Tucson Flexmls isn’t Flexible

Flexmls isn’t easy to use either.   Tucson MLS switched from Rappitoni mls system to Flexmls system on Monday, May 3, 2010.   It has been an experience for many trying to figure out the system.

I’m an old data guy that usually can find a way to customize a report and get the data I need or want out of a system.   But Flexmls isn’t flexible.   You get what they provide for statistics or you don’t get statistics at all.   I can see for the average user some nice default reports.   But don’t be Big Brother and limit all users to simplistic, yet beautiful charts that pop up on screen.   I want what’s listed below.   Quick, simple summary of where the market is going.

For the past three years I’ve tried to update on a daily basis the trend for the current month by displaying in the sidebar The Tucson Real Estate Market Update:

Honestly, with Rappitoni it was simple:

• Create your search
• Run the search
• Click on “Statistics”

That was it, there would be a summary containing the data.

Two additional steps to get REO and Short Sales.

1. Refine the search for only REO or Short Sale
2. View the preview total

Those steps provided me with the data for the daily update.

Enter Flexmls

I’ve spent the week trying to devise a system to get this same data.   I’ve spent hours working on a way to get it out of the system.   I can’t.   I can’t even find Median Sale Price on any statistical report provided.

To gather even part of the summary requires more steps that I want to outline here.

For the time being, I’m not going to be able to continue the Market Update in the sidebar.

Flexmls has some nice features.

But it has far more frustrations for getting the basics done.   We can’t even sort clients by last name.   It is by first name.   DUH!   We all search by first name, right?

The bells and whistles of flexmls are nice.   They were presented nicely as well at the introduction meetings.   But there are some really clunky things about the user interface that should have been addressed long ago.

The inability to get a statistical breakdown of a search in a report should be basic functionality.   It isn’t.   Oh there are nice charts and graphs of data I don’t really need or want.   They would look great here for you to see.   But they aren’t the meat and potatoes you need.   They are the fluff.

I hope, I really hope, in the near future I’ll be able to get quick, decent stats from this system.   But I’m not holding my breath.

At this point in time, I’m not impressed with Flexmls.

I had one big gripe with Rappitoni mls.   You had to use IE to open it.   It was the only reason I ever used IE.   The day before it ended in Tucson we got the announcement Rappitoni was now supporting FireFox browser.   Hum . . .