Are you taking full advantage of your USM website’s software?


Some of you may know that my Mother, Peggy Smith, is one of our clients. She recently redesigned her site and purchased the software upgrade with email notification. Over dinner one evening she mentioned she was sending her buyers new listings through the MLS web site rather than her own. It occurred to me that she could use her site’s own email notification software and benefit from the built-in branding it provides.

I then realized she’s probably not alone; the user registration is, after all, geared towards the site visitor. However, it could just as easily be used to the agent’s advantage for new leads that come from other sources.

My Advice:

When you get a new lead, ask for the appropriate search criteria and an email address. That is all you need to create a new account!

Once you’ve set up buyers’ accounts, they will receive your branded new-listing-notifications right in their inboxes. It takes about 5 minutes to set up and you’re on your way to building a more meaningful relationship.

But don’t take my word for it:
“Now I get phone calls from customers asking me about the listing I sent them. It’s great!” ~ Peggy Smith, Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate Stowe VT

Not sure how to set up a user account and saved searches? Follow these 6 easy steps:

  1. Go to your ‘User Registration’ page. You will find a link at the top of most pages or in the side-bar widget for new listing notifications. Look for the words ‘Register’ or ‘Become a Member’!
  2. Enter in the buyer’s name and email address. Then create a username and password for them. (Don’t forget to make a note of these. You’ll want to send buyers their login information so they can create their own searches.)
  3. Hit ‘Create Account’. You will now be logged into your site as the buyer.
  4. Go to the ‘Property Search’ page and enter appropriate search criteria.
  5. Submit the search to receive the search results. If it comes up with less than 100 listings* you will see a prompt to save the search at the top of the results.
  6. Click this and name the search. Example: Burlington VT Condos under 100K

You are done! Your buyer will now received branded listing notifications directly from your site. If you want to set up more than one search for a buyer, simply start again at step #4. If you need help you can always call support at 802.865.3332 x2.

*Please note: We’ve capped this at 100 listings so that the buyers are not inundated with hundreds of listings a day.