Kris Berg wrote a very interesting post yesterday for Inman, “Sending Out an SOS Over MLS Entries“, about how now, more than ever, it is incredibly important to get those public remarks correct in MLS.
“I was writing to a hundred agents while ignoring the millions of potential buyers” – how many agents do this? The public remarks are picked up by hundreds of websites, exposing those comments to millions of consumers. What do they think of our profession when they see comments like, “Large EIK”, “Vacant – go”, or as Kris says, “stainless steal refrigerater”?
Some MLS’s do not allow the agents to enter the information – it is input by the office staff. While I can see the rationale behind this (so Brokers can proofread what is being input), it is an outdated rule that doesn’t serve it’s purpose.
Agents and Brokers, you owe your sellers, your clients, your customers and the consumers accurate public data that is a direct representation of that which you have been hired to represent and your professionalism. Do not write for the MLS, write for the public and proofread what you write!
Dear MLS’s – how about adding spell check to the MLS data input form and a gentle pop-up reminder to agents who enter an abbreviation that they might want to think twice about that? Remember, YOU are providing data for the consumer as well.
