Searching the ACTRIS MLS is about to get a whole lot easier. As of Monday, September 14, we have updated the Matrix Search page by combining the Detailed and Quick Searches into one comprehensive page. The best part is, no more scrolling boxes!
What To Expect
Starting with a new search widget, which can be found on the Matrix Home page, MLS subscribers are now able to plug in specific criteria (e.g. Listing ID, Status, Zip Code, etc.) on the fly to quickly turn up search results.
Updated Statuses
Next, MLS users will notice that we have updated our MLS statuses. We have done this for two reasons:
- The ACTRIS MLS wanted to provide statuses that are clearly defined and easy to understand.
- New statuses are compliant with the RESO Data Dictionary. This means that as more MLSs adopt open standardization, more agents will begin to see the same statuses across other markets.
To help subscribers familiarize themselves with these new MLS statuses, our team has created a handy downloadable PDF that defines each of the updated statuses and even explains which statuses have been merged and/or replaced. For example, Active Under Contract (AU) has merged and replaced both Active Contingent (AC) and Pending Taking Backups (PB).
For Buyers’ Agents, the Active Under Contract (AU) status is particularly important to note because search results may be affected by this update. However, to help Buyers’ Agents improve their searches, an option for Property Sale Contingency—which requires a Yes/No answer when a listing is moved into AU—will be located beneath statuses. Ultimately, the Home Sale Contingency option gives Buyers' Agents the opportunity to view listings that are pending based on a home sale contingency.
Expanded Cities, Counties, and ISDs to the Size of Texas
While the search criteria itself have not changed much, agents now have an expanded geographical search that encompasses all counties, cities, and school districts throughout the state.
What’s more, MLS users will only need to enter the first few letters of a county, city, area, or zip code before seeing an auto-fill option, as shown below. Agents can then press Enter to make the selection and start typing the next option, or simply click the magnifying glass beside any one of these fields to search an expanded list of options.
To help ACTRIS MLS subscribers optimize their searches, the MLS has also added Property Condition and HOA under Year Built on the right side of the Search page.
Now, some of the more exciting changes include a Rooms, Levels, and Features section, allowing subscribers to choose from a list of features like bar, center island, and crown molding. MLS users should note, too, that Agent Remarks has been renamed Private Remarks.
In addition to Rooms, Levels, and Features (not to mention the longstanding Additional Fields section at the bottom of the Search page), the following sections have been added to help subscribers further refine their search criteria and turn up results with better precision:
- General Information
- Interior Information
- Exterior Information
- Utilities Information
- Showing, Occupancy & Terms Information
See These Updates in Action!
We hope you love these updates as much as we do! For more on updates to searches in Matrix, visit ABoR.com/MatrixUpdate.