Sound Off: What Do You Think of The New NTREIS Matrix System?
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A reader writes:
“I would like hear feedback from your readers on the new Matrix MLS that MetroTex Association of REALTORS put out this week. It has a lot of frills is harder to use and ultimately has nothing new. The learning curve just like the last 3 or 4 MLS system changes only slowed me down and cut in to my production. Someone once said ‘If it aint broke don’t fix it.'”
We’re interested in hearing more perspectives of the new Matrix interface from Realtors and brokers, too. Sound off in the comments!
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I couldn’t disagree more! Since the first day it came available as a Beta version I have been using it. It is soooo much faster, has a ton of new features, and is so much easier to use. Especially the mapping capabilities and setting up drip searches for clients. And you don’t have to use that old clunky browser called Internet Explorer. Anytime I had to log into the old Listings program I felt like I was dialing up to an old AOL phone line. It was archaic. Like any new platform or technological advance, it can take some time to get used to, but guess what? We have all known about this since at least the beginning of summer.
There are tons of classes, online and at Metrotex, and a ton of support via Matrix that can make this a very easy transition if you want it to, problem is everyone is scared to change, even if it means something better
It truly is a better system…different, but lightyears ahead of what was in place. My guess is that a lot of people having difficulties are still using Outlook for mail, are hung up on AOL like their first girlfriend/boyfriend that ditched them after leaving for college, and just love Internet Explorer…
“Welcome to the nineties Mr. Banks”
Completely agree. Appeals to the ” more complexity = better ” crowd.
From an office that closes 300+reo transactions a year, my peeves so far. You use to click on pic and find all the provided bank seller addendums, virtual tours, Web link for online offer submission…but now you must click on one icon to find bank seller addendums, click the “virtual tour” icon to find the Web link to enter online offers. It took me awhile to figure that one out.
Some glitches. ..can’t search our inventory by street name, can’t print to Adobe reader, Web links are not given descriptions…..i spent all morning instructing agents where to find the offer submission docs/instructions, where to find the Web link to enter their online offer. Highest and best deadlines had to be recalled due to delays with submitting their offers.. ..i can go on and on…hoping it gets up and running to work smoothly for both buying agents and listing agents.
I agree the update and change were needed, but I’m struggling with the terminology, and the “24/7 online” help – isn’t. Conor if you could tell me how to send an CMA to a client you would be my hero as I do not find anything in the tutorial regarding this. Also, although the CMA is “saved” it cannot be opened? I have been to numerous classes over the months in preparation but got frustrated and lost very quickly. Matrix may be very clear to the 20-something set, but I don’t find the system to be intuitive at all. TKX
OBTW, Conor, I’m Google and Windows 8.1, if that helps.
No one has mentioned one of the primary reasons the switch was necessary – Especially after people had bitched for ages! It works on all platforms and all mobile devices. That means Mac and iPhone.
Enough said. It’s not going away – it will get better every day as the glitches are worked out – In a year no one will remember it was hard.
Matrix is the best step our MLS has taken in over 10 years. I read the comments about different gripes and complaints. Every single thing that people are complaining about is available (and very simple to find) in Matrix. This system has SO much more power and capability than Tempo, it’s really not even funny. I helped train some of the agents in my office on the system by walking them through on a step by step tour. I haven’t heard many complaints once they see how easy the system is. Just remember the speed bar is your friend, the (*) is your BEST friend, and use the “Action, Refine, Save, Carts” ribbon (just below your results) like you would use air to breathe. Everything starts there. Once you get used to the speed, simplicity and functionality of Matrix, you’ll laugh at how ridiculous Tempo really was. Promise.
It is faster and seems to be more integrated with Explorer and works better with Apple. That’s the good part. Who actually needs Co-Op and Realtist Neighborhood features? Much too fancy stuff just to sell a house. Do buyers truly want to know national median home prices, price and days listed analysis, nearby listing trends, demographics, quality of life charts? Absolutely not. It is more about the schools, kitchens, garages, yards and number of baths. This simply an over analysis of a simple transaction aka technologhy gone to far. Maybe it makes some Realtors feel smarter but I doubt it does much to sell a house to the typical family buyer. Amazing how Ebby was the best agent known to man without all this. Is this why NAR fees continue to go up?
I wish there was a one-button click to select all the Status types and a one-button click to populate all the Status date fields with a single entry. I wish the CMA 1-line report would include Lot Size. I wish that when I hovered over the property icons on a Map it would show the address and not the sale price/bed/bath.
I think the new system is light years ahead of the previous Tempo system we were using. It is faster, more capable, is customizable, gives more functionality to the agents, greater search capabilities – and is compatible on almost every platform! Moving people’s cheese is never easy, but if you take the time to learn the system (and it’s pretty easy learning curve), I think you’ll find it is a much more dynamic system.
Of course its more advanced and faster but what search capabilities do you need? There are only 3013 active listings in Dallas and the average client looks at less than 20 before buying. If you need to know national median home prices, price and days listed analysis, nearby listing trends, demographics, quality of life charts to handle that then your working way to hard. Great new more usable system with way to much unecessary data and at what cost to Metrotex aka its members? I’m a Realtor not a statistician.
Love the fact that it can be used on Apple products while in the field. It’s going to take time to get used to the platform. My only complaint is why does it have to be rolled out in the middle of a hugely busy selling season. What’s wrong with agents learning a whole new platform in December/January/February?
Keep in mind that lots of the features in Matrix will not really be noticed by users. The main one is portability across devices. The old system was married to IE. Couldn’t use it on lots of devices, including MACs. This forced them to use and support two MLS systems, one that had lots of features but married to Internet Explorer, another with most of the features but useable on non-IE devices. I’m sure they’ll be relieved to just be able to support one system.
This is a new rollout. Like any undertaking such as this there will be rough spots, and features needing to be fixed. After the dust settles, we’ll love Matrix.
So as agents, we all need to take the Red Pill and see just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
The good… Works on multiple platforms. The bad… Timing of the rollout in the midst of a still very busy season, difficulty in seeing hot sheets in one report without multiple clicks, font that has no easy to find resize button, how do you email a cma to a Client without saving it to a pdf, having to scroll through useless fields for every day transactions, hunting for buried fields, having to create custom reports to see date sold on CMAs (really?)… I am a strong proponent of change and have an IS background. I still found this to be illogical with some changes just for the sake of changing… Some of the key and basic features could have been preserved, to offer a smoother transition..I don’t feel it was as well researched as it could have been as many agents are looking for the same feature that no longer exist. The drivers seemed to have a different flow to their business.
It would be nice if the Quick CMA actually gave the date of sale. I find it taking extra steps to get this new fast information.
The new Matrix is unusable. It’s beyond horrible. First lets say you want to look at properties in Dallas County 0-200K. In the old system you could click and get a full report and scroll the first 250 to see if anything would catch your eye. NOW to get a full report, they show only ONE AT A TIME! They make you click on a new page link for EACH PROPERTY! What use to take a half hour would now take 2 days! And if you search by Dallas County, they show you the neighborhood but now they don’t even name the CITY!!! And of course the old tempo never had the zip codes which would have been great, but now they don’t even show the city!
I just hope these people don’t get a hold of innovia. That has always been annoying because they won’t show zip codes on the hot sheets, but at least it’s useable!
Does anyone know where you can complain about this? I know they don’t listen to imput based on experience but this is so bad that something has to be done about it. I would give the new Matrix an F- only because there is nothing lower than this.
Matrix is an incredibly non-user friendly, fragmented, Rubic’s Cube, convoluted, complex, confusing, ineffective and over-the-top complicated mess. Who was the source for this system????
I need a magnify glass and reading glasses to read the new small print and I have to read all of it to input in appraisals. How do you say “Royal Pain in the ??” nicely?
A few other issues like default for sales is not six months, no way to check “all” instead of each category like active, sales and etc. If I had time I could think of more. It is not appraiser friendly other than the FNMA MC is generated.
I agree ‘If it aint broke don’t fix it.’”