Tool Box
Resources you’ll find in the GPAR Tool Box:
Tech Helpline
We are proud to inform you of your new powerful member benefit: Tech Helpline.
This incredible, unlimited tech support service is offered as part of your membership benefit package, courtesy of Greater Philadelphia Association of REALTORS ®. Contact Tech Helpline Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM to 5 PM, toll-free at (866) 232-1832 or via live chat. You may also download the Tech Helpline mobile app, which is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Call Tech Helpline if:
- Your computer is running slowly.
- You need help removing a virus or spyware.
- You need help hooking up your printer.
- You want to know which smartphone works best for your business.
- You have questions about software, hardware, networking, or digital devices.
- And much, much more!
Tech Helpline’s analysts can even connect remotely to your computer and fix it for you! Learn more here. You do not get invoiced because Tech Helpline support is an included member benefit. Techs will not ask you for a credit card, and there will be no surprise charges. You can make unlimited calls, and there is no limit on the number of questions you may ask a Tech Helpline expert. We trust you will enjoy this member benefit.
Bright MLS
Bright MLS serves as the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area and beyond, spanning 40,000 square miles throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. As a leading MLS, Bright supports over 98,000 real estate professionals and the more than 20 million homeowners in its footprint.
As part of the Bright community, GPAR members have:
- More ways to search MLS and Public Records information thanks to full map-based search with DriveTime option built in, robust property history, 360 reports and map pop-ups with combined tax and listing information, Public Records tax data and property characteristics, mobile access from the Homesnap Pro app, new construction inventory from New Home Source Pro and others.
- Better listing entry and marketing options including full listing add/edit with detailed field options, ability to jump to key fields and an automatic draft option that saves your work to finish later, Supra and SentriLock integration, analytics and reverse prospecting features, a dedicated management tool designed to promote real estate teams within the MLS, and much more.
- New ways to connect with clients and consumers like automated emails, client portals, showing scheduling/feedback tools, CMA options, financial calculators, mortgage rate information, and other integrated options.
- Deeper market knowledge through insightful tools like the Bright MLS T3 Home Demand Index, SmartCharts, market statistics as well as customized statistical reports, and the Industry Watch Report for market segments by regions or status.
- Access to exclusive research and industry news like the Bright MLS On/Off MLS Study and trusted real estate news source Inman Select.
- Personal support and attention through Bright’s on-site Customer Success Coaches, phone, email and live chat support 7 days a week, webinars and training opportunities offered weekly, and step-by-step tutorials and videos available 24/7 at BrightMLS.com/Support.
- Premium product offerings that can be added to the core Bright subscription for a nominal fee including Social Pro for automated social posting and blog content, Sphere Pro for a complete online and website marketing solution, HomeVisit for photography, direct mail, and media services, Authentisign for digital signatures, and more
Bright’s goal is to provide subscribers with the best possible performance, service and support on a daily basis to help drive their business forward. For more information about Bright, visit BrightMLS.com.
DocuSign
DocuSign® is a member benefit that gives the ability to send legally binding documents and get signatures anytime, anywhere from any Internet-connected device. Members can also utilize DocuSign® Transaction Rooms for storage and transaction management options for real estate. Its integration with DocuSign® and zipForm® Plus, gives members increased flexibility and efficiency. Click here for more information about DocuSign®.
How to Activate Your FREE DocuSign Account
All GPAR members are eligible for a free DocuSign account, but must request an Activation Email from Cheryl Adams at Cheryl@gpar.org or call 215-423-9381. Once you receive your activation link, please follow the prompts to activate your free DocuSign Account.
Support, Questions, Problems and Training Assistance
For technical problems or questions with DocuSign® for REALTORS® Professional, please contact DocuSign® customer support at service@docusign.com or 866-219-4318. For technical problems or questions with DocuSign® Transaction Rooms, please contact DocuSign® Transaction Rooms customer support at 888-600-4146 Option 1 or send a message to support-re@docusign.com. There are guides and videos available from DocuSign® to get you up and running with the program fast. You can access these tools now by clicking on the following links: DocuSign® Support and Training Connecting zipForm® Plus & DocuSign® How-to Videos: DocuSign® Transaction Rooms
RISMedia Premier
GPAR members can now get all the real estate industry information they need in one place with RISMedia Premier. As a professional you know the importance of being informed about real estate issues. RISMedia is a leading residential real estate news source that keeps you up to date with industry updates, hot topics, market trends, and insights. Through your Bright subscription, you have full access to RISMedia Premier—directly from your Bright Workspace! RISMedia Premier—a $249 value—at no additional cost for Bright MLS subscribers. The Bright MLS news widget will deliver a daily selection of RISMedia content to its subscribers, including breaking news, industry updates as well as access to RISMedia’s Premier premium content channel that features investigative journalism, one-of-a-kind special reports and proprietary industry data and competitive intelligence.
Legal Hotline
As a member of GPAR, you have access to Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® Legal Hotline. The Legal Hotline is consistently ranked as one of the most popular and important benefits of being a Pennsylvania Realtor®. The Hotline fields as many as 5,000 calls per year. To get the best service, and to help ensure that the Hotline is available for as many members as possible, please review these guidelines. Attorneys familiar with real estate issues staff the hotline, taking calls on a variety of issues from advertising to escrow. To access this free benefit provided by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®, please call 800-555-3390 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Monday through Friday.
Laws & Regulations – Consumer Notice
In an effort to enable consumers of real estate services to make informed decisions about the business relationships they may have with real estate brokers and salespersons (licensees), the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) requires that consumers be provided with this Notice at the initial interview. Download the the written Consumer Notice found here and the oral notice found here.
Historic Preservation
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is a nonprofit, membership organization whose mission is to promote the appreciation, protection and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities and landscapes. The site was created as a repository for all things ‘historic preservation’ related in Philadelphia – Protect, Explore, Restore & Participate! The Philadelphia Historical Commission identifies and designates historic resources, listing them on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, an inventory that currently includes more than 22,000 properties and 15 historic districts.
Lead-Based Paint
When selling, leasing, or renovating a property you must provide the buyer or tenant with the proper lead paint warning booklets, and include the addendums in your sale or lease agreements. Both the Federal government and the City of Philadelphia’s Lead Paint laws are similar. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates disclosures for leases and purchases. EPA information can be found here. The Philadelphia Code uses similar disclosures for every lease or purchase agreement. The Philadelphia Code under § 6-805 requires every contract for sale of residential housing or rental agreement relating to a property constructed prior to 1978 to contain lead warning statements. The statements can be found here.
Philadelphia Disclosure Forms:
- Lead-Based Paint Purchase Agreement Form
- Lead-Based Paint Lease Agreement Form
Non-compliance of the lead paint laws can lead to imposition of fines including:
- Under the EPA civil liabilities can be up to $37, 500. Criminal Liabilities can be up to $50,000 or imprisonment up to one year or both. Click here to find more.
- Under the Philadelphia Code § 6-811 any person who fails to comply with the provisions can be fined up to $2,000.00 per offense. Each day of non-compliance shall constitute a separate offense. Click here to find more.
Household Mold
Molds are part of the natural environment, and can be found everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Mold is not usually a problem, unless it begins growing indoors. The best way to control mold growth is to control moisture. The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent the growth of mold. To find out more information about residential household mold, click here.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. You can’t see or smell radon. Testing is the only way to know your level of exposure. Radon can have a big impact on indoor air quality. The United States Environmental Protection Agency provides helpful information relating to radon. It provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters. To find out more click here.
Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations
The City of Philadelphia requires owners of all one- and two-family dwellings and small residential care/assisted living facilities (also known as board and care facilities) to install carbon monoxide (CO) detection and alarm devices (CO alarms) in their buildings. The Philadelphia Fire Code mandates installation CO detection and CO alarms in their building. To find out more about the Philadelphia Fire Code click here. You can also visit the Philadelphia Fire Department’s website to learn more about fire safety and hazards. Click here to learn more.
Zoning Code
The Philadelphia Zoning Code establishes the framework for all property in the city. In 2012, a new zoning code went into effect for the City of Philadelphia. It marked the first comprehensive rewrite of the code in 50 years as a product of a thorough civic engagement process involving neighborhood, government, business, professional and civic leaders that was led by the City’s appointed Zoning Code Commission (ZCC). The City of Philadelphia Zoning Code’s Administrative Manual can be found here and the Quick Reference Guide can be found here.
Market Statistics
The Greater Philadelphia Association of REALTORS®, in conjunction with Bright MLS, provides monthly market reports for all county school districts in the Greater Philadelphia Association membership area. Bright also provides the association quarterly market reports for the counties. The following is the current monthly residential market statistics reports for Philadelphia County:
REALTORS® Property Resources (RPR)
REALTORS® Property Resource (RPR) is the National Association of REALTORS® exclusive online real estate database. This REALTOR® only service is now available to GPAR members who also actively hold membership in Bright MLS as a member benefit. RPR is a single-source national compilation of public information that provides all the facts on over 147million U.S. residential and commercial properties and allows GPAR members to provide comprehensive information to their clients.
RPR offers many features to help REALTORS®, including comprehensive compilations of property data in one application, analytics, side-by-side comparisons of listing history, integration of RPR with Bright MLS data, and tax and assessment data. RPR provides detailed historical and current views of properties to clients, utilizing RPR’s robust collection of data and can help leverage accurate and advanced search tools to more accurately and speedily serve your client. It also allows REALTORS® to conduct nationwide property searches, provide clients with market-to-market comparisons of each property listing and generate custom demographic reports and market analyses for listing presentations. Note: RPR does not replace Bright but rather provides additional tools. RPR is not a national MLS and will carry no offers of cooperation and compensation.
How to Activate Your RPR Account
- Go to the RPR Website
- Under the login information, click on the link “Create Account”
- Use your individual NRDS Number. Don’t know your NRDS Number? Click here
- Use your individual Bright MLS ID Number. Don’t know your Bright MLS ID Number? Go to your Bright MLS account and search for your name in the directory for your Bright MLS ID number
- Follow the rest of the instructions to set up your account
Support, Questions, Problems and Training Assistance
If you have questions or problems about how to access or use RPR, please use the helpful links below. RPR Website RPR Training REALTORS® Property Resource Blog RPR Help Desk
REALTOR® Trademark
It is important to correctly use National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) membership marks according to the rules outlined in the Membership Marks Manual. This includes the REALTOR® logo and the terms REALTOR®, REALTOR-ASSOCIATE®, REALTORS®. Questions about this Manual can be directed to NAR’s Legal Affairs team via e-mail to: trademark@realtors.org. Additional information about the importance of NAR’s membership marks can be found at the below links. Make Our Marks Remarkable Why NAR Protects the REALTOR® Trademark Logos and Trademark Rules
Supra Lockbox
GPAR members can exclusively lease the Supra® eKEY and iBox BT LE electronic lockboxes for use on listings. The electronic lockbox system is the most safe, secure and accountable way of providing entry into listings.
Supra® has provided key management solutions to the real estate industry since 1955, bringing efficiency to real estate professionals and peace of mind to home sellers. The Supra® System makes it easy for showing agents to access properties and for listing agents to track activity at client properties. The latest Supra® keybox, the iBox BT LE, adds Bluetooth® Low Energy technology and communicates with most smartphones without any additional hardware.
A data record is created each time a keybox is opened, and Supra®’s wireless keys transmit the showing information immediately so real estate agents can obtain real-time information about showings. Client questions can be answered quickly, and feedback from showing agents can be gathered while information is fresh in the showing agent’s and client’s minds.
Keys – Supra® eKEY is an application that runs on smartphones. The Supra® eKEY includes PIN-code security and records events each time a keybox is opened.
KeyBoxes – Supra® electronic keyboxes have been used on millions of homes. Current models of keyboxes can be opened using Bluetooth or infrared signals. Supra®’s system records events each time a keybox is opened.
Please contact jeanna@gpar.org with questions regarding Supra.
Check out this Supra® overview document.
ZipLogix
PAR Primary* members get the benefit of using the Transactions (zipForm Edition) suite of technology products to do their work effectively, efficiently and safely from anywhere. *Secondary members must hold membership with the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS to have access to this benefit.
- zipForm® Plus is the real estate forms software that gives members easy and convenient access to the most up-to-date Pennsylvania standard forms, while seamlessly working with DocuSign.
- zipForm® Mobile keeps transactions readily accessible, no matter where the day takes you. Managing transactions “on-the-go” has never been easier. zipForm Mobile lets members use any computer or Apple, Android and Blackberry to complete their work.
- zipVault® keeps important documents available at a moment’s notice thanks to this integrated electronic document storage tool. This solution provides agents and brokers with online cloud storage in an easily accessible and secure location within zipForm Plus and helps to eliminate storing paper files.
How to Activate Your FREE Account
1. Go to https://www.zipformplus.com/
2. Select ‘No account? Create one!’
3. Select Greater Philadelphia Association of REALTORS® from the drop-down menu.
4. Enter your NRDS number. Can’t find it? Call GPAR at (215) 423‐9381.
5. Once your account is set up you can access it from anywhere you have internet access by going to zipformplus.com.
6. zipVault® will automatically be available as an option for saving.
How to Access zipForm® Mobile
1. Must have an active zipForm® account
2. In the browser on your mobile device go to zipformplus.com.
3. Once on the site, use your zipForm credentials to login.
Note: There is not a dedicated app for this product, access to the zipForm® Mobile service is only available through your device’s browser.
How to Create the Connection Between zipForm®Plus and DocuSign
1. Log onto zipForm®Plus.
2. Go to the top right corner of the screen and click the arrow by your name.
3. Select “Profile & Settings” from the drop‐down menu.
4. From within your Profile & Settings area, click on “Settings.’
5. The top box on this page should be “E‐signatures Options”
6. Click the button that says “Link Existing DocuSign Account”
7. Enter your DocuSign email address and press continue, then enter your DocuSign password and press log in
8. You will receive a notification at the top of your account which reads: “Your account was linked successfully.”
9. Click “Save” located above and slightly to the left of the E‐Signatures Options.
10. You should see a message “User preferences updated” signifying that the connection is complete.
Note: If you see a message stating that you have invalid user credentials, the connection has not been made. There is likely an error in the DocuSign email/password. Re‐enter and save again.
How to Renew Annual zipForm® Plus Service
The annual renewal date for GPAR is April 5th. Users will receive notices 30 days prior to the renewal date.
Individual agent accounts will simply follow the renewal process prompt message they receive in their account. There is a how-to-guide available here that answers the most frequent questions.
Broker accounts will need to email the Lone Wolf Renewals team at renewals@lwolf.com to process their annual renewal.
Note: If you have purchased any additional products not being provided by GPAR, you may be asked to go through the shopping cart renewal process, however, you will not be charged for the products that are being provided by the GPAR; only those additional products that you have purchased on your own.
Support, Questions, Problems and Training Assistance
Do you have questions or problems about how to access the service or issues when you are logged in? Please contact zipForm® customer support zipsupport@lwolf.com, connect with an expert via the chat feature on the Lone Wolf Community page or call (866) 279-9653. Once connected to their phone support, follow the menu items provided for support on the specific product. Support is available 24 hours/ 365 days a year.
To learn more about zipForm® Plus Mobile or Digital Ink, please check out the live on-line training sessions to get new tricks and tips for completing contracts and working with clients.