Realtors are always chomping at the bit to spend more money for "tools." I have found that a lot of the online tools I need are provided for me by my MLS. Granted a lot of these are new additions - but heck, some of them were added in 2007 and a lot of people STILL don't know about them!

People want to know who the best IDX provider is. Well, why not see what tools your MLS provides? You could save a bunch of money.

Mine, FlexMLS, provides for a minimal additional fee of $120 per year, custom IDX options. I can create any number of unique searches and use them on my website, in blogs, in emails, and on other platforms.

My MLS provides a beautiful Customer Portal where my customers and clients can create an account (or I can create one for them) and they can do their own searches, see recommendations and notes on listings from me, request showings, and see what's changed since their last visit. I can log in and see what they've marked as "rejects," "possibilities," and "favorites."

I can recommend listings, send them messages on listings ("You won't like this one due to your allergies; it is very musty inside!" or "This would be perfect for your dog - it has a huge back yard already fenced in!")

Every time I schedule showings for a client, I create a "Listing Cart" for the appointment and name it for the client and the date we're showing. I can sort the cart any way I want - I created a specific view for showings, and when I print out the list, they listings will appear in the order I plan to show them, with directions, and FAQ's available at a glance ($price, Days on market, taxes, dues, square footage, age, acreage, etc.) and printed out on one sheet (or two depending on how many we're seeing)

After the appointment, I can go back to my listing cart and enter "private notes" on the listings - this house was moldy, this house has a steep lot, bad driveway, barking dog next door, etc. I can also enter customer comments about it for later reference. I can view these messages the next time I pull up the listing for whatever reason!

The listing cart serves as a record of the showings scheduled with a particular client and my notes help me later for other clients or if the original client can't remember what they liked/didn't like about the house. What's nice about this is that it's available on any computer - if I don't have my notebook or file handy, this serves the purpose well!

I can also send messages directly to the listing agents or send showing feedback right from the MLS...no need to look up their email address...

If you haven't checked out the newest features of your MLS recently, I encourage you to do so. I have found that a lot of the things I was "wishing for" were actually RIGHT THERE - I just never knew it because I didn't seek it out! It's not perfect but it's great for what I want.

This is a great recommendation, Perky! All of us pay our quarterly and annual fees to be a member of these boards, yet many of us forget about the great tools that come along with these memberships. Thanks for the tip!