escalate cases where the Gumshoe Detective report has found a high probability of account sharing. Learn more about the report and how to run it here.

In-System Security Tools for Agents?
Flexmls offers two-step verification for your members which adds an extra layer of security when logging in to Flexmls by requiring the user to enter a code that has been received via phone call, text, or an authentication app. If you want to encourage your members to enable two-step verification, they can follow the steps on this help page to do so. 

MLS Admins can now view and export Launch usage statistics from the Activity Reports tab on the Admin page. This functionality can help to evaluate app usage and improve ability to evaluate ROI on products offered. The usage data is broken down into four reports: Total App Launches, Unique App Launches, Total User Logins and Unique User Logins. You can filter the reports by time frame and member type, and you can export them in various formats. Timeframe filters include: today, last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 30 days, last 90 days, and last one year. Data can be exported as Excel, CSV, or PDF. You can also download visual charts (pie, bar, and line graphs). These reports measure app access from within the Launch dashboard only. 

To access these reports, click the profile icon in the upper right corner. Select Admin from the dropdown, and navigate to Activity Reports. 

Note: In the reports, unique refers to each member’s activity being counted just once. For example, if a member has multiple app launches in the selected timeframe, they are counted as just one unique app launch. 

With the App Launch Stats you can click the name of any app in the legend to remove it from the analysis for dynamic reporting.

Sample Reports: 

Total App Launches

Total User Logins

As part of the new API pricing model effective January 1, 2024, we’re introducing options for MLSs to issue MLS-paid API keys.

By default, the developers who receive API keys are responsible for all API charges—not the MLSs. The MLS does not need to take on any API charges. However, if desired, this new option gives the MLS the ability to take on the API charges for certain API keys that the MLS does not want the developer to have to pay for. For example, vendors contracted to provide services to the MLS, or MLSs who wish to pay for their members’ API keys, etc.

There are two ways to issue MLS-paid API keys:

1. Via the Credential Manager, on a one-off basis. On the screen to invite a developer to accept an API key, select the checkbox that says “This is an MLS-paid API key. The MLS, not the accepting developer, will be responsible for all associated charges.”
   

2. Offer an MLS-paid data plan. The MLS will pay for each subscription to the data plan. If you’re interested in this, please contact api-support@fbsdata.com, as this can only be setup by FBS.

Unless otherwise agreed, MLSs-paid API keys will be charged per key according to the pricing table below:

Note that if the minimum level of the next tier would be cheaper than the per-key rate at the current tier, you’ll pay the cheaper rate. Example: 23 API keys would cost $875 (25 keys x $35) rather than $920 (23 keys x $40).

These charges will be assessed as part of your monthly bills for FBS, not paid via the Spark Datamart.

Please contact api-support@fbsdata.com with any questions.

You asked, we listened. We’re so excited to share our new messaging feature in the Launch Dashboard! Now, when your members start their day with the Launch dashboard, you can make sure they won’t miss important MLS or Association announcements. 

When is it Available?

Now! But your members won’t see anything until you create your first message. 

What Will Admins See?

First, login to the Launch dashboard, then, under the Profile Icon, you will see “Admin”. Click here to access the messaging system. 

From there, you will see a list of created messages that you can preview, edit, or delete. When you first access the messaging system, you won’t see any messages. However, this is where you will create your first message and new messages after that. Expired, inactive messages will be grayed out and shown in italics. Here you can also make a copy to repurpose frequently used messages and see the number of members who have read and acknowledged the message.

When creating a new message, you are able to fully customize it. You can include links, videos, and photos. Preview this Message allows you to see how the message will display for your members before you post it. Active Date and Expiration Date dictate when your message is shown to members. Recipients controls who you want your message to display for. For example, if you have a message that only needs to be seen by brokers, you can manage that there. You can also exclude a specific member or member type from a message. To share a message, click Post Message.

If you have questions about what any of the settings mean, you can hover over the information icon to learn more. 

What Will Members See?

Members will see your message displayed as a pop-up immediately upon logging in to the Launch dashboard. They either have to acknowledge that they have read the message or select the option stating that they will read it later. If a member selects “No, I’ll read it later,” the message will pop up again any time the Dashboard is refreshed, whether by clicking the browser refresh button or logging back into the Dashboard. The pop-up message will only disappear once a member acknowledges they have read the message.

Note: Reporting on who has or hasn’t read a message is not currently available, but keep an eye out for that in future iterations. 

Members can access a list of active messages by clicking Messages under the profile icon. The number in the red circle shows unread messages.

Announcement Template 

We’re excited for you to share this new feature with your members. We have drafted an announcement template for you to use, if you wish. 

Title: Welcome to our New Message System! 

Image URL: https://flexmls.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Launch-Message-Header.png

Message: We are excited to share our new messaging system in the Launch Dashboard. Going forward, this is where you will receive important announcements and updates. For all messages, you will be required to acknowledge you have read it OR mark that you will read it later.  If you go to the top right corner of the dashboard, select the profile icon, and then select Messages, you will be able to see all active announcements. If you have any questions please reach out to us. [INSERT PHONE NUMBER OR WEBSITE]

As of 8/2/23, API keys created by MLS admins using the Credential Manager will be subject to a $50/month fee, paid by the developer who accepts the API key. This change aligns these API keys with ones issued through the Spark Datamart, which already have an associated developer fee, and is also part of a broader API pricing model update. In the coming months, we will be updating our Spark Datamart pricing from a usage-based model to a flat fee per API key per month, which will create more predictable monthly fees.

Any existing Credential Manager API keys will remain free at this time, and only API keys created on or after 8/2/23 will incur charges. 

MLS admins will still be able to create API keys manually via the Credential Manager, but won’t immediately receive the API key credentials and won’t be able to send them out by email. Instead, you’ll be prompted to send an invitation for a developer to accept the API key. Developers will need to create or log into an FBS API developer account with valid payment on file. Developers must accept the fees for the API key before they can claim the API key and receive credentials to use it.

How to Create an API Key Via the Credential Manager. 

Log into the Spark Platform as an MLS admin.

Click into the Credential Manager via the button near the top right or from the left hand nav bar (API > Credential Manager).

Previously, you’d first create a user, entering developer and company details, then click into that user to add an API key for them. Now, you’ll create the API key first, then invite a developer to accept it.

Click the ADD API KEY button in the top right and create an API key as normal.

Once the API key is configured as desired, hit SAVE at the bottom.

From the next screen, enter an email address for the recipient of the API key and click SEND DEVELOPER INVITATION. Here the MLS also has the option to take on charges for this API key, by selecting the checkbox, if they so choose.

While the API key is still unclaimed, you can review and edit it by clicking the UNCLAIMED API KEYS button in the top right of your Credential Manager home page.

The API key recipient will need to create an API developer account with us or log into an existing one, then use the link in their email to accept our MLS Member Terms of Use, any MLS license terms set on the data plan, and the associated FBS API usage fees ($50/mo).

What the Developer Will See:

Email invitation sent to the developer to accept the API Key:

If a developer rejects the API key, the API key will be deleted. To send a new invitation, simply create another API key and send a new email.

Once the API key has been accepted by a developer, it will move from the “Unclaimed API keys” identity to the developer’s identity, and the developer will appear in your Credential Manager identity list. You can click into the developer’s account and manage the API key from there.

Confirmation email for the MLS the API Key has been accepted by the developer:

As part of our commitment to making your data access management as simple as possible, we are introducing a new API keys report. Now, MLS admins can export a spreadsheet listing all API keys that can access their MLS data directly from the Spark Platform. 

When Will This  Be Available?

This API Keys Report is available now.

How Do I Access It?

When logged into the Spark Platform, navigate to the Credential Manager, and click the Export CSV button near the top right corner.

You’ll see that the pop-up window that appears contains options for which API keys to include in the report, as well as an option to see explanations of the data in each column. Select the options you want using the checkboxes on the left, and click Export CSV. 

The API key data is presented as a CSV spreadsheet with one API key per row, and information about each API key is listed in the columns.

To continue helping you easily manage your data access, we plan to expand the report with more data about each API key in the coming months.

If you don’t see everything you’re hoping for, contact api-support@fbsdata.com with your requests for what else you’d like to see included in the report.

We’ve heard your feedback, and are happy to release a significant update to how licensees are reported and managed in the Spark Datamart. With these changes, there is now a data plan option that allows MLSs to require vendors to report who their licensees are (not just total counts) and the Flexmls username associated with that licensee for validation. Additionally, these updates let developers report multiple licensees on a single data plan, each subject to formal approval at every level required by the MLS (agent, broker, association, or MLS) and subject to terms of use associated with the plan.

By requiring licensees and their brokers to accept MLS license terms, and allowing MLSs to enter final per-licensee approval just like data plan subscriptions, MLSs can review per-licensee records of who agreed to what when – all stored on a single data plan subscription. No need to require vendors to obtain a new API key for every new licensee in order to retain agent & broker agreements: it can now all be done with a single data plan subscription.

When will it change?

This updated Licensee Management is available now in the Spark Datamart.

What You Will See:

If your MLS wants to require individual licensee reporting for data plans, log into the Spark Platform. Under Datamart > View Data Plans > Pricing, click into an existing data plan, or create a new one. Select the checkbox labeled “This plan uses tiered pricing.” Within the blue Tiered Pricing section, click the checkbox labeled “Require Individual Licensee Reporting” and then select your desired approval level (Agent, Broker, Association, MLS). Click Save at the bottom once you have finalized your changes. 

Licensee approval request screen. MLSs can approve or reject licensee requests from developers.

To view reported and approved licensees, log into the Spark Platform and click the blue Datamart Subscriptions link. On any subscription card for a data plan that supports licensee reporting, click the blue number in the Licensee Count section to view all licensees associated with that data plan subscription. 

What Vendors/Developers Will See:

New developer licensee reporting interface requires a Flexmls username to uniquely identify the licensee.

The new AI Photo Compliance – Detect and Notify premium feature improves listing accuracy, saves time, and helps you address violations more swiftly by streamlining the process of detecting and addressing photo compliance violations, notifying you of violations via a downloadable report. You can customize in alignment with your MLS rules by selecting the specific violations that trigger a review.

When Will This Be Available?
This feature will launch July 27th and requires your action to turn it ON. To turn this feature ON and learn about pricing for your MLS, please contact our sales team – sales@fbsdata.com

• This feature will make the following detections for compliance violations, immediately after the photo is uploaded, for the property types you select in Flexmls:
  • Email
  • Face – Person
  • Face – Frame
  • Face – Poster
  • Face – TV
  • Animal
  • Person
  • License Plate
  • Obstructed Lens
  • From Car
  • Ghosting
  • Virtually Staged
  • Rendered
  • Collage
  • Political Item
  • Religious Item
  • Cross
  • Phone Number
  • QR Code
  • Sign Post
  • Logo
  • Text
  • Watermark
  • Date
  • 1st Photo = Front of Property
• This feature also contains following sensitivity settings:
  • License Plate:  Legible, Illegible (ex: do you want the photo flagged if the license plate is illegible?)
  • Sign Post: High Risk, Medium Risk, Low Risk

To download this admin-only on-demand-report (for MLSs that have turned this setting on), go to Menu > Reports – General > Photo Compliance Report. Here, you can select a date range for which to run the report. Once you click Submit, you will be able to review detected violations and take action to address them.

Note: Once on, this feature will detect photo compliance violations going forward and will not process historical photos by default. 

This feature is OFF by default. If you are interested in adding this feature to simplify how your MLS handles compliance violations, contact our sales team for information on pricing and how to get started.

To assist developers transitioning from RETS to our APIs, we’re adding a new downloadable report for developers that shows field names across Flexmls, RETS, the Spark API, and our RESO Web API. Developers consuming RETS feeds will be able to see the API fields that correspond to the RETS feeds they use, making the mapping process and transition to API that much easier. 

Starting on 6/21/23, the reports will be accessible to API developers from their dashboards for any MLS with which they have an active data plan subscription.

These reports show mappings for all existing fields, regardless of the fields a given subscriber receives as part of their feed.

MLS admins can review this report for their MLS from the Template Manager’s “REPORT” tab:

Note: Having access to these reports does not affect which listing fields a developer can access, and the reports contain no actual listing data – just information about how fields are mapped. As such, we recommend making these reports available to developers to aid their transitions to the APIs. If you have questions or if you consider the full list of fields in your MLS sensitive, please let us know at api-support@fbsdata.com before 6/21/23 and we will make these reports unavailable for your MLS.

To help your members work faster in Flexmls, we are adding a new Dashboard customization. Under General Preferences, they will be able to set one of their Saved Searches as the default page that loads upon login*, saving time and making it much easier to access their most frequently used search.

*If allowed by your MLS.

When Will it Change?

This update will be available on May 25, 2023. 

Currently, your members can set Quick Search as the default page instead of the Dashboard. This update allows them to further customize their experience by launching their most used Saved Search in just one click, making their workflow smoother and more efficient.

To update, navigate to the Flexmls Menu > General Preferences > Dashboard > First Page Viewed After Logging In and select the Saved Search you would like to use. 

You can still access the default Dashboard by clicking on the Flexmls logo in the upper left corner of the screen. All dashboards can also be accessed via the Menu in Flexmls.

We have added a new MLS Setting that allows admins to set up custom messaging for all disabled Flexmls accounts. This setting has been turned on for all MLSs and currently includes a default message that can be customized. With this message, a Flexmls user attempting to login can be notified why their account has been disabled, and can be informed of the steps they need to take in order to restore account access. 

Admins can also customize this message for a specific user or for all members of a specific office or company under Menu > Change User.

When Will it Change?

This update is available now.

What Has Changed?

MLS admins are now able to customize the message that appears for all disabled Flexmls accounts under MLS Settings. By default, the customizable message that shows below the disabled account notification reads, “If you feel this message has been reached in error, please contact your MLS office.”

If you wish to edit this message you can do so under MLS Settings > User Administration.

If you do not want any message to show for disabled accounts, please reach out to cpr@flexmls.com to turn off that MLS setting. 

If you wish to customize the message for a specific user or a specific office/company, you can do so by going to Flexmls > Menu > User > Change User. From there, search the member or office you would like to display the message for, and click Find. Once you’ve selected the correct member or office, click Edit. Under the Settings tab for that user, navigate to the field labeled  “Inactive User Message”. Enter your custom messaging for this user, and click Save. 

Note: If creating a custom message at the office/company level, there is an additional option to check the box labeled Apply to all Members in this Company or Office. If an office is closing, this is an easy way to customize one message to display for all members of that office.

Which Members Will See This Message?

A user with any of the following settings (found on the Settings Tab of Change User) will receive the inactive user message:

System Access = No or Active = No or MLS Status = No

We have added a new, highly requested setting that gives only admins the ability to tailor the order of third-party integrations displayed in the Quick Search Detail tab. Admins can now customize the order of integrations, ensuring that their most important integrations are displayed prominently and not pushed into the “More” dropdown. With this setting, MLSs are no longer limited by display constraints and can pursue deeper integrations within Flexmls.

Note: This setting does not allow integrations to be disabled or renamed and is not available at the member level.

When Will it Change?

This update is available now.

What Has Changed?

Note: To make third party integration customizations, go to Menu > Preferences > General Preferences > Integrations. Here you can adjust the order in which integrations will display.

Note: You can choose to show your most frequently used integrations first so they don’t show under the “More” dropdown.

In addition to the launch of the Broker Attribution setting, we have now added a Broker Attribution reporting feature to give Admins the ability to determine if this setting has been enabled or disabled at the office/agent level. If Broker Attribution has been enabled, Admins can see what the designated email address or phone number is. This reporting will not be accessible at the listing level. You can access the Broker Attribution Reporting in the Flexmls menu by going to Statistics > Rosters > Office/Member Roster. Be sure to select “Display Broker Attribution” before running the report.

*Copy and paste the announcement below to share this new setting with your offices and brokers.

Due to 2022 NAR policy updates, Flexmls is making the following changes to comply with the Broker Attribution Requirement.

They have added the capability to enable Broker Attribution. This setting is controlled at the Office level and is disabled by default. No action is required and no changes will go into effect unless this preference is made active by the Office.

There is no Company level Broker Attribution field, but if you have a Flexmls Company account, you will be able to individually manage Broker Attribution for all of the Offices in your Company-level account in General Preferences under the Broker Attribution tab.

If your Office wishes to make Broker Attribution active, they can enable this in the General Preferences under the new Broker Attribution tab in one of two ways:

• Office enters default email address or phone number for all Office listings
  OR
• Office chooses to designate the Broker Attribution field to a Listing Agent
  
  • If the Broker Attribution field is designated to the Listing agent by the Office, the agent can enable their own Broker Attributions under General Preferences in the new Broker Attribution tab.
    
    • The listing agent enters a default email address or phone number for all Listing Agent Listings
      AND
    • The listing agent can set the Broker Attribution field when adding or editing a listing.

If the Broker Attribution field is designated to a listing agent, all of the agent’s listings will inherit the email address or phone number entered and will be included in data feeds. 

Note: If this setting is disabled at the Office level, the preference will not be viewable at the agent level.

Note: If your MLS is not a member of NAR, NAR policy requirements do not affect you and you won’t see these changes in your Flexmls account.

We have updated the Spark Datamart Dashboard to be more user-friendly, giving you a comprehensive view of outgoing data fields. The Spark Datamart helps MLSs license and manage data feeds for IDX websites, back-office software products, and more. Now, it is easier to view Datamart subscriptions, the terms of use that were accepted, and the approval chain for each subscription. You are also able to easily suspend or reinstate data feeds, so you can effortlessly manage data access. This new layout gives a better snapshot of your subscriptions available.

What has changed? 

Dashboard overview shows subscriptions. Red text indicates an action item.

Subscriptions now give you important information at a glance. See if subscriptions are pending or active. Approval history chain is easily discernible.

You can change a subscription status from a dropdown menu and send a message. Suspend, cancel or reinstate data feeds easily.

View Terms of Use for both FBS and the MLS.

These Datamart dashboard updates make it easier than ever to manage subscriptions and migrate users from RETS to the APIs. Have you seen RESO’s RETS Extinction Countdown, which has a list of MLSs making progress migrating data feeds from RETS to the RESO Web API? We’d love to help your MLS be highlighted on that list too, by offering API keys through our Spark Datamart. Contact api-support@fbsdata.com today to get started!

If your MLS data shares, it is now easier than ever to ensure your MLS results display first when searching in Quick Launch. We are adding a new member level General Preference that will give your members the ability to control their returned search results in Quick Launch, similar to their current Quick Search experience. If members turn this preference ON, search results from their MLS will show first when searching. We’re excited to deliver this enhancement that further customizes the Flexmls experience and delivers results tailored to your members’ needs. 

When Will It Change?
This update will be available on October 28, 2021.

What Will Change?
Under General Preferences, there is now an option for your members to turn on the new preference that will show search results from their MLS first.

Note: This new preference will be launching as OFF for all members. If you would like to default this new member level General Preference to ON for all members in your MLS instead, please contact cpr@flexmls.com 

Along with our new and improved video and virtual tour entry, we’re implementing some related MLS settings so you can simply and easily customize the experience for your members. The new settings will also be available on May 6, 2021.

These new MLS settings build on the changes described in Simplified Settings for Videos and Virtual Tours.

Number of Virtual Tours
Currently the setting “Number of virtual tours allowed” allows either 1 virtual tour per listing or unlimited virtual tours. With this update, we’re adding the options of 2 and 3 for MLSs that want to increase the limit on virtual tours but not choose “Unlimited.”

Add Definition of Branding
We’re also adding a new setting called “Display this text to define ‘branded’ on videos and virtual tours page in Change Listing.” Use this text to remind members what constitutes a branded video or virtual tour or briefly describe the rules about branding in your MLS. You can enter up to 200 characters. The description will appear when members hover over the question mark icon next to the branding option on video and virtual tour entry.

An Old Problem & A New Solution

Homebuyers want* to see floor plans. What used to be expensive and complicated to obtain is now fast, easy, and affordable.

The FlōPlan® System (app + software) improves the homebuyer experience while showcasing the power of the MLSs core value of cooperation, enhancing the market for all.

*2021 NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends

Learn More

______________________________________

• The FlōPlan System “Makes the Market Work®”, enabling the MLS participants to serve the consumer’s needs with a floor plan on every listing.
• Floor plans created by participants become a new digital asset; the more floor plans created, the more valuable the collective asset becomes.
• The FlōPlan System reinforces critical IP rights by putting the MLS, local broker, and agent in control of licensing and distribution while offering the MLS and participants a perpetual license for use.

One Phone, Scan, Day & Tap Away

Efficiency in an agent’s listing entry workflow will help drive adoption. Using only a smartphone, an agent (or agent-delegate like assistant, photographer or homeowner) simply scans the property within the FlōPlan app. In one business day, the agent receives a completed floor plan, easily linked to their listing within any MLS system.

Invested in Success

From the moment an MLS decides to license the FlōPlan System, they’ll have a dedicated customer success team to help define and deliver launch, adoption, and engagement communication strategies complete with professionally crafted marketing communication kits, webinars, videos, and collateral.

Improve Your Market. Empower Your Members. Showcase Your Core Value.  

Learn more about the benefits of licensing FlōPlan for your members. Request a demo today

Contact Sales or request licensing demo

Photo rights continue to be an ongoing hot topic in the Real Estate industry and we want to do everything we can to help keep your members’ photos protected. That’s why we’ve made the Standard watermark in the Flexmls System more visible on high-resolution photos.

When Will It Change?
This update is available now.

What Has Changed?
Previously, the size of the Standard watermark was static, and it could not be changed by the administrator. As photo resolution increased, the watermark appeared smaller. At the highest resolution, the watermark could be nearly invisible.

With this change, the size of the Standard watermark is dynamic, and it scales with the resolution of the photo. As photo resolution goes up, the watermark size also increases.

We’re pleased to announce that we’re making the MLS settings for videos and virtual tours easier to use. This enhancement is part of a larger effort to simplify the entry of videos and virtual tours. The updated settings make it easier for MLS Administrators to select branding settings that comply with their individual MLS rules.  

Note: No action is required if you are happy with your current MLS settings. Every effort was made to ensure that the new settings preserve the intent of your current settings.

When Will It Change?
This update will be available on November 12, 2020.

What Will Change?
The MLS settings for videos and virtual tours govern whether branded videos/virtual tours can be entered on listings and whether they can be displayed to the public. The current MLS settings can be difficult to interpret.

With this change, the current options in the Videos group and Virtual Tours group on the MLS Settings page will be replaced with a new, unified Videos and Virtual Tours group. The same settings will control both videos and virtual tours.

The Videos and Virtual Tours group will include the following settings:

Allow branded videos and virtual tours on listings (On/Off)

• If set to On, both branded and unbranded videos and virtual tours can be entered on listings. 
• If set to Off, only unbranded videos and virtual tours can be entered on listings.

Allow branded videos and virtual tours on public websites and in emailed links (On/Off)

This setting becomes available if “Allow branded videos and virtual tours on listings” is set to On.

• If set to On, both branded and unbranded videos and virtual tours can be displayed on public websites and in shared listing links.
• If set to Off, only unbranded videos and virtual tours can be displayed on public websites and in shared listing links.

Number of virtual tours allowed
Select the number of virtual tours that can be attached to a listing. You can select 1, 2, 3, or unlimited.

Why Are We Making These Changes?
These changes are the first step in a larger effort to simplify the entry of videos and virtual tours. Upcoming changes will make video and virtual tour entry easier and more understandable for your members.

Nothing is more important than security. To better protect your MLS data, we’re going to tighten up our password requirements by increasing required characters and including an uppercase letter. We’re also making the process consistent, no matter how you access the password-change function. Stronger passwords help prevent unauthorized access to the MLS.

Note: Members will not be required to change existing passwords to meet the new requirements. The next time a member resets their own password, the new password requirements will be enforced.

When Will It Change?
This update will be available on November 12, 2020.

What Will Change?
With this enhancement, we’re making password requirements consistent, no matter how you access the password-change function. In addition, the user interface for password changes will be refreshed.

Password Requirements
With this change, member passwords will need to include the following:

• A minimum length of 8 characters
• 1 number
• 1 uppercase letter
• 1 lowercase letter

Temporary Password Reset by the Administrator
We’re making the requirements for administrator-set passwords simple. Only the 8-character length will be enforced when you change a member’s password via the Password Reset page or Change User page. The other strong password criteria will not be enforced, and the password will be considered temporary. 

After an administrator reset, the member will be required to change their password immediately upon their next login to Flexmls, and all password requirements will be enforced. (Password reset is not currently forced on mobile.)

Member Password Reset
If a member’s password expires or they otherwise reset their own password, the new password requirements will be enforced. As always, members changing their passwords will see help text listing the requirements that must be met.

We’re excited to unveil that we’ve given our Spark Platform a complete makeover. It’s been fully modernized from top to bottom and it doesn’t just look great, it’s even easier to use. This UI refresh includes: The Spark Platform, The Spark Datamart, The Spark Store, The Spark API Manager, and Developer Documentation.

When Will It Change?
This update will be available on November 5, 2020.

What Will Change?
The look of the Spark Platform will be refreshed with updated branding and a new layout. The same features and functions will be available, but the navigation will be moved to the left side of the page.

The updated layout makes the Spark Platform more accessible to all users. The pages will also be more responsive to different screen sizes, making them easier to use on mobile devices.

The Spark Platform (View)

The Spark Datamart (View)

The Spark API Manager (View)

Spark Developer Documentation (View)

The Spark Store (View)

If you’re tired of seeing “non-member agent” on your ranking report, you will be elated to hear that you can now exclude the non-member account when you run the Market Share option of the Saturation Analysis Report.

To run the report, click Saturation Analysis on the Inventory and Production Reports page. Select criteria based on the Report Generation template, select the Market Share option, then click Next to continue. 

On the report options page, specify the calculation methods for the report. On this page, you can select the new option “Exclude Non-Member account from ranking list.” The calculations will be unchanged, but the report will exclude the non-member account’s production from the ranked list.

Note: In order to exclude the non-member account from the ranking report, the “Non-Member Agent or Exception” option must be set to Yes for the user account. This setting enables Flexmls to identify the non-member account.

At the top of the report, the search parameters will indicate that the non-member account was excluded.

We know that up-to-date listing information is of the utmost importance, so we’re excited to introduce a new report that shows you on-market listings with an inactive listing member. Now when members are transferred or offices become inactivated, you can clean up abandoned listings for more accurate listing data.

When Will It Change?
This update is available now.

What Has Changed?
Currently when a member is transferred, a placeholder member record is created. Existing listings for the member are assigned to the inactive placeholder by default. If open listings are not transferred at the time of the member transfer, those listings can be orphaned in the system.

With this change, a new report is available on the Listing Maintenance Reports page. To run the report, click Reports – General under General on the Admin menu. Then click Listings with Inactive Members Report.

Select the associations and property types to run the report for. If no associations or property types are selected, the report will include data for all associations or property types. The report includes listings that have not been canceled, closed, expired, or deleted.

Click Submit to run the report. Use the information on the report to transfer or cancel listings, as needed.

Why Are We Making These Changes?
We know that up-to-date listing information is of the utmost importance to MLSs.This change enables the MLS administrator to clean up abandoned listings for more accurate listing data.

Recently, we visually refreshed the built-in error reporting page and now we’re making that page more customizable! Error reporting by your members is a key method of ensuring data quality, so we’re giving you the ability to display a custom message on this page. Soon you’ll be able to provide additional information to encourage your members to submit good error reports.

When Will It Change?
This update will be available on September 10, 2020.

What Will Change?
At the bottom of the refreshed error reporting page, expandable sections display information about who will receive the member’s report, with and without their name included.

With this enhancement, you’ll be able to create an additional section with a message specifically for your members. 

This new section is optional and is turned off by default. Use the following new MLS settings to turn on this feature.

• Enable custom section on error report form to provide more details to reporters – Turn this setting On to add the custom section to the page.
• Custom error report section title to display – Enter the text to display as the title of the custom section. To make your custom section fit best with the existing sections, we recommend that you phrase the title in the form of a question that your members might ask.
• Custom error report section message to display – Enter the message text for the custom message. You can apply formatting to the message text by using HTML tags.

Both a title and a message must be entered for the custom section to be displayed on the error reporting page.

Why Are We Making These Changes?
Error reporting by members is a key method of ensuring data quality for many MLSs. This change enables the MLS to encourage error reporting by providing more information to their members.

The Template Manager in the Spark Datamart has received a refresh to make it easier than ever for Flexmls administrators to set up and maintain developer access to MLS data via the Spark API.

What Is the Spark Template Manager?
Permissions in Spark are based on roles (IDX, VOW, Portal, Public, Private). Each role has access to a certain set of fields via the Spark API. With the Template Manager, you can create multiple templates to grant access to different sets of fields.

What Has Changed?
We’ve made the following usability enhancements to the Spark API Template Manager.

Note: To access the new features described in this announcement, log in to https://sparkplatform.com, then click API > Template Manager. Click Add to create a new template.

Filter Query Builder
If you’re familiar with the RETS Template Manager, the new Filter Query Builder for the Spark API is similar. The new query builder enables you to more easily set up complex templates that include nested filters.

View Flexmls and RETS Field Names
To more easily identify fields when you’re working with a template, you can select to display RESO, Flexmls, and RETS field names along with the API field name.

Field Name Report
We’ve also created a report that shows the API name, the Flexmls name, and the RETS names for each field. You can send this report to vendors who currently access data via RETS and want to transition to the API.

Other User Interface Improvements
In addition to the configuration and reporting improvements in the Template Manager, we’ve made the following updates. 

• Ability to sort fields in the Template Manager alphabetically
• API fields linked to the RESO Data Dictionary for more information
• Indication of which fields are included in the RESO IDX Payload
• Better management of custom fields
• Metadata limited to fields that are available in the template

Why Are We Making These Changes?

We’re making these changes to make it easier for you to set up and manage Spark API templates. These changes are also meant to ease the transition from RETS to the Spark API.

If you fill out a quarterly copyright questionnaire for your MLS database, you’ll be happy to know we just made the process easier! Previously, you had to request the basic information about listings, data fields, and photos from FBS. Now you can easily run the report yourself whenever you need it.

When Will It Change?
This update is available now.

What Will Change?
The new copyright data report is available on the Listing Maintenance Reports page. To run the report, click Reports – General under General on the Admin menu. Then click Copyright Data Report.

Specify a date range for the report, then click Run. A .csv file will be generated, which you can open in a spreadsheet program. The report lists statistics for each property type in your MLS.

Why Are We Making These Changes?
These changes make copyright data-gathering easier and more efficient for MLS Administrators.

To ensure our Flexmls Platform helps you comply with RESO standards, you’ll be able to map your member designations to RESO member designations starting on August 20th. This new option will provide better consistency of member data across MLS systems and once mapped, the data will be accessible via the Spark API.

What Will Change?
We’ve added a new RESO Type drop-down list on the Edit Member Designations page in Flexmls. To start mapping your member designations, click Member Desig. under Users on the Admin menu. Use the RESO Type column to map your member designations to the corresponding RESO member designations.

Click here to see the list of member designations in the RESO Data Dictionary. 

Note: Do not map more than one member designation to a RESO Type. If multiple member designations could potentially be mapped to the same RESO Type, we recommend that you map the best match only. Then either remove the others or set their RESO Type to None.

If some of your member designations do not have a corresponding RESO designation, they can remain unmapped (set to None). Unmapped designations will not be available through the Spark API.

Why Are We Making These Changes?
These changes are part of ongoing improvements in Flexmls that enable you to comply with RESO standards and achieve RESO Platinum Certification.

We’ve created a new MLS setting on Flexmls Web that controls whether offices, members, and teams from datashare MLSs are included by default in office/member searches. This setting can only be controlled by FBS staff. To change this setting, please contact the CPR team at FBS (cpr@flexmls.com).

Currently, if your MLS shares data with another MLS, the primary MLS is selected by default on the Office/Member Search page. You and your members can click the Filters button to make different selections in the MLSs Sources field, and your selection is remembered the next time you visit the page.

Using the new MLS setting, you can set the default to “Primary MLS and all datashares” for everyone in your MLS who has not selected other MLS Sources. If a member has already made selections in the MLS Sources field, this setting will not override their selections.

We’re making it easier to keep media privacy in sync with a listing’s status. Starting on June 18, we’re adding a new privacy setting of “Private While Off-Market.” With this setting, the privacy of photos, videos, and virtual tours will change automatically when the status of the listing changes. 

As part of this enhancement, we’re adding a new MLS setting that enables you to define which statuses count as off-market statuses for media privacy. The setting, in the Miscellaneous section of the page, is called “Which statuses should be considered off-market for automatically setting selected digital media to private? (Selected digital media will be automatically set to public when a listing is changed to on-market statuses.).”

When a listing is in one of the selected off-market statuses, and the member has selected “Private When Off-Market” for a photo or other visual media, that media is made private and removed from public view. When a listing is in one of the unselected statuses and “Private When Off-Market” is selected, the photos and other media are available to the public.

Don’t Let Your Members Delete Listing Photos – Make Them Private
Photo privacy has become a hot topic in the real estate industry, and we’ve made enhancements to tackle it head-on. We’re excited to announce that on April 30th, your members will have a new option to mark photos, videos and virtual tours as private in Flexmls.

With this new feature comes the option for you to control access to private photos, videos, and virtual tours. Continue reading below to understand how this change will impact your current RETS recipients.

Third-Party Access to Private Photos, Videos, and Virtual Tours
By default, private photos, videos, and virtual tours are visible only in Flexmls and you should not need to provide access to third parties (e.g., RETS or API users). The majority of those data recipients provide products (such as IDX products) that display listing data publicly and so they should not ever need to receive private photos or other private media. 

There may, however, be a few, limited cases where third parties will need access to private media. In those cases, you can provide access via the Spark API. Before you grant such permission, however, we recommend that you work with each vendor to ensure that private photos, videos, and virtual tours are handled according to your rules.  

• The vendor should protect the privacy of private media by tightly controlling where the media is displayed, and who has access to it.
• Wherever the vendor displays private media, it should be labeled as private, making it clear to users that the media is not to be shared with the public.
• In addition to ensuring that the third-party vendor’s product follows the new privacy rules for media, you should consider amending your contracts with them to assure that they will continue to respect your privacy rules.

If you have determined that a vendor is willing and able to comply with the privacy requirements, and fits the criteria noted above regarding private vs. public display, you can provide access using the following instructions.

How to Provide Full Private Media Access Via the API
The capability to distinguish between public and private media is not able to be provided via RETS, so FBS strongly recommends that vendors transition to the API to ensure full compatibility with this feature release. To grant API access, the MLS administrator should contact FBS at api-support@sparkplatform.com. Please include the following information:

• The vendor’s name 
• The vendor’s contact email address
• The vendor’s current access level
• A statement that the vendor requires access to private photos, and confirmation that the MLS authorizes FBS to create an API key with the appropriate level of access and any required permissions.

If the vendor needs permissions beyond their standard Private role, we will confirm those permissions with an authorized MLS administrator before granting them. Please also let us know if you have any questions about the Spark API or the RESO Web API.

How to Provide Limited Private Media Access Via RETS
If the vendor is not able to transition to the API, the MLS administrator can allow them to retrieve private photos, videos, or virtual tours via RETS using the steps below. Important Caution: RETS does NOT allow a vendor to distinguish between public and private media, which means that RETS recipients will be unable to support privacy rules. Therefore, delivering photos via RETS should be used only as a last resort when private photos need to be delivered and the API cannot be used.

1. Ask the vendor for the username of their RETS feed, if it isn’t already known. 
2. Log in to Flexmls and navigate to Admin > RETS > User Permissions.
3. In the Search box, type the vendor’s username from Step 1. If multiple usernames appear in the results, click the correct username.
4. On the Property Media tab, select from the options for private photos, videos, or virtual tours. When you select one of the options below for a feed, that feed will be granted access to the associated private media. 
   1. • Allow Private Photos?
      • Allow Private Virtual Tours?
      • Allow Private Videos?
5. Be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the page when you are finished making changes.

Please note: If the new options on the Property Media tab are missing for a particular feed, that feed may be set to a public permission level, and public feeds may not be eligible to receive private data per your current MLS rules and regulations. 

If you have questions about this process, contact the RETS support team at rets@fbsdata.com.

You asked and we brought it to life! We’re excited to announce that starting April 16th, you’ll have an additional billing option for Spark API data access in the Spark Datamart! You’ll be able to set up pricing tiers to bill developers based on the number of customers/agents they represent. In the Spark Datamart, tiered pricing enables you to better track both the number of customers, and which specific customers a developer is serving.

What Will Change
Currently, MLS administrators can set recurring or one-time charges for Spark API data access.

With this enhancement, you will be able to create tiered pricing plans in the Spark Datamart. To get started, first, click Datamart > Add/View Data Plan. In the Pricing Tab, click Add. Then select This plan uses tiered pricing.

To require developers to periodically update their licensee counts, click Require regular licensee count updates. Select the update interval (how often the developer needs to report back) and the billing interval (how often the developer will be billed). To bill the developer at the time that they subscribe, select Bill At Subscription Time. Otherwise, the developer will be billed at the end of the first billing interval.

Next, set up tiers. For each tier, specify the minimum and maximum licensee count, the amount to charge, and whether the amount will be fixed for the tier or charged per licensee.

As you add tiers, a visualization tool is available to help you understand what the developer will be charged.

If a developer has not provided an updated licensee count as required, you will receive an email notification. Currently, you cannot suspend or cancel the developer’s subscription through the Spark Datamart. If you need to suspend a subscription, please contact the API Support team at FBS (api-support@flexmls.com).

Why We Are Making These Changes
We’re making these changes to give you more flexibility and control over how your MLS data is used by application developers. We want to make the built-in billing tools in the Spark Datamart more powerful, improving your efficiency and eliminating the need for a separate billing process.

If your MLS includes multiple associations, we’ve enhanced the Billing Report so you can view and print a separate Billing Report for each association. Increasingly, regional MLSs include multiple associations, and administrators need to view user data based on association.

Recently, we removed MLS Administrator access to Main List Groups and Detail Groups in Flexmls Web to help protect you from unplanned changes. Unplanned changes to field groups can cause disruptions to the customer portal, subscriptions, Flexmls Pro apps, RETS and IDX feeds, and MLS data shares.

If you need to make changes to field groups, please contact the Customer Projects and Relations team at FBS (cpr@flexmls.com). We can help you plan and communicate changes to minimize disruptions.

We made this change to help you maintain a stable, reliable Flexmls System. While we want to give you the flexibility to make changes on your own, we also want to protect you from accidentally making changes that break important functions in Flexmls. And we know that changes to Main List Groups and Detail Groups can be particularly damaging.

During this period of rapid change and uncertainty, we’re here to help you keep your members, your families, and your community healthy and safe. The necessary restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic make traditional open houses difficult if not impossible or even illegal. To support your efforts to continue making the market work using online alternatives, we’ve created two new MLS settings that allow you to limit or turn off the Open House and Tour of Homes functions in Flexmls.

What Changed
Two new MLS settings are available in the Tour of Homes/Open House section of the MLS Settings page: Enable Open Houses and Enable Tour of Homes. These new settings each provide you with 3 options so you can control exactly what you want your members to be able to do.

3 Options to Choose From:

• In-Person and Virtual: Allow members to schedule either type of Open House/Tour of Homes
• Virtual Only: Allow your members to schedule only virtual Open Houses/Tours of Homes
• OFF: Completely turn off In-Person & Virtual Open Houses/Tours of Homes for your members. Menu items will be hidden, and open houses and tours will not be available in the Scheduled Marketing Activities section of the Change Listing page.

NOTE: If you previously turned off Open Houses or Tours of Homes, they will remain OFF when the new Virtual Only and In-Person and Virtual settings become available. To enable Open Houses/Tours of Homes, you must select one of the new options in MLS Settings. If you previously had these options set to ON, In-Person and Virtual will be selected by default.

Coming Soon
Links to virtual open houses and tours of homes are currently not available to third-party sites via RETS feeds. We anticipate that this information will become available later this week.

Why We Are Making These Changes
We know that the current pandemic situation is causing uncertainty in your lives and in your business. And we’re committed to helping you adapt to the rapid changes while also keeping yourself, your family, and your community healthy and safe. In an effort to help you continue to make the market work, we accelerated our typical feature release process to make this feature available as soon as possible.

Starting on March 19th, your members will be able to share their own listings from Flexmls Web to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Currently, the MLS Administrator can enable a Share option on the search results page. When this option is turned on, your members can share each other’s listings to social media. Many MLSs do not turn on this feature because sharing another member’s listings is against local MLS policies or state advertising laws.

With this enhancement, a Share Listing option will become available on the Change Listing page. Your members will be able to use this option to share any listings that they have permission to edit. The Share function on the Change Listing page works just like the Share function on the search results page. The same rules apply, such as the maximum number of views and the link expiration date.

Where Can You Enable Or Disable This?
A new MLS setting called “Display “Share” option for agents on edit listing screen” will also be added. This preference will be set to On by default. If you need to turn off social media sharing from the Change Listing page, you will be able to set this preference to Off. 

You will be able to enable either, both, or neither of these social media sharing options, depending on the needs of your MLS.

When your MLS makes changes to listing fields, notices will now be sent to RETS feed recipients via email rather than via an RSS feed.

Note: No action is required of MLS Administrators related to this change. All current RETS recipients will be notified by FBS. This announcement is for your information only. If your MLS handles its own RETS notifications, this change does not apply.

When Will It Change
This update is available now. 

Who Will Benefit
Third parties who receive your MLS data through a RETS feed will benefit from this change.

What Will Change
When your MLS makes changes to listing data fields, the RETS metadata also changes. Because some metadata changes can be disruptive to outside users who retrieve and process this data, FBS has a notification system for data recipients.

Currently, RETS recipients must subscribe to an RSS feed to receive notifications. With this change, the email address associated with each RETS feed will receive an email message when MLS fields change. 

For more information about RETS, see the developer documentation.

Why Are We Making These Changes
With the RSS feed, a recipient can subscribe to field changes for a single MLS only, which is not effective for the many third-party companies that work with multiple MLSs. This change will enable third-party recipients to receive notifications for every MLS that they work with.

Now MLS Administrators can easily verify which fields are being used to match listings in Agent Days on Market (ADOM) and Cumulative Days on Market (CDOM) calculations in Flexmls Web.

Previously, the administrator needed to scroll through the Edit Main List Fields page and note which checkboxes were marked in the ADOM and CDOM columns. With this change, the ADOM and CDOM column headers are links.

When you click on the ADOM link or the CDOM link, a pop-up window displays the related list of fields.

Please view this announcement in full in the Agent Academy. The additional items below will change for just MLS Administrators.

Changes to MLS Settings
With these changes to the Office/Member Search page, several previously available MLS settings are built into the user interface. The following settings have been removed from the MLS Settings page:

• Check not in list and inactive checkbox on office search screen by default for MLS login (Superuser Only)
• Display office IDs next to the name
• Office/Member search: Display office’s city next to the name

Note: Administrative functions such as editing user information and changing passwords are not available in the Flexmls Pro mobile apps or website.

Starting on February 20th, you’ll be able to search even faster on Quick Search.

Previously, when you added a checkbox-type Detail field to Quick Search, you needed to click the checkbox to add it to your Quick Search criteria (as shown below).

With this change, checkbox fields will be selected automatically when you add them to Quick Search criteria, reducing the number of clicks and making Quick Search even quicker (shown below).

Note: When you add an entire Detail group to your Quick Search criteria, checkboxes will not be selected automatically.

Starting on January 7th, the process to give your members access to another MLS’s shared data will change. If your MLS includes multiple associations, FBS will be able to set up data shares at the association level rather than the MLS level.

For example, assume that Association A and Association B belong to ABMLS. If Association A has a data-sharing agreement with CDMLS, but Association B does not, we can set up the data share so that members of Association A can see the shared data, but members of Association B cannot.

When Will It Change
These updates will be available on January 7, 2020.

Who Will Benefit
MLSs that include multiple associations may benefit from this change.

 What Will Change
Associations that belong to a single MLS may have different data-sharing agreements with an external MLS. Currently, however, if you add a data-share MLS to Flexmls, all members of your MLS can see the shared data in searches, regardless of their association. 

With this change, datashare access we will be granted to individual associations. The MLS Data Share page will no longer be available to MLS administrators. 

If you need to make a change to your data sharing setup, please contact the Customer Projects and Relations team (cpr@flexmls.com). 

Note: This option does not control which listings from your MLS are shared with another MLS via a RETS feed or the Spark API. It controls only the data share listings that your members have access to.

Why Are We Making These Changes
Increasingly, regional MLSs include multiple associations that have their own data-sharing agreements. We’re making this change to accurately reflect these data-sharing agreements in Flexmls and prevent unauthorized access to shared data.

Recently, we added a preference enabling members to choose between the default Flexmls dashboard and Quick Search as the first page to view upon login to Flexmls. Now we’re adding an option for administrators to control this ability.

When Will It Change
This update is available now.

Who Will Benefit
Administrators who want to set a homepage at the MLS level will benefit from this change.

What Will Change
We added an MLS setting in the Miscellaneous section called Choose where members start after login to allow the MLS to control whether members can change the first page they see upon login to Flexmls.

The MLS can select the default Flexmls dashboard or Quick Search as the homepage for all users of the MLS, or they can allow members to choose. By default, this setting is set to Allow member choice, which makes the First page viewed after login option available to members in their General Preferences.

Why Are We Making These Changes
You told us that you wanted the option to select the default homepage at the MLS level. We made this change to address your concerns. 

We’ve added a new MLS setting to allow members of a team to run the reverse prospecting process on the team’s listings in Flexmls Web.

When Will It Change
This update is available now.

Who Will Benefit
MLSs who use the Teams function in Flexmls will benefit from this change.

What Will Change
Currently, the members of a team must superuse as the team account in order to run reverse prospecting on the team’s listings.

With this change, the setting Allow Reverse Prospecting of Team listings by team members has been added to the Contact Management section of the MLS Settings page.

When this setting is turned On, the members of a team can run reverse prospecting on listings where their team is the listing agent. If the setting is turned Off, team listings will not be available to team members for reverse prospecting unless they superuse as the team account.

Why Are We Making These Changes
We’re making this change in response to customer feedback. An increasing number of MLSs are using the Teams function in Flexmls, and reverse prospecting ability for team members is a commonly requested improvement. 

Please view the initial announcement and timeline detailing out this year-long transition plan here.

Introduction To Quick

Search Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

Quick Search

Basics Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

Quick Search

Advanced Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

 

Quick Search Q&A

Webinar Recording

(For MLS Admins Only)

Intro To Quick Search

Webinar Recording

(For MLS Admins Only)

 

Search, Find, Act

Webinar Recording

(Share With Your Members Anytime)

 

Introduction To Quick

Search Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

Learn why Quick Search is the most powerful searching tool Flexmls has to offer and what you, as an MLS Admin have control over.

Quick Search

Basics Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

Confidently introduce your members to Quick Search and show them how to use it. We’ll train you first, so you

can help train them next.

Quick Search

Advanced Video

(For MLS Admins Only)

After watching our Basic Quick Search Video, learn the more advanced Quick Search options along with frequently asked questions.

 

Quick Search Q&A Webinar

(For MLS Admins Only)

Hosted: Nov 13th at 12:00 PM (Central)

You’ve got one year to prepare and we know you have questions! In this live webinar we’ll discuss how to use Quick Searches and how to make your members’ transition as smooth as possible over the next 12 months.

Watch Here

Intro To Quick Search Webinar

(For Your Members Only)

Hosted: Nov 14th at 2:00 PM (Central)

This webinar was the first of many to help your members discover a new way of searching in Flexmls. In three easy steps, they’ll learn how to set specific search criteria, review and select listings, and take a variety of actions with search results.

Watch Here

Look Forward To More Content

Throughout this time period we’ll create, prepare and continue to communicate additional resources (webinars, videos, flyers etc.) that will help you continue to educate your members prior to the transition.

First Announcement Will Send To Your Members About Removing Full Search

In June 2020, we’ll notify all Flexmls subscribers for the first time that Full Search will be discontinued in late November 2020. No action is needed from you to make this happen. We’ll take care of it! Note that you’re welcome to tell your members sooner, but this is when the formal announcement will come from FBS.

How’s A New Webinar For Your Members Every Month Sound?

During these final months, we’ll continue creating and sending additional resources and training material to you and your members to help you both prepare for the transition. We’ll additionally be hosting monthly Quick Search webinars so your members can learn everything they need to know about Quick Search.

A Full Year From Now, Full Search Will Be Removed From Flexmls

After a full year of planning, educating and training your members together, we’ll be removing Full Search from Flexmls in late November 2020. Once we determine a final removal date, we’ll let you know!

Reach Out To Our CPR Team Today To Create A Shorter Timeline

Excited about us turning off Full Search but don’t want to wait a full year for it to happen? Simply email our CPR team today and join like-minded customers who have already shortened the timeline to turn off Full Search.

Click here to be taken to our Resource Center filled with materials you can use to help prepare for the transition to Quick Search.

We’re committed to providing you and your members with the very best MLS software that works like your members work and delivers a consistent, modern user experience across pages and devices. To that end, you’ve probably noticed some recent changes to Flexmls. Since the start of 2019, we’ve been actively modernizing the overall look and feel of Flexmls Web, and will continue to do so for the remainder of the year. Modernization isn’t a one-time project with a definitive end. Rather, it’s an ongoing journey to meet your members’ needs and take advantage of new methods and technology. We’re excited for what we’re doing this year: refreshing a number of pages tailored to your members’ everyday tasks, and delivering an easier-to-read Flexmls interface with a squeaky clean appearance. We hope you and your members will love it!

What Are the Benefits of This Change?

Besides the obvious overall “improved visual appeal,” the interface is being refreshed to reflect current software usability practices. This means the refreshed pages will have an updated look that will feel familiar. We will use workflow patterns, button sizes, screen layouts, and an overall experience that’s similar to other products your members might encounter throughout their day. The top benefits of this refresh include:

• Easier To Read: The new layouts will contain larger, more readable fonts that meet standard web accessibility guidelines which will greatly benefit the everyday user and those who are visually impaired.
• Cleaner Appearance: Who doesn’t like a little breathing room? The refreshed screen layouts will have more room around page titles, buttons, and content. Screens will look less crowded, providing a better experience on all screen sizes.
• Pages Tailored to Your Members: By monitoring your members’ user data (how they use Flexmls), feedback, and research, we’ve been able to determine the most and least used features. With this data, we’re able to better tailor changes to their common, everyday tasks: Most-used items will be showcased front and center, while least-used items can still be accessed, but won’t be as prominent as the most-used items.

Responsive Design

You know that awesome feeling you get when you make your browser window smaller and everything automatically scales to size so you can still read it all? This user refresh also makes Flexmls pages more responsive for easier viewing on your members smaller desktop screens, laptops, tablets, and phones!

More Than Just Good Looking, It’s Futureproof

In addition to looking better, the code has been overhauled. Why does that matter to you? Well, we won’t geek out too much here and go on and on about it. Long story short, it allows us to create and deliver new features to your members faster while making the system easier to learn and interact with. For those of you who might want to geek out with us: from a software perspective, one consistent, responsive product code-base decreases time to market for innovation while improving maintainability and supportability.

Why Are We Making These Changes?

Because it’s our top priority to always deliver the best user experience for your members.

We’ve updated the Office Syndication Report to include your custom broker distribution options. You can use the Office Syndication Report to see which offices have opted into or out of sharing their data with a particular syndicator.

When Will It Change

This update became available on May 15, 2019.

Who Will Be Affected

MLS Administrators who run the Office Syndication Report will see this change.

What Will Change

Previously, only the built-in broker distribution options were available on the Office Syndication Report. With this change, you can run the Office Syndication Report for all broker distribution options (syndicators) that are set up on the Broker Distribution Preferences page.

Why Are We Making These Changes

We are making this change in response to feedback from our customers.

We’ve made an update to the Edit Member feature that will save time and eliminate errors for MLS administrators who transfer users between offices.

When Will It Change

This update became available on April 15, 2019.

Who Will Be Affected

MLS Administrators who manage users will see this change.

What Will Change

Previously, when a user with superuser permissions was transferred, they retained superuser rights, and the administrator was not prompted to verify whether the permissions were appropriate for the new office.

The administrator had to remember to click the Superuser tab to verify the user’s permissions and remove superuser access, if necessary.

Now, when a user is transferred to a different office, their superuser access is automatically removed!

Why Are We Making These Changes

This change will save you time and removes any margin for error when transferring users between offices.

Starting next week, the MLS will be able to control which brokers have access to specific syndication options. This ability is controlled by a new setting, Broker Availability, on the Broker Syndication page.

When Will It Change

This new setting will be available on January 7, 2019.

Who Will Be Affected

This option is only available when using as the MLS root account.

What Will Change

The Broker Distribution Preferences page allows you to select which options are available for brokers and members on the Broker Distribution tab on the Add and Change Listing screens. To see the new Broker Availability option, use as the MLS root account, and go to the Menu to find and select Broker Distribution.

For selected syndication options (on the right), there is a new column labeledBroker Availability that allows you to select Full or Partial availability for syndication options.

Full Broker Availability – This is the default selection when adding a distribution option. The option will be available for all members and brokers. Just as before, if you allow brokers to opt into or out of the feed, you can set the default in the Broker Opts In or Out of Feed column.

Partial Broker Availability – This option allows you to click the configure option and select which brokers will have access to the distribution option. When you give access to specific brokers, they will automatically be defaulted into the feed.

Why Are We Making This Change

This update allows the MLS more control over syndication options. By being able to limit syndication options to specific brokers, you can make those options available for some brokers while keeping them unavailable for other brokers. For example, if you’d like to allow only selected brokers to send listings to ListHub (or other listing syndicator), but do not want to send all listings in the MLS to ListHub, you can use the Partial Broker Availability option for ListHub and select the brokers who can access the ListHub syndication option.

Do you wish you could make customized gadgets that your members could add to their dashboards? Maybe a shared MLS Google Calendar or a gadget for third-party apps like ShowingTime? Or maybe have specific Message Board announcements tailored to specific associations within your MLS? Good news! Soon, Flexmls Admins will be able to create customized gadgets for members.

If there are multiple associations within your MLS, the Message Owner setting lets you select which Association’s members will have access to the gadget. Use the Message Name to make the gadget easy to identify. Click Create to create the new Message Board gadget.

This will be accomplished through the Message Board feature–you’ll be able to create multiple Message Board gadgets, add customized content for third-party information, assign them to specific associations (where applicable), and make them available for your members.

When Will It Change

This update will be available on August 30, 2018.

Who Will Be Affected

Admin users with access to the Logon Message function will have the ability to create multiple message boards–effectively creating new gadgets. Once the gadgets have been created, members will be able to add the Message Board gadget(s) to their custom dashboards and set it to display the customized gadget you’ve created.

What Will Change

Create New Gadgets

To begin creating custom gadgets for your members, use the Menu to find and select Logon Message. On the Message Board and Links screen, click the Add New button.

 

You can use the available editing tools to create a new message board gadget. If you would like to embed a third-party gadget, like a calendar, you can use the Source Code to insert iframe information.

The source code lets you add HTML code, control formatting on a granular level, and more. Click View and select the Source Code option. Insert the appropriate source code and click OK.

In order to make the gadget accessible to your members, be sure to check the Selectable by Members option.

When you are satisfied with the new gadget, click Save Changes. Your members will now be able to add the new gadget to their dashboard as a new Message Board gadget. If you create multiple gadgets, they can add as many new Message Board gadgets as are available.

Help Members Add the New Gadgets to their Dashboards

Once you’ve added a new gadget and made it available to members, you can have members add it to their custom dashboards.

To add a gadget, users can perform the following process:

• • While on a dashboard (*this option is not available on the Classic dashboard), click on Customize and select Add Gadgets.
  • Click on the Daily gadgets, find the Message Board option, and click Add Gadget.
  • Return to your dashboard and find the new Message Board Gadget. Click the gadget’s More icon (three dots) and select Settings.
  • Under the Messages option, click to see the available gadgets and make the appropriate selection. You can also change the label on the gadget and change the gadget’s height so it takes up as much or as little room as necessary.
  • Click Save to apply the changes and you now have the new gadget on your dashboard!

 

If you’ve created a gadget and would like a short video that instructs your members on the process for adding the gadget to their dashboards, please email the Customer Projects and Relations team ( crp@flexmls.com ) and they can assist you.

Why Are We Making These Changes

This exciting new feature can be used in a variety of ways such as creating customized gadgets for third-party apps (ex. ShowingTime, Google Calendar, etc.) and allowing MLSs with multiple associations to set up multiple individualized Message Board gadgets at the association level, so each association’s members-only see the message boards for their specific association. You can create as many custom gadgets as you’d like and their usefulness is limited only by your creativity.

When using the Quick Launch bar to search for members, the Short ID can be set to display next to a member’s name. This can make it easier to identify specific members when using the Quick Launch.

In order to take advantage of this feature, the existing MLS setting, Display office IDs next to the name, must be set to ON.

When the setting is ON, the system will display the Short ID next to the member’s name when viewing members via the Quick Launch, as well as on the Office/Member Search and in the Member/Office column in the View on the List tab.

The Login History Report (Menu > Reports – Users > Login History Report) now has options to include only active users and billable users. When the option for Active Users Only or Billable Users Only is checked, the report is restricted to using users flagged as FBS Active and/or FBS Billable.

The Brokerload Report now includes an option for Association-level brokerload on Flexmls Web. This option is useful if your MLS houses multiple associations–you can quickly pull a list of users who have the ability to add/change listings at the Association level.

When Will It Change

This update is available now.

Who Will Be Affected

This feature is available to administrative users who have access to the Brokerload Report.

What Will Change

The Brokerload Report displays permissions for all users who have a specific brokerload type(s). To run the report, use the Menu to find and select Reports – Users. Then select the Brokerload Report option.

On the Brokerload Report screen, the option to include users with Association-level brokerload is now available. Select the brokerload level of users you want to include and click Run.

The report will display a summary of user permissions for the Brokerload types you selected.

Soon you’ll be able to use the MLS’s Portal Preferences to set the default search template for Portals belonging to agents who do not use Flexmls IDX. This new setting is just for MLS Administrations and means that the MLS can control exactly which fields appear in the default Portal Search Template.

When Will It Change

This feature will be available on March 29, 2018.

Who Will Be Affected

This feature is accessible only under the MLS-root account and is applicable

• if your MLS allows members to use the newest version of Flexmls Portals;
• if your MLS allows Portal users to create new searches if the agent has not purchased Flexmls IDX; and
• if the MLS-root account is using the newest version of the Portal.

What Will Change For Members

While using the MLS-root account, use the menu to find and select Portal Preferences.

Expand the Portal Basics section and use the Search template for portals of agents who do not have Flexmls IDX option to select an available search template. By default, the Flexmls default template is selected, but you can choose an existing Quick Search Template from the dropdown list (you can create new Quick Search Templates by using the Menu to find and select My Quick Searches then clicking New).

Note, the Flexmls default template includes the following standard fields (as allowed by your MLS’s API): Status, Property Type, Open Houses, Total Baths, Total Beds, List Price, Year Built, and Total SqFt.

Click Save to apply the changes.

If agents are using the newest version of the Portal, their clients can begin a search by using the Search bar at the top of the screen. When results are displayed, users can refine the results by clicking the Filter Search option.

The fields available in the Filter will be the fields defined by the template in the MLS’s portal preferences.

Why Are We Making This Change

The Flexmls default template is an excellent starting point for searches; however, some MLSs may need additional fields that are important for their specific market. Creating and setting a new default template with fields appropriate to your MLS makes Flexmls Portals an even more powerful tool for your members to collaborate with their clients.

Soon the current Export tab found on the Add/Change screens will be relabeled as the Distribution tab. Additionally, export and syndication options available to office and MLS-level users will be relabeled as well. These changes only affect labels and will not impact functionality. The change in terminology will make the intent of listing distribution options more obvious to end-users. Also, keeping terminology consistent for all users helps define the relationship between functionality at all levels.

When Will It Change

These labels will be updated on January 31, 2018.

Who Will Be Affected

All members who add and edit listings will see the changes on the Add/Change screens. Additionally, offices and MLS-level users will see their Syndication and Export options relabeled.

What Will Change

Member Distribution Options
At the member level, the Add/Change screens will relabel the Export tab as the Distribution Tab. When adding or editing a listing, the final tab will be labeled Distribution. If your MLS has additional distribution options for members, they will appear under the heading Listing Distribution Options. Selecting a distribution option will include the listing in the feed for the selected option.

When viewing your own listings, clicking the drop-down chevron will display an option for View Listing Distribution (previously labeled View Listing Exports ) which will bring you to the Distribution tab on the Change Listing screen.

Office Distribution Preferences
If your MLS allows offices to set default opt-in options for Distribution Preferences on the Distribution tab, office-level users will see Distribution Preferences under the Preferences menu.

Using the Distribution Preferences page (formerly Syndication Preferences), the office can set the default options for their members (as allowed by the MLS) which determine whether a feed is enabled, whether listings are sent to the feed by default, and whether agents can override the options.

MLS Distribution Preferences
At the MLS-level, the Listing Distribution option will take you to the Distribution Preferences page.

As before, the MLS can set up Distribution Preferences from the default values or set up new distribution options available to your members on the Distribution tab, select whether brokers must opt-in or opt-out of the distribution feed, and set the order of the distribution options.

Why Are We Making This Change

The terminology change helps clarify the connection between MLS, office, and Member-level listing distribution options by using the same terminology for all users. Doing so helps make Flexmls more intuitive and easier to use.

Soon your MLS will have more control over which fields display under the Showing Info link in the Flexmls Pro apps and mobile website. This will ensure that your members can access the most important showing-related fields with a single click.

When Will It Change

This update will be released on January 24, 2018.

Who Will Be Affected

Just as before, all members using Flexmls Pro for iOS, Android, and Mobile Web will have access to the Showing Info link. If you request changes to the fields found on the Showing Info page, all users on those platforms will be affected.

Please note, this update will only affect the newest version of Flexmls Pro for Android.

What Will Change

This update will allow you more control over the fields that appear on the Showing Info page when users click the Showing Info link.

By default, Listing Member/Office information will display at the top of the page, followed by links for third-party showing services (such as ShowingTime or CSS). Then the following fields will display if they are enabled in your MLS’s Spark API:

• ListAgentId
• CoListAgentId
• ListOfficeId
• CoListOfficeId
• ShowingInstructions
• ShowingContactType
• ShowingContactName
• ShowingPhoneNumber
• ShowingPhoneExtension
• LockBoxType
• LockBoxLocation
• LockBoxNumber
• AccessCode
• PrivateRemarks
• PrivateOfficeRemarks

If you would like to change which fields appear on the Showing Info page or modify the order in which they appear, please contact the FBS Customer Projects and Relations team at cpr@flexmls.com.

Please note that the default showing-related API fields and custom fields will always appear after Listing Agent/Office information and links for third-party showing services.

Why Are We Making This Change

By making it easier to control which fields display on the Showing Info page, you can ensure that your members have access to the most important showing-related fields when they are using Flexmls Pro for iOS, Android ( the newest version ), and Mobile Web. Grouping the relevant showing fields in one convenient place saves time and provides an intuitive workflow when searching for showing information.