Have you noticed your agent behaving strangely? Maybe he has been a little testy, a tad grumpier than usual. Perhaps she walked through the walk-through with glazed eyes and a look of befuddlement, not really seeming into the whole discussion of how to operate the irrigation timers. Or, it could have been the odd encounter at the open house that tipped you off, an open house lacking cookies, a guest register or, most curiously, that coveted “free list of homes.”
If you have never before felt compelled to be kind to a Realtor, I beg you to dig deep this week. Muster all of the compassion you can. Your Neighborhood Specialist has been Tempo-ed.
Last Wednesday, the curtains came down on our local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) software. May 28, 2008 will be date forever etched in the memories of San Diego agents as the day the music died. Tempo 3 was killed dead and, in its place, Tempo 5 was born.
“What happened to Tempo 4?” you ask. I am wondering the same thing; the missing link is probably the software that actually worked. At a time when agents everywhere are otherwise indisposed, distracted with thoughts of just how they will eat in July and generally working three-to-the-ninth-power times harder for a fraction of yesterday’s paycheck, our Board of Realtors decided it was time to better serve us.
Now, this isn’t about agents being disinclined to embrace change. Every new lunar cycle brings a new statute, a new form and a new lockbox vendor, the latter requiring tens of thousands of soldiers defending the American Dream to converge at some random convention hall to take advantage of the limited time trade-ins. With each conversion comes a few weeks of confusion, but we have always managed to survive. That was then. Tempo 5 is Armageddon.
Here is my own analysis of what is wrong with our new Tempo 5 MLS software: It doesn’t work.
The gory details follow:
- First we will assume that your computer runs on Internet Explorer, because Tempo 5 only runs on Internet Explorer. Before you can safely enter the system for the first time, you need to change your screen settings, download ActiveX controls from a site that cannot be accessed, a site that perpetually returns a “404 Error - Site not found” message, adjust your Internet security settings, enable pop-ups, and add a total of four sites to your “trusted sites.” This doesn’t seem insurmountable until you consider that the average agent can’t back out of their driveway without a Thomas Guide.
- The old system required each agent to log in with a special password, one that was updated each month for security purposes. It seems that some bad apples were sharing their special passwords, however, so a new, safer system was clearly needed to ensure that only licensed, dues paying, authorized users can gain access to the proprietary data — You know, the data that you can find on Zillow or Trulia or Redfin or Realtor.com or… So, now we have a little key fob. Logging in requires a Member Number, a Password and a randomly generated Access Code obtained by punching the button on your key fob thingy. Where is this key fob? In my case last week, it was in my purse on the Louisiana Swamp Tour, while Steve was in San Diego needing to input a listing.
- The new software is as intuitive as the Bush administration. For a profession where the barriers to entry include a number two pencil and an opposable thumb, we have a software system seemingly developed by a rabid badger holding a Doctorate in quantum physics and a grudge.
- We need a bicycle, but the Board delivered a space shuttle — one with defective O-Rings. Search result screens without scroll bars, even the blank “white screen” variety which Steve has been enjoying of late, were initially an irritant, but are actually becoming welcome sights. It beats the heck out of “Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and must close,” which is the screen I have most often enjoyed. If one is lucky enough to keep their connection for any measurable length of time (say, a nanosecond), they are confronted with load speeds roughly equivalent to the gestation period of the African Elephant.
- We can make this easy, or we can make this hard. We made it hard. To input a new listing requires 125 distinct inputs. The basic search screen offers thirty different search fields, and the advanced search page is the page where only the bravest dare go. While I am spending my month of June trying to get a new listing entered or narrow down the active listings to just the homes with an upstairs laundry closet with gas hook-ups and a community pool but homeowner’s fees less than $72.95 a month, every would-be buyer west of the Mason-Dixon is out signing a contract on a home they found on Craigslist.
I have only scratched the surface of the Realtor’s anguish this week, but hopefully it is enough to inspire you to be kind to your agent. Run, don’t walk, to Hallmark. Offer your sympathy and your support. Your Top Producer is going through difficult times. And, whatever you do, don’t ask us about homes currently on the market. We have no clue.
{ 5 trackbacks }
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Reuben Moore
06.02.08 at 8:10 am
We are also in the middle of this.
To your list, I would add: Be careful relying on the included reports. I don’t know whether your MLS version of Tempo5 uses the same reports that ours does. However, our “Full Buyer” report is not working (and has not been since we went live on May 20). What’s worse, it appears to be working. But it fails to report all features in several fields. Only with a careful examination and comparison to a feature-heavy Agent Full report will the deficiencies come to light. (For non-MLS users, the Full Buyer report is the primary data report that agents email their clients and customers out of the MLS system).
After the “upgrade,” the very first thing we did was to produce an accurate “custom” Buyer Full report.
BawldGuy Talking
06.02.08 at 9:12 am
Kris — Great Monday morning guffaw, so thanks. It’s such perfect timing, as Josh is becoming official Realtor sometime this month. When he sees for himself what I’ve been saying to him for nearly four years it’ll be interesting to hear his thoughts.
The real fun will be his MLS class which will begin with them telling him Sandicor can’t figure out how to allow Mac users to make a living. It took Phoenix about eight minutes to correct that stoopid problem while overhauling their covered wagon.
When he emerges from his first MLS class a third Brown generation will be rollin’ their eyes.
Jakob
06.02.08 at 10:45 am
Wow, what a joke. Remind me again why we still use this monopoly listing database? Seems a competitor that is free, open, simple to use would be a huge success. Like a more formalized craigslist. But open so that everyone could interface in and out of it.
Ann
06.02.08 at 11:13 am
Also note that a lot of the searches may not be accurate and include all the listings that are currently available under the specifics requested. For example try bringing up listings under East County or North County. You will not get everything. These fields are entirely useless.
Also the address does not have a way of clicking it in Buyers reports buyers receive so they can map the location. I have numerous complaints from my buyers on auto email notification that they really miss this. It was very useful. Now why does Tempo 5 not include something useful.
I have a suggestion to all Realtors - Ask for a refund of your dues - demand it because of the fact they did not protect us from this shoddy software that is continually causing problems for all of us.
Demand a refund of your dues! Maybe if you hurt them in the pocket book then they will do something about it. They are sure hurting my pocketbook. I can hardly run a business when I have tools that don\’t work.
MAKE A BIG COMPLAINT TO YOUR LOCAL BOARD AND DEMAND YOUR DUES BACK.
I guess I am really ticked that I have to put up with shitty software like this. I think all agents should be outraged.
BawldGuy Talking
06.02.08 at 11:17 am
I haven’t paid my dues, but will have to relent. Still, this is empirical evidence these folks couldn’t organize a one man picnic with a manual and a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise.
Kris Berg
06.02.08 at 2:39 pm
Well, I just spent 30 minutes getting through 208 steps of the listing input form. I could see the light at the end of the scroll bar when - poof! The dreaded white screen.
Will someone PLEASE tell me why they did this? And, by the way, Steve has been on the phone with tech support for the past three hours trying to revive his computer since it crashed.
Ann - I am going to join you in raising hell.
Jakob - That would be too logical. We must protect and defend!!!
BG - Wish Josh my very best. At least he won’t have a working basis of comparison.
Sven
06.02.08 at 3:25 pm
Hah, it sounds like the NAR outsourced the development of their new MLS system to India. I can’t wait till all the agents out there find themselves using the Zillows, Redins, and Trulias to get information because the MLS isn’t working for them.
Jakob
06.02.08 at 3:29 pm
Haha, only trouble is, those are based on the MLS too. So they are f’ed as well if the MLS goes down. Notice that sdlookup.com has no updates since Saturday, either, due to this “upgrade”.
Sven
06.02.08 at 3:29 pm
Come to think of it, maybe this is all some conspiracy. You have the NAR making it so you can\’t enter any more listings, and hoping it does something to bring down inventory levels
In a week, you\’ll see a headline on marketwatch that new listing activity has dropped to all time lows (0)!!! It\’s a great time to buy.
Kris Berg
06.02.08 at 4:01 pm
Alright. I have been at this (trying to input a listing) since around noon. Please keep in mind that I am a pretty smart girl - I went to college and all that stuff. The idiocy of our new system just continues to amaze and delight.
Right now, I am trying to upload and label photos. They require captions (this is not optional), and the captions are prescribed from a drop down menu. For my bedroom photo (and I am not making this up), I may choose from the following handy descriptors: Supervisor office, junior office, warehouse, loading dock, shipping/receiving and, my personal favorite, showroom. One of my choices IS NOT “bedroom.”
I think you’ll like the photo we took of “other.”
Smithers
06.02.08 at 5:17 pm
Kris -
“Showroom” may work for you and Steve, but me and Mrs. Smithers are more “shipping/receiving” types.
viva la difference
Vanna Langdon
06.02.08 at 5:25 pm
I don’t know if your area is like ours, however, I wanted to post this morning about the “other” option that HAS to describe the image posted for a listing in Tempo 5 that Kris mentions above. How many homes has anyone ever sold that only has a “Master Bedroom” and no additional bedroom(s)? The only option for any additional bedroom is “Other”. I just took a new listing; in loading my alloted 12 photos; 5 had to be named “Other”. If you don’t have a “Dining Room” then you have an “Other”, want to show a garden tub; “Other”. I could go on, but you get the point.
Interestingly enough, the listings that “transferred” over with our new system named the front exterior photo and named EVERY additional photo (Dining Room, Keeping Room, Raised Rec Room etc.) “Other”; even the master bedroom. So, those all need to be changed to correspond with Tempo 5 fields now - more work to be done that most agents probably aren’t even aware of, yet.
In addition, in our market, the new Tempo 5 font size is so small it can barely be read without glasses and yet there are empty (BLANK) spaces under EVERY features section, nomatter how many features the home has or at what price point.
Does your buyer want to know DOM? Another problem in our market; the attachments that in Tempo 3 could be emailed to buyers, well, Tempo 5 no longer allows that, either.
There are so MANY issues that I cannot help but wonder if whoever designed this “new” system ever represented a buyer or seller?
Kevin Boer
06.02.08 at 7:13 pm
Kris,
Though your day has been frustrating due to these MLS changes, you at least made my day with this classic post! I hold my breath too every time we undergo an MLS upgrade up here in Silicon Valley. I’m beginning to understand why so many of the old-timers wanted to cling to the old prompt-and-response MLS system — the damn thing actually worked! The commands were more arcane than CPM but once you got used to them, you could actually do something!
Thomas Johnson
06.02.08 at 7:17 pm
“Will someone please tell me why they did this?”
I’ll take a shot: Business is down. Sandicor is staring at a loss of dues paying menbers. Tempo offers a shiny new spacecraft that requires Realtors to come to training classes for the next 5 years to run their businesses. Dues down, but the need for staff toteach the MLS is up-full employment for Sandicor staff, they ride out the downturn.
Tempo probably paid Sandicor to install the upgrade, because once Phoenix gets FlexMLS up and running and the bloggers start raving about it, Tempo is toast, but they will have a long term contract that will ensure their paycheck for the duration.
My take.
Kris Berg
06.02.08 at 7:19 pm
Kevin - Thanks for stopping by. Sadly, I am going to have to put my plans for unlocking the mysteries of the new MLS software on hold. Tomorrow, I will be out buying Steve a new computer. Yes - Tempo did it. He crashed at initial log in. I was able to keep it limping along with a roll-back for awhile, but the Geek Squad in all of their infinite wisdom (and after a diagnostic process that kept my partner on the phone with tech support for FOUR hours) decided the only solution was to wipe the hard drive. Now THERE is a surprise. (This is their solution to every problem, I have learned).
Kris Berg
06.02.08 at 7:22 pm
Thomas -
I fear you may not be so far off base. To the casual, non-Realtor reader, this post nor the comments can not begin to communicate the extent of this train-wreck.
Schahrzad
06.02.08 at 9:14 pm
Yes, let’s ask for our dues back!
Listings no longer show garages, commissions, heating/AC, etc.
Rentals don’t show up (30 in Tempo5, 112 in Tempo3, leaving 82 missing rentals for La Jolla and downtown)
Reverse lookup doesn’t work off Realist
Mello Roos is blank. It turns out this property showed $3300/yr on Tempo3, but it was not carried over into Tempo5.
How can I serve my buyers?
Kris, way to go for bringing this up. It’s a real shame.
Phyllis Barber is a trooper, to handle all our complaints.
They are so far from ready, that this could take 6 months to sort out.
Schahrzad
06.02.08 at 9:20 pm
Buyers won’t be served by realtor.com, zillow, etc….. - the info comes off Tempo5
Kris Berg
06.03.08 at 5:50 am
Schahrzad,
You are talking about all of the imported listings, and that is a different problem entirely. Steve and I were talking about this last night - In so much of what we do, we are relying on the historical data from the MLS. With the conversion, much of the historical data was lost or compromised. Homes with 3000 bathrooms, no fees where fees exist, data in the wrong fields… But now we have price per square foot shown ten digits right of the decimal. Huh? I went to sleep hoping I would wake up to find it has all gone away. No such luck. Today is our broker caravan day. Last week we would have looked up the homes on tour in the MLS. Today we will just drive aimlessly around the community looking for open house signs.
Johnny
06.03.08 at 10:02 pm
Wow - no mac users allowed. I love how it’s 2008 and people are still building web sites that can’t even deal with something as simple as a Firefox web browser. Genius. How funny is it that some dork IT security guy has put together a two factor authentication system for home listings. Is the protection level so high for this system that it really requires two factor authentication? I kind of doubt it. Smells like someone has been taken to the bank by Tempo 5 sales droids and scared into forking money over because of probably some scare tactics about how the hackers are coming to disrupt the MLS and steal information.
I’m a buyer, working with an agent and now I can’t use a place like sdlookup.com to help myself search out a new home and point my realtor at areas and homes that I like. If I were an agent I would be pissed off. rule number 1 in IT…if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Who’s bright idea was this? I think I’ll call Turko ’cause, “It ain’t right!” lol
Big Down
06.03.08 at 11:16 pm
Realtwhores unite! Ha ha, no one needs you or your stupid information, which is easily available to everyone. Hahahahahahahah!
Brad Nix
06.04.08 at 4:49 am
@Big Down
All court cases are public record, yet we hire attorneys.
IRS code is public record, yet we hire accountants.
Anyone can paint, yet we hire painters.
Realtwhores don’t provide information, we provide service.
Kris Berg
06.04.08 at 5:49 am
Thank you, BD, for the thoughtful, thoroughly developed comment. It looks like you even stayed up past your bedtime on a school night.
If Brad hadn’t given you a your undeserved response, you would be in the spam bucket right now. You are welcome to post comments, even of a dissenting nature, but please keep them constructive.
Rhonda
06.04.08 at 6:20 am
Kris, enjoy your posts here and on Inman! Most remind me I’m not alone in this crazy business! If you ever want a change of scenery, come on over to Texas! Houston has the most incredible MLS and association of Realtors ever and the market is booming! But the gas prices are killing us at $3.79 a gallon! ; )
Kris Berg
06.04.08 at 7:26 am
Now, Rhonda, that was just mean.
Our daily rag has an article this morning about gas prices in San Diego hitting $4.33 a gallon.
I did time in Houston, by the way. Nice city, but the humidity wreaks havoc on my lovely, over-bleached locks!
Galen
06.05.08 at 6:37 pm
Tempo5 sounds like a can of suck. Add the fact that their IDX went down for 5+ days and you can imagine why no one was answering the phones.
Kris Berg
06.06.08 at 6:29 am
Galen - So eloquent, you are!
Fortunately, I didn’t put two and two together for 6 days, so by the time I checked my own IDX feed, all appeared well. Ignorance is bliss. Can of suck, indeed. Appraisers are even livid. We spoke with one yesterday that said the new software has quadupled the time it takes for him to complete an appraisal. There are not a lot of happy licensees in San Diego this week.
Pat McElroy
06.10.08 at 7:06 am
Hey Chris — you really tickled my funny bone with the T5 analysis. I’m finding it challenging too though once the kinks are out of it, it looks like it will bring some improvements!
thanks for the laugh — you made my day!
Pat
Kris Berg
06.10.08 at 8:18 am
Pat - Not buying into the improvement part yet. And if we ever do see that day, I just hope we are all still in business. My productivity and service to my clients has gone in the tank this past week.
Cassandra
06.11.08 at 2:13 pm
Kris -
I just want to say thank you for your analysis of Tempo5. I work at one of those “unnamed 3rd party vendors” that receives MLS data and around here we’ve been hating Tempo5 since last fall.
I wish I could offer you some hope about improvements, but my experience says that the system never gets better. The first MLS’ that converted still go down randomly, confuse data, duplicate columns, etc. We tried warning all the MLS’ that we work with that Tempo5 was painful at best. Alas, they must have a really great sales team!
As I sit here trying to actually log in to the database to make our Sandicor feed work, please know, it’s not just you. This is a “can of suck” for EVERYBODY!