Compliance Corner- The when/how of duplicate listings

Please note: this article is a snapshot of a message that was posted on the MLS system at some point within the last year.  Things evolve rapidly in our industry, and the information in this article may have changed since it was first published. Compliance Corner articles are not updated after they are published, even if the information contained within has changed.

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Compliance Corner #41

August 2, 2021

Are you marketing your listing to the widest audience?

Duplicate Listings- When It’s Okay and How to Proceed

SmartMLS recognizes that it can be beneficial to list a property under more than one property type in an effort to most effectively market it to the widest audience.  That being said, there are specific circumstances when entering a duplicate listing is permissible, as well as procedures for closing them out when the property sells.

When can a property be listed more than one time in Matrix?

• Properties with multiple units or lots
  • Multiple parcels when listed separately and as a package.
  • New Construction.
  • Representative sample of units in large project.
• Properties in multiple towns
  • When a property or properties are physically located in more than one town, or the street on which the property is located can be entered from an adjoining town.
• Properties in more than one category
  • Offered for both sale and lease.
  • The property is for sale at one price and extra property may be purchased with the original property at a different price.
  • A residential rental property is available for lease furnished and unfurnished.
  • A residential rental property is available for lease at more than one seasonal rate.
  • The property is zoned in a zoning class that allows multiple uses.
  • The property is for sale as a single parcel or it may be divided and is available for sale as multiple smaller parcels.
  • The property is Vacant Land with an existing structure that is considered to be a “tear down” but the structure can still be sold. These properties may be listed in Vacant Land and Lots and also the appropriate other property class that reflects the existing structure (Residential, Commercial for Sale, or Multiple Dwellings). The Vacant Land and Lots listing must disclose what type of existing structure is on the property.
  • The property is Vacant Land and is offered both for sale as a vacant lot at one price and as a to-be-built structure on the lot at a different price. These properties may be listed in Vacant Land and Lots and also the appropriate other property class that reflects the to-be-built structure (Residential, Commercial for Sale, or Multiple Dwellings).
  • A property that is Single Family Detached Condominium must be listed as a Condominium with a style of single family detached and may be entered as a Single Family listing and PUD must be selected in the General Property Information field.

Duplicate listing warning

When listing multiple units on the same parcel in Matrix, you will get a yellow Duplicate Active Listing warning message when you click Submit Listing.  This warning is designed to prevent agents from accidentally listing the same property multiple times.  It comes up when Matrix sees that there is already at least one active listing using the same parcel ID on the system.

If you get this warning message, just click the Submit Listing button a second time to get past it and save your listing as Active.  The warning will not prevent you from activating the listing.

You may also get flagged by our Listing Data Checker program.  If so, simply reply to the email and explain why you entered duplicate listings for the same property.  

Be sure to cross reference any duplicate listing by using the Related MLS# field.  You may also mention the related listing(s) in the Public and Agent Remarks fields.

Closing and deleting a duplicate closed listing

If a property is listed more than one way (as a condo and a single family; as a house, land and a package, etc.) and sells, the list agent should only report one of the listings as Closed. They should then contact SmartMLS so we can go in and delete the other listing(s). Please do not cancel the other listings- that skews our statistics.

If a property is listed multiple ways (ex: SF and Condo for Sale) and it closes, we will keep the one that matches the property type on the public record. 

For example, if the Property Use Type on the tax record is Single Family/1 Family Residence, keep the SF listing and delete the Condo listing.         

Please refer to Article 4, sections 4.10, 4.11 and 4.12 of the SmartMLS Rules and Regulations for more information on this topic.

As always, please feel free to contact the Compliance Team for additional information.

Send an email to Compliance@SmartMLS.com or call us at 203-750-6000

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