At CHS Regional MLS, we pride ourselves on being the premier resource for real estate agents across the Lowcountry. Not only do we connect our large community of real estate professionals, but we also offer some of the industry’s best tools to support their business.
First up, let’s talk about FlexMLS, the MLS platform provided by FBS Data, and one of the most expansive tools for our members in Charleston.
It might be a little overwhelming when you first sign in because there is so much capability packed into one tool. However, we’re going to highlight a few tactics to boost productivity and efficiency.
Let’s start by customizing your toolbar.
You can do this easily by using the dropdown menu and starring the items that you access most. Once you have starred it, it will appear on the toolbar for quick access.
One non-negotiable for us to have in the toolbar is the “market summary.” This is great information to pull for email marketing, social posts, as well as in-person client communication. Next time your client asks how the market is looking, you’ll be able to speak to previous trends and back your predictions for the future with data.
Additionally, we love to keep Contact Management at the top so that we can easily access our clients’ information and send them opt-in emails for texts (if that’s their preferred method of communication).
What you choose is entirely up to you, so start starring!
Next, use the search tool to create a saved search for each of your clients.
The parameters include all the usual suspects: zip code/subdivision/area, preferred square footage, bedrooms/bathrooms, acreage, school districts, and more. Once you have exactly what they’re looking for, save the search.
You can append this search to a new or existing contact and quickly toggle between clients’ saved searches by clicking “Work on behalf of” in the toolbar. Not only will this make it easy to see any new homes that have populated within your criteria every day, but you can also automate a report via email to send the newest listings to your client, building trust and rapport.
Speaking of search, customize your view so you can spend less time scrolling to find the most pertinent information.
Let’s say that your client is hyper-concerned with neighborhood, build year, or you just want to be able to see the listing office’s details quickly, you can change your parameters at any time by clicking “View” on the top right of the search results page. You can name your new view and use only the parameters you want.
Now let’s move on to CRS Tax Data, another CHS Regional MLS tool that will help increase your productivity and makes information more accessible as you grow your real estate business in Charleston.
CRS Tax Data allows you to see the property history for any tract of land, lots, or homes in your specified area. You can also see the history of tax assessments, and at what rate the current owner is being taxed. Another important feature is being able to search results by flood zones–always important in the Lowcountry!
Great! Now let’s talk efficiency.
One feature we love is that once you sign in to CRS Tax Data, you will be able to easily access recent searches directly from the dashboard. Additionally, any of your saved searches will appear here for immediate access.
If you’ve done your research prior to meeting with your client, it will be even easier to answer any burning questions they have.
Pro tip: one overlooked feature we love that will make your reports look even more polished is to add your branding (ie: logo) within the settings. This means that every property report you save, export, or send will have your logo at the top. To do it, go to settings and click on branding.
Next, since data is the best friend of any Charleston real estate agent, CHS Regional MLS recommends using MarketMonitor to enhance your understanding of the Charleston market over time.
We are often asked, “How has the market changed in the last few years?” and we think graphs like these really tell the story best. This is the average percentage of the original price that the home sold for homes over $525,000, trending over three years time.
Here’s another graph that shows the price per square foot for a specific price range in the same time period. This is invaluable information not only for your clients to have, but for you so that you can set reasonable expectations upfront on the seller and buyer side.
We know what you’re thinking. This is an efficient way to find the information, but how can I effectively communicate trends and changes in the market to my clients and potential clients? MarketMonitor has you covered there, too.
When you choose “Share,” there are a few options beyond the typical. You can actually choose a static or “live” (dynamic) share.
In other words, you could embed information directly into your website that updates live! No more searching for market trend data. It will update while you brunch, sleep, or drive clients to your favorite properties.
Now that we’ve shared some time-saving tools that will make you the most effective and efficient real estate professional in Charleston, you’re sure to start 2024 with a record number of closings, right? We’ll be rooting for you! And if you’d like to dive into any of these tools to understand exactly how they can improve your real estate business, there are many virtual trainings we recommend attending.
Have any questions? We’d love to hear from you. Contact support (M-F 9a-5p) or schedule a CHS MLS support virtual drop-in session.