1. What is Rapattoni?
2. What is the Rapattoni auto-prospecting system?
3. Will the auto-prospecting system only send out email alerts when a new property is entered into the MLS system?
4. How will I be able to tell the difference between "new to market" email alerts, and "changed" email alerts?
5. How does the automatic prospecting system know which new listings to send to you?
6. Can I receive market updates for more than one type of property?
7. How can I start receiving automatic updates?
8. How can I review or change the search criteria that is currently associated to you in the auto-prospecting system?
9. How can I stop receiving automatic updates?
10. Are all the properties contained the automatic email updates still available?
11. What to do if you find some properties that you would like to see?
12. Are property pictures included in the automatic email updates?
13. How to view a current list of ALL the properties (not just recently added or changed ones) that meet your stored search criteria?

1. What is Rapattoni?
Rapattoni is the name of the W-PMLS's (Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Services) database system.
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2. What is the Rapattoni auto-prospecting system?
The Rapattoni auto-prospecting system is a feature of the W-PMLS database system (a.k.a. the "MLS system" or simply the "MLS") that enables member Realtors to provide their customers and clients with automatic market updates by email as well as through an individualized "client portal" system.  Note: The Rapattoni automatic update service provides access to ALL MLS REALTOR MEMBERS LISTINGS (not just our own firms listings).

The 2 most notable differences between the Rapattoni automatic market update system and the property search engines that you find at MOST other property search engines (i.e. Realtor.com) are...
1) MOST of the web based search engines that are available to consumers ONLY contain property listings that MLS Realtor listing agent and homeowners have agreed to share their listings with other Realtors and/or other property search sites. The Rapattoni automatic market update system provides access TO ALL LISTED properties.
2) I have yet to identify any other web based real estate search engine that provides more details about every listing than the Rapattoni automatic update and client portal system.
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3. Will the Rapattoni automatic update system only send out email alerts when a new property is entered into the MLS system?
No. In addition to new to market email alerts the Rapattoni automatic update system also sends out email alerts whenever certain property data fields are changed (i.e. If a properties price, taxes, or if some other data fields are changed) . On the positive side, this situations help to reduce the possibility of your missing out on an opportunity. On the negative side, this situation will cause you to be re-notified/re-introduced to certain properties that you may have already seen before. (It's better to receive too much information than not enough information...right?)
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4. How will I be able to tell the difference between "new to market" email alerts, and "changed" email alerts?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell. This is a deficiency of the automatic market updating system and there is nothing that member Realtors can do to fix this situation. The slight problem that this deficiency can create is that those who receive email "updates" wrongly conclude that the system is sending them multiple duplicate emails. Instead the system is sending out or including new, significantly changed as well as insignificantly changed listings.
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5. How does the automatic market update system know which new listings to send to you?
Your Realtor creates and stores a set of custom search criteria (a customer/client profile) in the automatic market update system on your behalf.  On a continuing and cyclical basis (up to a few times a day) the automatic market update system queries each customer/client profile against the multiple listing services current database of properties. When the automatic market update system identifies any new or updated properties, the system generates an email alert and sends it out.
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6. Can I receive market updates for more than one type of property?
Yes. Your Realtor can associate multiple Rapattoni MLS system searches to your customer/client profile and all of these profiles will be queried by the automatic market updating system on an ongoing basis .
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7. How can I start receiving automatic updates?
Simply contact John Vrooman and mention that you would like to be able to take advantage of the multiple listing services automatic update and client portal service. (Note: This is a free service). Contact information is located at the top and bottom of this web page.
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8. How can I review, or change the search criteria that is currently being used by and stored in the automatic market update system?
Unfortunately, there is no way for you to be able to do this on your own. However, you can simply send an email to john@johnvrooman.com and request that I send you a summary of the current search criteria that is associated with your existing customer/client profile or you can simply tell me what changes to make to your profile. (e.g. change your price range, decrease the number of bedrooms, etc.).
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9. How can I stop receiving automatic market updates by email?
The email updates you receive contain a hyperlink that you can click which when clicked marks your automatic update profile as one that should not receive any more updates. Additionally, at any time, you can open up any automatic update email message and click the hyperlinked text that says "Your personalized page". After clicking on this hyperlink you should be taken to your personal "client portal" home page. On your home page there is a column header labeled "Email Active". Below this column header you will see a hyperlink that is labeled either "Yes" or "No". To stop receiving email updates simply click on the hyperlink.  When you do this you are toggling (activating, or deactivating) between enabling the system to send you updates, or disabling the automatic updating system from sending you updates.  Feel free to enable, and disable the automatic updating service  whenever you wish. Note: If you disable automatic updates, I generally cannot re-enable them for you. It is for this reason that I ask you to please "bookmark" your personalized web page and/or make sure you save a copy of one of the emails that contains a link to your personalized web page.
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10. Are all the properties contained the automatic email updates still available?
When you first sign up to receive automatic market updates, the first update email message that I usually send out contains a list of ALL the properties that are currently in the MLS system and that match your registered/stored buyer search criteria. Since the current market is very strong and our MLS system does not provide a way for me to eliminate properties that already have an "AO" (Accepted Offer) on them from the MLS search results, there is a chance that some (sometimes many) of the properties listed in the initial email update message may already have an accepted offer (or even an unreported contract signed on them). However, the property updates that you receive after the initial list of qualifying properties will most likely contain listing that are available and that have been available for sale in the MLS system for less than 24 hours.
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11. What to do if you find some properties that you would like to see?
1. Email, voice mail, and/or call-in a list of the properties that interest you. In your message, please also include some possible appointment dates and times. (Note: When you email, voice mail, and/or call, it is very helpful to me if you identify each property that interests you by their individual seven digit multiple listing service number (i.e. MLS#: 2112364) and address. The seven digit multiple listing service number is the first data field on each listing data sheet. It is easier and faster for me to retrieve properties from the MLS system by their MLS number than by their address.

2. When I receive your list of properties I will then retrieve them from the MLS system and check their current status. (To see if any properties have an accepted offer or an unreported contract signed on them already.) Normally I need to call the office of each listed property in order to check/confirm the current status of every property. This process sometimes takes awhile to complete.

3. When I finish doing the status checks, I will get back to you with the results.

4. Depending on how the status checks results turn out, we can then determine what our next step(s) should be.
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12. Are property pictures included in the automatic email updates?
Typically, yes. Most listing agents now upload photo(s) of their new listings when they enter the listing into the MLS system. The XMLSweb MLS system allows listing agents to upload up to 5 pictures for each listing.  Some listing agents upload 5 pictures, some load fewer. Regardless, I have no control over when, or how many photos a listing agent uploads. Some listing agents don't upload a picture when they enter a new listing. When this happens, you will receive the listing, but it will not contain a picture.  Sometimes property pictures become available within a day or so after being entered into the MLS system.  Feel free to contact me to inquire about newly added photos.  On a related note, some listing may include/eventually include a link to a virtual tour of the property. Like new listing photo availability, the availability of a virtual tour is controlled by the listing agent, and not by me.  If the listing agent makes a virtual tour available, it is made available to you.  If you wish to inquire whether a virtual tour has been added to a particular property after it was initially introduced to you via the auto-prospecting system, feel free to ask me.
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13. How to view a current list of ALL the properties (not just recently added or changed ones) that meet your stored search criteria?
To view a current list of ALL the properties (not just recently added or changed ones) that meet your stored search criteria...
1) Simply click on the hyperlink labeled "Your personalized page" that is included in every market update email message. After clicking this hyperlink you should arrive at your personal automatic updating system home page.
OR
2) Visit you personalized home page (that you hopefully have remembered to bookmark for future reference)
...On your personalized home page you will see a column header that is labeled "ALL MATCHES". Below this column header you will see a hyperlink that is labeled something like "mls-0000-1". The hyperlinked text that you see under the "ALL MATCHES" column is simply an alias that the automatic updating system uses to identify you and your personalized search criteria. To see ALL the properties that meet your stored search criteria simply click the hyperlinked text that is below the "ALL MATCHES" column header.