Virtual Open Houses and Virtual Showings options are now enabled in HiCentral MLS!  HiCentral MLS Staff want to help you use these powerful new features so give us a ring at 791-3789 or drop us a line at TechSupport@hicentral.com if you need a hand.

Please remember that virtual open houses and virtual showings should be a live, streaming event only.

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As you're working with these new tools in this "new normal", please keep the following in mind:

 

Public Remarks

URLs, or hyperlinks to external websites in the Public Remarks section are no longer allowed OTHER THAN for Rental property types.

URLs were purposefully allowed only as a stop-gap measure when traditional open houses and showings were suspended as a result of Covid 19.  When we launched the new virtual open houses and virtual showings, this no longer became necessary.  

Further, the two largest Real Estate portals - Zillow Group and Realtor.com remove all URLs from the public remarks - thereby blunting their usefulness as a marketing tool.  They will however, pick up and display your unbranded virtual tour (#! Below) so be sure to put a great tour or video there.

 

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Links to live, streaming media events showcasing the property - i.e. the virtual open house should be posted to the new virtual open house field.  Please don't post pre-recorded tours in the virtual open house field.

Pre-recorded media can be posted in these sections:

1. Virtual Tour URL - This is for unbranded media only. This field is shown in Matrix as the movie reel icon. This is the field that is typically syndicated and displayed by the largest data syndication websites.
   • Reminders for unbranded media posted in the Virtual Tours section
     • Media shall be a video or “doll house” or other 360 tour (or a collection of photos) of the subject property. It's not to be a web site that also include maps, calculator, list of schools, media company's credits and products & services, any contact information, etc.
     • No embedded links are allowed
2. External URL - This field is for branded media, external websites, lifestyle videos, etc. This link can direct the viewer to almost any marketing material the listing broker/agent deems relevant to the property and the sale. This link is not typically syndicated by large national data syndication websites, but may be viewed in the MLS, and distributed to clients and prospects via auto emails sent from Matrix and on other Broker’s websites who chose to display the field.
3. Agent Remarks - In the agent remarks, members are allowed to post branded media, URLs and additional marketing material the Agent wants to include in the listing.

 

Matrix Name	Definition	Branded  / Unbranded	How To Use (Link)
Virtual Tour	Link to a page that takes you almost immediately into either a video or dollhouse.  Navigation can be either automatic (i.e. a movie) or user defined (i.e. a Matterport dollhouse walkthrough)	Unbranded
External URL	A field provided to allow the Listing agent to link to an external (to Matrix) web page that contains more information about the property	Branded
Virtual Open House URL	A url that links to a live, hosted even showcasing the property, or a registration page to facilitate the same	Either	More info
Virtual Showings	Not a link, but a feature in Matrix input 27 - Showing Instructions	Either	More info