Rules & Regulations
News and Spotlights: Virtual Tours
RULE CHANGE:
Virtual Tours Are the Only Web
Links That May Be Uploaded to Listings
December 7, 2004: Effective with all new listings entered into NorthstarMLS starting Monday, December 13, the only Web link you may include with a listing is for a virtual tour. No other links to any other Web site will be accepted in any field, including Media Uploads, Public Remarks and Agent Remarks. All listings entered before December 13 will not be subject to this rule change.
The RMLS Board of Governors approved this rule in response to the continually increasing links to advertising/promotional information, whether it is for the listing agent, listing office or a third party. Because of the nature of the Web, it can be very difficult to determine whether your link is a problem in this manner, even if it is a site with otherwise helpful information to potential buyers.
As an alternative to linking out to the Web, we ask that you take advantage of other types of media uploads, such as plain text files and rich text files (both of which can be created in Microsoft® Word) and Adobe PDF files. For example if there is Association information you want to include, copy and paste the relevant information into a text file to upload as a supplement, rather than linking to the entire Association site which may contain unacceptable promotional information.
For two months (through February 13), there will be no automatic fines for
violations. However, RMLS will issue notices for violations and require that
any non-virtual tour Web link be removed within 48 hours. If the link is
not removed within that time, then the listing broker will be fined. The
fine will be $100 for the first violation, $500 for a second violation and
then doubled for each subsequent violation up to a maximum fine of $2,000.
Fines will be automatic starting February 14.