Please watch the how-to video here or you can sign up for orientation training for a more detailed instructor lead, online session
For a thorough explanation on how to copy an existing listing, edit a listing, and delete an incomplete listing, click here to watch our tutorial video.
For step-by-step instructions explaining how re-list an existing property, please follow these steps.
When inputting a residential or mobile listing, you will be required to enter rooms and upload photos.
Click here to watch our tutorial video on how to add rooms, photos and supplements to your listings.
Click here to watch our video tutorial to learn how to change the status of your listings.
Please note that some status changes are restricted to brokers and/or the Pillar 9™ team. Details on what status changes may be made by whom are as follows:
Associates may change:
Brokers may change:
Listing termination is an option available to Brokers. Access to complete this change is limited to ensure that Brokers and Brokerages have line of sight to such changes, prior to them occurring on the MLS® System.
The Pillar 9™ Support Center agent will only process termination paperwork for listings on the MLS® System when termination paperwork is provided to the Board directly by the Broker, Associate Broker, or Brokerage Manager of the listing in question.
For step-by-step instructions on terminating a listing, click here to view our how-to guide.
There are various listing statuses available to select in Matrix™, so it’s important to select the proper status for each of your listings.
Here is a list of the listing statuses and their definitions:
Active
An MLS® Listing Contract is in effect and the listing is being marketed through the Board’s MLS® System.
Pending (Updated January 2022)
The MLS® Listing is subject to a conditional offer and the status is now changed to Pending
Sold
The MLS® Listing is reported Sold when subject to an offer with no conditions remaining other than closing.
Withdrawn
An MLS® Listing Contract is in effect but the listing has been temporarily removed from being visible on the Board’s MLS® System.
Expired
An MLS® Listing where the term of the Listing Contract has ended.
Terminated
The MLS® Listing Contract has been terminated by the Seller and the brokerage.
To access step-by-step instructions on impersonation, download our how-to guide.
View and download the full list of property types and descriptions click here
When creating a new listing, one of the first steps is to select the appropriate property type and sub-type.
The property types and sub-types available in Matrix™, along with their definitions, are outlined below:
Property Types
Residential
A property that is owned for people to live in. This includes detached, semi-detached, row and condominium properties.
Note: Mobile homes that are being sold with deeded land should also be included in this property type as detached.
Multi-unit (multi-family)
A listing where 2 to 4 residential units are being sold together, regardless of whether they are connected.
Note: If you are listing 5 or more units you must be licensed by RECA for commercial real estate and these listings would be entered as commercial transactions.
Agri-business
A property where the primary purpose is agricultural. This can include an agricultural property with a residence, as long as the primary purpose is Agri-business.
Land
A property that does not have a dwelling on it, including rural acreage parcels and vacant residential lots. Should include all land parcels regardless of their zoning.
Note: Residential properties with condemned buildings should also be sold as land.
You cannot enter a land listing with a residence on it unless it is condemned, and you must select the Condemned Residence option. A Condemned Residence means you have legal documentation to support this selection. Otherwise it is entered as a Residential and should be disclosed in the remarks that it is land value only.
Mobile
Mobile home on rented/leased land.
Note: If a mobile home includes deeded land with the sale it should be listed under detached residential.
Commercial
Office, industrial, retail property, hotel/motel, and multi-family with 5 or more units being sold in a single transaction.
Property Sub-Types
Apartment
A unit within a building with interior hallways.
Detached
A unit (home) that is not attached to any other unit.
Row/Townhouse
A unit (home) that is in a building where there are 3 or more living units and the entrance is directly to the outside.
Semi-Detached
A unit (home) that is attached to another unit by at least 1 common wall and there is exactly 2 living units in the building.
Recreational
A property that does not have year-round living and is primarily used for seasonal recreation.
Multi-family should be selected as the property type for listings that have 2 to 4 residential units being sold together, regardless of whether they are connected.
Please note, if you are listing 5 or more units you must be licensed by RECA for commercial real estate and these listings would be entered as commercial transactions.
If the property has been inputted in the wrong category, you will NOT be able to change the category, instead the property has to be listed again.
This is done to prevent inaccurate/ incomplete information being displayed on the listing, as some forms may not have a field that is required in the other property type.
EXAMPLE -Multi-family properties that do not require room, however in a Residential listing, Room is a requirement.
The key to properly inputting addresses in the MLS® System is based on the available fields.
There are 4 to 5 components to any municipal address:
Click here to learn how to add Map coordinates to your listing
When adding an RMS supplement in Matrix™, select the supplement type “RMS measurement”. If you do not select this supplement type, the system will not know it is RMS-related.
There are various ownership types available to select in Matrix™, so it’s important to select the proper type for each of your listings.
Here is a list of ownership types and their definitions:
Bank/Financial Institution Owned: Indicates that the property’s borrower has defaulted on the mortgage/loan and the bank/financial institution now has the legal right to sell the property without the borrower’s permission.
Co-operative: A cooperative is usually owned and managed by a corporation, and the shareholders are tenants who lease their apartments from the corporation.
Corporation Relocation: Facilitated by a relocation company.
Crown Rights: Federally owned Government Land, leased to the purchaser for a set period of time.
Equitable Interest: Refers to an ownership interest for sale which is only for a portion of property.
Estate Trust: The relationship under which one person, called the trustee, holds property on behalf of and for the benefit of another, called the beneficiary.
Judicial Sale: Indicates that a judicial order to sell the property or an interest in the property has been levied by the court. Could be a foreclosure or to satisfy a judgement against an individual
Life Lease: A legal agreement that permits purchasers to occupy a home for life (or until they are no longer capable of living there) in exchange for an initial lump sum payment and subsequent monthly payments.
Local Government: Provincially owned Government Land, leased to the purchaser for a set period of time.
Private: Majority of listings will be this ownership type in Matrix™. This option indicates that the property is privately owned. NOTE: This is NOT an option for Foreclosure listings which would be owned by the Bank/Financial Institution.
Probate: An authorization granted by the Court to an executor stating that a will has been proved and that administration is granted.
REALTOR®/Seller; REALTOR® has interest: When the Listing REALTOR® has an interest in the property as defined by the Real Estate Act Rules s.1 – 40, 62(1).
Civil Enforcement Sale: The rights of a creditor with a Writ of Enforcement issued by the Court can be used to sell property owned by the debtor. The sale of property must be conducted through a Civil Enforcement Agency in accordance with the Alberta Civil Enforcement Act and Regulations. A Civil Enforcement Sale is different than a Judicial Sale.
To add a virtual tour of your listing with the input tool, follow these simple steps:
1. In the input tool, select the listing you want to add a virtual tour to from your Listings and click “edit”.
2. Scroll down to the Marketing section of the listing and you will see the virtual tour fields.
3. Add the URL of your virtual tour.
Please note there are differences between branded and unbranded virtual tours:
Click here for a visual guide to these steps.
Adding the location (latitude and longitude) of your property is required when inputting your listings. Use the following steps to plot a map:
1. Click on “Address and Location”.
2. On Location Plotter, click the yellow globe button.
3. Enter your listing address.
4. Click the building where you wish to drop your location marker pin.
5. Click on the “Update Location” button.
6. Your listing has been plotted.
For more details on this process, read the Location Plotter how-to guide.
The recent upgrade to the new listing input tool means some fields will display information differently:
Enter the buying agent user ID as CNONMEMB. The system will recognize this as the code for a non-board member and let you proceed with posting the sale.
Each field serves a specific purpose, and will display on REALTOR.ca, Matrix™, third party websites or a combination of all the above.
If you have a single URL and want to have it show on both Matrix™ and REALTOR.ca, the best field to use would be the Unbranded Virtual Tour.
The following is an overview of where each field will display:
Please note: All the above are also displayed on third party websites with the exception of the Banner.
Open your listing using the Listing Input Tool, but before clicking “Edit”, notice the option to the right that says “Open Houses”. Click this to access a screen specific to open houses.
1. Click the “+ADD” button.
2. A box will appear with open house detail fields. Fill out the relevant information.
There are 4 types of open houses that can be entered under OH Type:
If you entered a Public open house, it is not necessary to enter an MLS® Wide Open house.
3. Once everything has been filled in, Click “Submit” and your open house will appear on your listing shortly.
For a visual representation of these steps, click here.
New OnePlatform information coming soon
There are two scenarios where a member might need to create a listing with a fake LINC #:
1. When a member is creating a listing for a new build that does not yet have a LINC # assigned by the province.
2. When a member is entering a listing twice in two different property types such as agribusiness and land listings, one will need to be created with a fake LINC #.
In both cases a fake LINC # can be obtained by contacting the Pillar 9 support Center at support@pillarnine.com or 1-866-377-8217.
Please note: When reporting a listing as sold, the fake LINC # will need to be replaced with the actual LINC #. In the case of the new build, the actual LINC # will need to be obtained from land titles. In the case where a property is listed in two categories, the listing must be reported where it was sold with the actual LINC #. The second listing is then terminated.
When inputting/searching for residential properties, there is the option to select ‘Duplex’ or ‘Semi Detached’ from the Property SubType field. Both of these properties are defined as “A unit (home) that is attached to another unit by at least one common wall, and there is exactly two (2) living units in the building.”
Duplex should be selected when you are buying/selling both sides of the Duplex under one (1) title. Semi Detached should be selected when you are buying/selling one side of a Duplex. Please note, you can not sell only one side of a Duplex if both sides are under one (1) title.
If you are selling both sides of a Duplex, and each side has its own title, you would list this property under Multi-Family > Duplex.
To search for all Duplex properties with both sides for sale in a single transaction, you can perform a cross property search. To do this, select Residential and Multi-Family from Property Type, and Duplex from Property SubType.
Click here for a visual representation of this guide with added notes.
The launch pad for every great online experience starts with a quality home page. Click here to watch our Matrix™ home page overview video, which includes how to customize your home page.
When setting up your profile in Matrix™, you can edit and customize:
Click here to watch our tutorial video tutorial on customizing your profile or download our how-to guide.
In addition to updating the information in your Matrix™ profile, you can also customize your headers and footers. Click here to watch our tutorial video to learn how.
In Matrix™, you can create and edit a Custom Display, which includes adding columns. Click here to review our step-by-step guide on how to create and edit custom displays.
Hot Sheets are searches that can use the Status Change Types in the system to provide quick information on what has happened recently in the market.
By default, there is a Hot Sheet for each Property Type. To edit or add a Hot Sheet follow these steps:
OR
Yes. With Pillar 9™, agents can access listing history for all properties in the MLS® System.
Yes. With the Pillar 9™ MLS® System, agents will now have access to listings from every subscribed board and their members.
Yes. Agents using the Pillar 9™ MLS® System can create listings for areas outside of their local board location.
Yes, the IDX for an agent’s websites can include all listings from the Pillar 9™ system, not just for the area that an agent has board membership with.
Pillar 9™ will manage third party data contracts and RETS (Real Estate Transaction Standards) feeds on behalf of all subscribed boards.
You can use location fields to focus your search results. You can setup your search criteria using an address, county, city and/or subdivision.
County: Indicates what County, Municipal District or City your property is in.
City: Indicates what City, Town, Village, Hamlet this property is in. If none of the above, then you indicate the rural municipality again.
Subdivision: Indicates what subdivision or community the property is in.
Please note, when you are searching within a City, both the County and the City will be the same.
To learn about the different ways you can refine your search results in Matrix™, click here to watch our video on performing a map search.
All new listings created in the Pillar 9™ MLS® System will have the below acronym in their number:
Migrated and historical listings have the following acronyms in their MLS® number based on location:
Since Architectural Style is not a mandatory field in Matrix™, if you have your auto emails setup relying on this field without additional qualifiers, you may be missing out on properties you are intending to capture.
For example, if you are looking for a bungalow style property, you will want to search for that by utilizing the Levels field within Matrix™. An example would include:
Additional criteria could then be selected under Architectural Style to further round out your search parameters. An example would include:
When searching for a semi-detached property, please follow these steps:
This search setup will result in semi-detached properties.
When searching for a whole duplex, please follow these steps:
This search setup will result in duplex properties in which both sides of the duplex are being sold at the same time, but there is only one title for the property.
This search setup will result in duplex properties in which both sides of the duplex are being sold at the same time, with each side being individually titled.
If you have concerns that a property may be in the incorrect category, these concerns can be shared via the “Report a Listing Error” function on the MLS® System listing.
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is a great tool for your clients, whether they are buying or selling a property.
Click here to watch our tutorial video on how to create and customize CMAs.
The security system of an email service provider will sometimes block an email address that is seen as a frequent incoming address. In these cases, the owner of the inbox is not notified that the sender is being blocked as the security system assumes that it is spam. This affects many websites, including Matrix™.
When an email server has blocked an email address on the user’s behalf, the user will need to add the email address to a safe sender’s list to receive emails from it again. Each service provider has different ways of adding safe senders, some have it in settings, while others require that you simply add the address to the contacts.
Once the client as added the address to the safe senders list, we also suggest they re-subscribe to Matrix™ to ensure that everything is moving smoothly through the system. To re-subscribe to Matrix™ emails, the client must send an email from the email address that has had issue to the Opt-In email address for the system (optin.abrls@matrixemailer.com).
The client does not need to include a subject or body in the email. This is handled by an automatic process and once the system has re-subscribed the client’s email address, they will receive an email to let them know.
Click here to read our how-to guide that includes instructions on how to add a safe sender with common email providers.
After creating and setting up your Criteria in Matrix™, use the wheel at the top right of the Criteria page to set your current settings as default.
Click here to see where this is located on the page.
In Matrix™, you can add an additional field called “Ownership Interest” to your criteria and this will let you select options to help find listings such as bank and court sales.
Follow these steps to add the “Ownership Interest” field:
1. On your Criteria search page, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Add” after the “Additional Fields”.
2. On the next page, type “Ownership Interest” under Search. Click on the result for “Ownership Interest” under Available Fields and click “Add” to add it to Selected Fields. Next, click “Back” to go back to the search criteria.
3. The field “Ownership Interest” should now show up at the bottom of the Criteria search page.
Click here for a visual guide to these steps.
You can find tax information and the assessed value of a listing under REMapList™ (as long as municipalities have provided the information).
Follow these steps to find this information:
1. REMapList™ is located under External Links on you Matrix™ homepage.
2. Once the page opens, type the address or LINC # of the property and click “Search”.
3. Click on “Details” at the bottom of the screen.
4. Click on “Full Report” to get further property information, including tax information and the assessed value.
Click here for a visual guide to these steps.
If your search doesn’t produce any results when searching for a listing using the Street Name field, it is most likely due to an extra space typed after the street name.
The search tool uses the exact information that is entered into the box. An extra space causes zero results to populate because the street name technically doesn’t have a space in it.
To ensure an accurate search using the Street Name field, double check there are no spaces before or after the address.
There are three methods to search for acreage or rural residential properties:
1. Search widget in Matrix™ – This is useful for searching a large general area.
Navigate to the Search widget in Matrix™ and use the City search field to search by the rural county name. This searches for all rural residential properties for the area but excludes properties in the county’s cities and towns.
Using the County search field yields all rural residential properties for the area but also includes cities and towns located in that County.
2. Map Search widget in Matrix™ – This is useful for searching a small specific area on a map.
a. Click on the Map icon at the top on your Criteria page to use the Map Search widget.
b. Locate the specific area on the map by clicking and dragging it.
c. Select a shape tool from the top bar so that you can draw the search area.
d. If you want to include other criteria in your search, check the “Include other criteria” box at the top right of the page. Click on the Criteria button on the top right side of the page to enter more criteria.
e. To view your search results, click on the results tab at the top right side of the page.
3. Combination of the Search widget and Map Search widget in Matrix™ - This is useful for searching a small specific area on a map.
Using the Map Search widget in Matrix™, draw a shape using the steps above. Navigate to the Criteria page and enter the cities and towns into the City field. Select “Not” under this field. This searches for all rural residential properties in the drawn area but excludes properties in the shape’s cities and towns.
Click here for a visual guide.
When viewing a listing in Matrix™, ensure the display mode is “Agent Full” or “Client Full”. From there, you can find the total bedrooms and bathrooms at the top of the listing with the other pertinent listing information.
Follow these steps to manage more than one property type at a time:
1. Navigate to the Market Watch widget in Matrix™.
2. At the bottom of the widget, change the property type dropdown field to “Cross Property”.
3. In the same box, click the “Customize” link under the day dropdown field.
4. You can now choose the Property Types you wish to manage under the Status section.
While you can add additional criteria here as well, take caution, as that the more granular you get in the Market Watch, the more you will discount from search results.
Click here for a visual guide.
SentriLock lockbox
If the listing has a SentriLock lockbox and your board uses a different system, contact the listing agent. They can provide you with a one-day code that will allow you access to the property for your showing.
Supra lockbox
If the listing has a Supra lockbox and your board uses a different system, contact the board associated with the listing to gain access. If you are unable to reach the board, contact the listing agent so they can let you into the property.
CREB® Lobbybox
If you are not a CREB® member and need to show a condo in a building with a CREB® Lobbybox, contact the listing agent. They can provide you with an access code to view the property.
Please note, CREB® members must fill out the appropriate request form available on CREB®Link (CREB®’s member only website) and submit it to Help Desk. Help Desk will then provide the listing agent with an access code to share with the out of town showing agent.
If your browser doesn't load the proper version of a website or you can’t see updates you have made, it may be the cache causing the issue. Open the same website on a different browser or device and try the same action that is not preforming correctly.
If you find the information displays accurately on a different browser or device, you may need to clear your cache.
Follow these instructions to clear your browsing data without deleting your saved passwords. These steps, however, will log you out of sites that normally keep you logged in:
Google Chrome: Click on the 3 dots at the top right corner of your browser window > Select “More Tools” > Click “Clear Browsing Data” > This will bring up a window. Use the Basic option, check all 3 boxes and ensure the time frame is set to “All Time” > Click on “Clear Data”.
Mozilla Firefox: Click on the Library icon at the top right corner of your browser window > Click on “History” > Select “Clear Recent History” > Change Time Range to “Everything” and ensure that only “Cookies and Cache” are checked off > Click on “Clear Now”.
Safari: In the top menu, click on the option called “History” > Select “Clear History and Browsing Data” > Set the time range to “All History” > Click on “Clear History”.
Microsoft Edge: Click on the 3 dots at the top right corner of your browser window > Click on “History” > Select “Clear History” > Make sure that only “Cookies and Saved Website Data” and “Cached Data and Files” are checked off > Click “Clear”.
Clearing your data can take several minutes. Once it’s finished, close your web browser entirely, reopen it and check the web page again.
If you are still having issues after following these steps, please contact the Pillar 9™ Support Center at support@pillarnine.com or 587.430.2991
All contacts in Matrix™ have the default greeting salutation set to “Dear”. To modify this, follow these steps:
1. Go to “My Matrix”, “Contacts”, and click on the name of the contact you want to modify. This will open the Contacts/Details page. Click the gold pencil to edit.
2. To open the extended menu, click on the gold drop-down arrow beneath the client Home Info.
3. Here you will find Additional Fields including Salutation. You can change the option or create a custom greeting by clicking through the drop-down menu.
4. After choosing the new greeting for your client, click “Save” at the bottom of the screen.
For a visual representation of these steps, click here.
1. Go to “My Matrix”, “Auto Emails” and then click on the downward facing arrow next to the auto email or the Subject title of the auto email that you want to change. This will expand the auto email’s information. Click on “Criteria”.
2. Modify the criteria the same as you would for the initial search. Click “Save” at the bottom.
For a visual representation of these steps, click here.
If you are unclear about the correct terminology or there are multiple ways to phrase or spell a keyword, you may want to use “wildcards” in your free-form search in Matrix™.
A wildcard is used if the full search term is not known. It will take what you enter and look for that exact word or phrase. To correctly use a “wildcard” in your search, place an asterisk (*) before and after the word or phrase you are searching for, similar to how you would use quotation marks.
For example, typing *bank* into the public remarks search would look for any listing that includes some variant of “bank” in its public remarks. It would produce results for bank, bank-owned, bankowned etc.
You can also search for more than one word or phrase at a time by placing a comma and space between each set of keywords.
If you want to exclude a word from your free-form search, add an exclamation mark (!) before the asterisk (*).
For example, typing !*bank* into the public remarks search would only produce listings that do not have the word bank, bank-owned bankowned or any variant containing the phrase “bank” in its public remarks.
When entering a listing in the Pillar 9™ Input tool, the field that would be used to indicate the frontal exposure of the property is called “Building Entrance Faces” and can be found under that structure section.
When searching in Matrix™, you may add an additional field to your search that is called “DirectionFaces”, which would directly correlate back to the “Building Entrance Faces” field from the Input. This allows you to add the exposure of the properties to your search. Please note that “Building Entrance Faces” is not a mandatory field in the Input, so properties which have left this blank will not appear in your results.
Yes. The previous field Frontage Lng has been replaced with a field simply called “Frontage”. This field can be used to search for the frontage measurement of a property using a specific number, +/-, and ranges. The new field allows you to search using different measurement systems as well (Ft vs M).
For example, if you only wanted properties that had a frontage of at least 15 Metres, you would choose “M” in the drop-down box, and type 15+ in the text box.
When searching for parking and garage information, you can make it as simple or as detailed as your client needs.
If they simply want a garage, you can use “Garage YN”.
If you need to make it more specific, you can use the Parking field which combines the information from the Parking Type and Parking Features sections of the input form.
For a visual representation, please click here.
The District Field has been updated to a pick list from check boxes.
The drop-down pick list cleans up the main page and accommodates the addition of more districts to improve search efficiency for areas around the province.
As with other pick lists, you can hold down the control to select more than one item from the drop down.
Pillar 9™ continues to work with boards to identify trading areas that can be grouped into districts to continually improve the search function in Matrix™.
In the search criteria, there is an additional field you can add called “Suite”.
Once added, if you click on the field box, it will give you a drop down list of check box options that will allow you to select as many as apply to your search. Once you have selected them, click “OK”.
Member remarks can be found at the bottom of a Full Report. Click here to view the location.
While in Matrix™, navigate to “My Matrix” and then click on “Sent Email”. Here you will see a chronological list of all the emails that have been sent from your Matrix™ profile.
It shows the sent date, recipient, type of email, subject line, contents and shows if or when it was viewed by the recipient. You can click on information under Contents (e.g., “1 Property”) with your corresponding email to see exactly what listings were sent.
Please note: if an email was sent directly to an email address and not through Matrix™, the system will not be able to determine if it was viewed or not.
Please click here for a visual representation.
Listings must be off market for 15 full calendar days for the CDOM to reset to 0 (Please note the first day the listing goes off the market is considered as Day 0).
Helpful hint - add 16 days to the date listing is take off market and that would be the earliest date to relist the property to reset the CDOM. E.G., if taken off market on the 9th the earliest list date would be the 25th to reset CDOM.
Yes, Pillar 9™ offers new member Matrix™ orientation training that provides participants the opportunity to explore all the basic aspects of the Pillar 9™ MLS® System. You can access the training and more information on the webinars page here.
To register for training, click on the date you want to attend and then complete the required information on the Zoom registration page. The session link to attend the webinar will then be emailed to you.
Yes, this session is free and available for all Pillar 9™ members. The training is geared towards new associates and is designed with beginners in mind, however, there is valuable information that more seasoned members will find useful.
This is board dependent, so please contact your board to see if it is mandatory for you. If it is not mandatory to take at your board, we still highly recommended new members complete the training.
Yes, you can take the course more than once or you can watch the pre-recorded sessions. The recorded sessions are available on the webinars page here.
The instructor will use audio and video to broadcast the presentation. All participants’ microphones will be centrally muted.
Communication with the instructor will be done via a user-friendly chat and Q&A features in the Zoom webinar. Participants are not required to use their webcam.
Please email: p9training@pillarnine.com
to notify that you are unable to attend your scheduled date. You will still receive a copy of the recorded webinar for your reference. If you wish to attend a live session, you will need to register yourself for a new session through the Pillar 9™ website.
Prospects offers webinar training and other resources to Pillar 9™ members, which can be accessed on their website here.
Please watch the video here
The Zoom platform will be used to host the training webinars. The platform is intuitive and user friendly.
Upon registration you will be emailed a link to join a live webinar. When you click this link, the system will prompt you to run Zoom and install the software on your computer. Visit the Zoom website for more information on set-up and getting started.
You can use this link https://zoom.us/test to test audio on your computer in advance of your webinar. Please make sure you check your audio ahead of the sessions as the instructor will not be able to help you if your audio does not work.
Webinars do not have an option to join on the phone for audio. You will not need a microphone for the session.
No. You will need to use your computer audio to listen to the webinar. You can use this link https://zoom.us/test to test audio on your computer.
You will require an internet connection (hard wire preferential but not necessary) and a device (computer recommended) with working audio.
You will need to test your computer audio to be able to listen to the presentation. All communication with the instructor will be done through the chat feature in Zoom. You will not require a microphone or webcam during the training.
Pillar 9™ is the registered company name for Alberta One Realty Listing Services Inc. (AORLS), a for profit organization that owns and operates a single-point property listing database in Alberta.
Pillar 9™ was built with the mission to provide a single-point MLS® System for Alberta REALTORS® so they could better serve their clients. The goal of the data pool is to provide users with reliable and in-depth listing information.
Subscribers will have improved buying power, access to new products and services, control over their data, plus the ability to conduct business outside of your local board location.
Project background:
Pillar 9™ was founded by nine Alberta real estate boards and the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA). Our founding shareholders are:
Yes. Pillar 9™ was built with the mission to provide a single-point MLS® System for all Alberta REALTORS®.
The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton is not a founding shareholder of Pillar 9™ but has a signed agreement with the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) to share their listing data on the Pillar 9™ MLS® System.
Pillar 9™ is a technology service provider for Alberta boards and REALTORS®.
Our service fees cover the following offerings:
A single-point MLS® System powered by Matrix™ that has information and access to listings throughout Alberta. Listing customization and fields will be based on the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) Gold standards. There will be a single set of fields and pick lists for all member subscribers.
Agent efficiency tools including:
Data protection with Clareity SafeMLS, a single sign-on password management system to keep member and listing data secure.
Data integrity through an automated data checking solution integrated with Matrix™, capable of reducing the all-manual listing checking processes.
Tech support with a live help desk via phone and email, plus on-demand, step-by-step member support available directly in the MLS® System software.
System training provided to member subscribers when they migrate their services to Pillar 9™. Orientation training offered for new and existing member subscribers to stay up to date on the MLS® System features, plus additional training available for agent efficiency tools.
Pillar 9™ is wholly owned by the founding shareholder Alberta boards/associations on behalf of their members but operates independently of the boards.
Your Pillar 9™ service fees cover system costs and the profits will later enable investment into enhancements to our products and services.
Having one MLS® System means having a one-stop-shop a database for reliable and in-depth listing information for Alberta’s 10,000-plus REALTORS®. The creation of this data pool will allow all REALTORS® to access sales data, transactional history and other key data regardless of their “home” board.
Pillar 9™ will provide direct data management in the MLS® System for subscribed boards.
Since Pillar 9™ was founded by Alberta real estate boards and associations, new opportunities exist for agents that may not be possible with other third-party service providers.
Examples include the development of new products from data analytics and the innovation of new technology to enhance how agents interact with consumers.
The Pillar 9™ Board is comprised of a mix of Directors from within the real estate industry as well as private sector professionals. Each director will serve up to a 3 year term on the Board.
Our original Directors were all put forward for consideration by our founding shareholder Boards. The original selection process was managed by the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA) with input from various Board Members around the province. The final list of directors was approved by all shareholders. Adding replacement directors is a different process. All shareholder Boards were notified of our selection process beginning are were encouraged to put forward candidates. We also did public advertising for these positions on LinkedIn. 80 individuals submitted resumes, 8 were selected for interviews, from that 2 replacement Directors were then chosen.
Alberta One Realty Listing Services Inc. (“Pillar9”)
Pillar9™ is a trademark owned by Alberta One Realty Listing Services Inc. MLS® is a trademark owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association.
March, 2020
Pillar9™ MLS® INTERNET RULES
Pillar9 board of directors reserves the right to amend these Internet Rules
1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS
1.01 Definitions and Interpretations
In these Internet Rules, unless the context requires otherwise:
a. “Client” means a person who has entered into a service agreement with a Member in accordance with the Real Estate Act Rules, whether or not that service agreement is in writing.
b. “Consumer” means a buyer or seller of real estate.
c. “Customer” means a person who has contracted but not engaged or employed a Member to provide services.
d. “Fiduciary” means a person who is entrusted to represent another person and has the legal obligation to act for the benefit of, and solely in the best interests of that person being represented.
e. “Internet Data Exchange (IDX)” IDX is an MLS® data sharing solution that allows Participating Brokers to display each other’s active MLS® Listing information on their website(s), provided that the data display conforms to the Policies, Bylaws, Rules, Guidelines, and specifications of Pillar9. IDX data means data that is made available by Pillar9 to IDX Participating Brokers from time to time for display on IDX websites.
f. “Listing” means a record of a property for lease or sale by a Member.
g. Members are defined as:
(i) “Agent” is an individual who holds the qualifications of a real estate associate; is licensed as a real estate associate by the Real Estate Council of Alberta; is employed by or associated with a licensed real estate brokerage in Alberta and is registered with and approved to trade in real estate on behalf of that brokerage;
(ii) “Associate Broker” is an individual to holds the qualifications of a real estate broker; is
licensed as an Associate Broker by the Real Estate Council of Alberta; is employed by or
associated with a licensed real estate brokerage in Alberta and is registered with and approved to trade in real estate on behalf of that brokerage; and
(iii) “Broker” is an individual who holds the qualifications of a real estate broker, is licensed as a real estate broker by the Real Estate Council of Alberta; is employed by or associated with a licensed real estate brokerage in Alberta and is registered with and approved to operate a real estate brokerage and trade in real estate on behalf of that brokerage.
h. “MLS® System” means the co-operative selling system operated and promoted by Pillar9 in association with the MLS® Marks. The Pillar9 MLS® System ensures a certain level of accuracy of information, professionalism and co-operation amongst Members.
i. “MLS® System Data” includes an inventory of listings (MLS® System database) of participating Members, including all text, images, and information gathered, compiled, stored, or published by Pillar9, in whatever format it is gathered, compiled, stored, or published, and including all such text, images, and information which is made available by Pillar9 to Members, in whatever format it is disseminated.
j. MLS® System Status Definitions:
i. Active - An MLS® Listing Contract is in effect and the listing is being marketed through the Pillar9 MLS® System.
ii. Expired - An MLS® Listing where the term of the Listing Contract has ended.
iii. Pending - The MLS® Listing is subject to a conditional offer and are permissible to be marketed through the Pillar9 MLS® System to external websites like REALTOR.ca.;however, these Pending listings are required to be displayed as Active Status listings only.
iv. Sold - The MLS® Listing is reported Sold when subject to an offer with no conditions remaining other than closing.
v. Terminated - The MLS® Listing Contract has been terminated by the Seller and the brokerage.
vi. Withdrawn - An MLS® Listing Contract is in effect but the listing has been temporarily removed from being visible on the Pillar9 MLS® System.
k. “Participating Broker” is a broker that has opted their brokerage into receiving data under the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) or Virtual Office Website (VOW) options, and have agreed to abide by these Pillar9 rules governing the use of these data feeds.
l. “Property”, with respect to an MLS® System listing means real estate as defined in the Real Estate Act, Section 1(u).
m. “Sold Status” on the MLS® System is reported under one of the following status options:
i. Sold price: The price displayed on title after title is transferred. Members are required to ensure the value entered is consistent with final transfer price on the property title.
ii. Pending Sold Price: The unconditional sold price that is input in the MLS® System when no conditions remain other than closing. Members are required to ensure the value entered is consistent with the agreed to price.
iii. Conditional Sold Price: The agreed to price in a sale where the buyer and seller have executed an agreement of purchase and sale with conditions precedent to closing. This price is not shared in any way beyond the parties directly involved in the transaction. Members are not required to input the value in the MLS® System.
n. “Trade” includes any of the following:
i. A disposition or acquisition of, or transaction in real estate by purchase or sale;
ii. An offer to purchase or sell real estate;
iii. An offering, advertisement, listing, or showing of real estate for purchase or sale;
iv. Property management;
v. Holding oneself out as trading in real estate;
vi. The solicitation, negotiation, or obtaining of a contract, agreement, or any arrangement for an activity referred to in subclauses (i) or (v);
vii. Collecting, or offering, or attempting to collect, on behalf of the owner or other person in charge of real estate, money payable as:
(1) Rent for the use of the real estate; or
(2) Contributions for the control, management, or administration of the real estate;
viii. Any conduct or act in furtherance, or attempted furtherance of an activity referred to in subclauses (i) to (vii);
o. “Registrant” is any Consumer who has entered into an agreement with a Member in order to access and receive data on a Member website from Virtual Office Website (VOW) data feeds.
p. “Virtual Office Website (VOW)” means a Participating Broker’s Internet website (and where authorized, websites of Members affiliated with the Participating Broker) through which Consumers receive real estate Brokerage services, including the opportunity to search for MLS® data subject to the Participating Broker’s overview, and supervision.
q. “Written Service Agreement” means a contract that establishes the relationship between the parties as to the services and obligations to be performed by a Member.
2. OWNERSHIP AND COPYRIGHT
a. Pillar9 is the sole and exclusive owner of the copyright (images, data, words, etc.) hosted within the MLS® System. The MLS® System is a licensed product for the exclusive use by Pillar9, Members and other authorized users, and any use of the copyright data for any unauthorized purpose is strictly prohibited. The right to use, reproduce, or download the copyright data is subject to the approval of Pillar9 and is limited to the specific uses authorized in writing by Pillar9.
b. Members shall comply with, observe, and be bound by all restrictions, copyright and trademark notices, or other limitations of access to the MLS® System, and use thereof as may be adopted by Pillar9 from time to time.
c. A Member, in submitting listing information to Pillar9 for placement within the MLS® System hereby transfers and assigns ownership of all listing information copyright to Pillar9, waives their moral rights, and consents to such use and reproduction of that copyright as Pillar9 determines is appropriate.
d. The Member shall advise and obtain the Client/Customer consent that they and Pillar9 may:
Disclose the listing, sales and price information to others authorized to use the listing service, like other brokers, appraisers, government departments, municipal organizations, and others; use historical listing service data to gather, keep, and publish statistics which can be used to conduct comparative market analyses; use the listing, sales and price information as Pillar9 considers appropriate for listing,
marketing’s, and selling real estate.
e. Pillar9 shall not be responsible for any indirect, special or consequential damages or any other obligation or liability arising out of, or in any way connected with, the MLS® System including, but not limited to, system hacks, malware, computer failure or interruption, or negligence.
f. Pillar9 may from time to time establish fees for access and use of the MLS® copyright information.
3. AUTHORIZED USE
The information contained on the MLS® System is confidential and shall not be distribute d to unauthorized persons or used in any unauthorized manner.
a. “Authorized Use “of the MLS® System means:
i. The extraction of data from the MLS® System by Members in good standing necessary to assist them in representing their Client/Customers or specific identified customers in the trade of real property;
ii. The ability of Members in good standing to remove reference to the Listing Brokerage and Listing Associate when representing specific clients, or specific identified customers in the trade of real estate;
iii. Any specific use authorized in writing by the Pillar9.
b. “Unauthorized Use” of the MLS® System is any use not set out in Section 3(a) and includes, but
is not limited to:
i. The sale or distribution of any portion of the MLS® System to any third parties;
ii. No Member shall use the MLS® System for direct or personal contact or communication with another Member’s Client/Customer when the status of a listing on the Pillar9 MLS® System is marked as either Expired (X), or Terminated (T) or and the Member knows or ought to know that a written service agreement has been or is in place.
iii. Any general or institutional advertising of a Member’s services through radio, television, open houses, or other means of reaching a large group of the public not directed specifically to persons having had a written service agreement that is now either expired (X) or terminated (T) or any contact or communication that was specifically requested or initiated by the Client/Customer, is not deemed to be an unauthorized use of the MLS® System.
iv. No use is unauthorized if consented to in writing by Pillar9. Anyone requesting such consent is required to meet all eligibility requirements as set out in the following guideline, and agree to such undertakings, terms and conditions as established by Pillar9, and to execute any agreements in the form provided by Pillar9.
c. All websites must clearly display a Licensed Brokerage Disclosure and Licensee Disclosure in accordance with the REALTOR® Code.
d. It is the responsibility of any Member advertising as a banner advertisement, or any other
Internet format (where their Brokerage and/or Associate name appears with other Members’ listing information), to require the ‘host’ of that information to comply with all aspects of the guidelines for websites as set out in these Rules.
4. MLS® SYSTEM DATA ACCESS
4.01 Internet Data Exchange (IDX)
Data Level One – No Authentication Required (not password protected)
a. Participating Brokers who have opted into the IDX must adhere to the following Rules and all other Pillar9 Rules, Bylaws, Guidelines, and Policies that may be adopted by Pillar9.
i. IDX Participating Brokers must not alter, modify, manipulate, scrape, archive old listings or obscure the IDX Data (or any disclaimers or notices therein) in any way.
ii. The IDX Data or any portion thereof may not be displayed on any Internet website except an IDX Internet website.
iii. IDX Participants must not permit any portions of the IDX Data to be used, or provided to any person, or corporation for any purpose other than those expressly provided for in the MLS® Rules, Bylaws, Guidelines, and Policies of Pillar9.
b. Visitors may view, retrieve, or download not more than 500 current active listings, display 50 listings per page, in response to any search query.
c. Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use shall not impose a financial obligation on a Registrant. Financial obligations, if any, must be established separately from the Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use, must be prominently labeled, and may not be accepted solely by a “mouse click”.
d. Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use shall not create any representation agreement between a Registrant and the Participating Broker. Representation agreements, if any, must be established separately from the Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use, must be prominently labeled, and, may not be accepted solely by a “mouse click”.
e. Participating Brokers’ IDX sites must protect MLS® System data from misappropriation by employing reasonable efforts to monitor and prevent “scraping” and other unauthorized accessing, reproduction or use of the MLS® System.
f. IDX sites must display the Participating Broker privacy policy informing Registrants how information they provide may be used, in accordance with the applicable privacy legislation.
g. Participating Brokers, Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker must not alter, modify, manipulate, scrape, store, or obscure the IDX data (or any disclaimers or notices therein) in any way.
h. No portion of the MLS® System data shall be distributed, provided to, or made accessible to any person for the purpose of operating a IDX site except as provided in these rules.
i. IDX sites must display the IDX Participants privacy policy informing Registrants how information they provide may be collected, used, and disclosed, in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.
j. Brokerage Display – The Listing Brokerage must be clearly displayed for all listings including thumbnail views. The Listing Brokerage must be in the same font and size as the other listing details and not visually separated from the Listing Details.
k. It is unacceptable to display data which is more then 24 hours out of date.
l. IDX sites are prohibited from displaying listings that have gone into any off market Status.
m. Misuse or misrepresentation of the MLS® System Data provided through an IDX or VOW will be sanctioned under Internet Rule 5(c) which states:
“Upon receiving a Complaint of non-compliance of a public site displaying MLS® System internet data, Pillar9 will send written notice to the Member and/or their Broker that the site must be brought into compliance with these Rules within seven (7) business days. Failure to do so will result in the termination of MLS® services to that Member until they can demonstrate that the site is in compliance. “
4.02 Virtual Office Website (VOW)
Data Level Two – Authentication Required (password protected)
Participating Brokers operating Virtual Office Websites (VOW) shall comply with the following Rules:
a. Participating Brokers must obtain the name and valid E-Mail address of each Registrant.
b. Participating Brokers must send an E-Mail to any Registrant confirming that the Registrant has
agreed to the VOW’s Terms of Use.
c. Participating Brokers can provide access to their VOW only after a Registrant’s E-Mail address is
verified as valid, and the Registrant’s agreement to the VOW’s Terms of Use is confirmed.
d. Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use shall include the following terms:
i. The Registrant acknowledges these Terms of Use do not create a fiduciary obligation with the Participating Broker;
ii. That all data obtained from the VOW is only for the Registrant’s personal, non- commercial use;
iii. That the Registrant has a bona fide interest in the purchase, sale or lease of real estate of the type of property being displayed through the VOW;
iv. That the Registrant will not copy, redistribute, or retransmit any of the data or information provided; and
v. That the Registrant acknowledges Pillar9 ownership of and the validity of the copyright in the MLS® System.
e. The Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use may also include other provisions determined by the
Participating Broker.
f. Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use shall not impose a financial obligation on a Registrant. Financial obligations, if any, must be established separately from the Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use, must be prominently labeled, and may not be accepted solely by a “mouse click”.
g. Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use shall not create any representation agreement between a Registrant and the Participating Broker. Representation agreements, if any, must be established separately from the Participating Brokers’ Terms of Use, must be prominently labeled, and, may not be accepted solely by a “mouse click”.
h. Participating Brokers’ may provide Brokerage services via VOWs that include making active MLS® Listing data available, but only to Registrants with whom the Participating Brokers have first established relationships, including completion of all actions and/or forms respecting fiduciary obligation disclosure and choice required by provincial law or regulation in connection with providing real estate Brokerage services to clients and customers.
i. The Registrant must supply a user name and a password, the combination of which must be different from those of all other Registrants of the VOW, before being permitted to search and view information from the MLS® System via the VOW. The user name and password may be established by the Registrant or may be supplied by the Participating Broker, at the option of the Participating Broker.
j. Participating Brokers’ VOW must protect MLS® System data from misappropriation by employing reasonable efforts to monitor and prevent “scraping” and other unauthorized accessing, reproduction or use of the MLS® System.
k. VOWs must display the Participating Broker privacy policy informing Registrants how information they provide may be used, in accordance with the applicable privacy legislation.
l. Participating Brokers may not provide the identity of Registrants to any other entity for compensation except where consent has been granted by the Registrant to the Participating Brokerage.
m. Participating Brokers, Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker must notify Pillar9 of their current VOW or their intention to establish a VOW. Participating Brokers, Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker must make their VOW directly accessible to Pillar9 and the VOWs of the Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker for purposes of monitoring/ensuring compliance with the applicable Rules and policies.
n. A Participating Broker’s VOW shall not make available for search by or display to Registrants the following data intended exclusively for other Participating Brokers, the Associate Brokers, and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker:
i. The Seller(s) and occupant(s) name(s), phone number(s), and E-Mail address(s), where available;
ii. Instructions or remarks intended for cooperating Brokers only, such as those regarding showing or security of the listed property.
o. Registrants shall not view, retrieve, or download more than 500 current active listings, displaying 50 per page, in response to any search query.
p. Participating Brokers, Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with that Participating Broker must not alter, modify, manipulate, scrape, store, or obscure the VOW data (or any disclaimers or notices therein) in any way.
q. No portion of the MLS® System data shall be distributed, provided to, or made accessible to any person for the purpose of operating a VOW except as provided in these rules.
r. VOWs must display the VOW Participants privacy policy informing Registrants how information they provide may be collected, used, and disclosed, in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.
s. Brokerage Display – The Listing Brokerage must be clearly displayed for all listings including thumbnail views. The Listing Brokerage must be in the same font and size as the other listing details and not visually separated from the Listing Details.
t. It is unacceptable to display data which is more then 24 hours out of date.
u. Misuse or misrepresentation of the MLS® System Data provided through an IDX or VOW will be sanctioned under Internet Rule 5(c) which states:
“Upon receiving a Complaint of non-compliance of a public site displaying MLS® System internet data, Pillar9 will send written notice to the Member and/or their Broker that the site must be brought into compliance with these Rules within seven (7) business days. Failure to do so will result in the termination of MLS® services to that Member until they can demonstrate that the site is in compliance. “
4.03 Complying with Third Party Access Requirements
a. Property addresses of Sellers who have directed their Listing Brokerages to withhold their property address from display on the Internet (including, but not limited to, publicly-accessible websites or VOWs) shall not be accessible to Registrants.
b. If Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with the Participating Brokers are authorized by Pillar9 to operate VOWs with their Participating Broker’s consent, such VOWs remain subject to the Participating Broker’s control, and the Participating Broker, the Associate Brokers, and Associates affiliated with the Participating Broker shall be accountable under these Rules.
c. No portion of the MLS® System shall be distributed, provided to, or made accessible to any person for the purpose of operating a VOW except as provided for in these Rules.
d. Listings from Pillar9 may only be excluded from the display on Participating Broker’s VOWs
based on objective criteria, e.g. type of property, listed price, and geographical location.
e. MLS® System fields authorized for display may not be changed. The MLS® System may be augmented with additional data not otherwise prohibited from display provided the source of any additional data is clearly identified. This Rule does not restrict the format of MLS® System data display or display of fewer than all of the listings, or fewer authorized data fields.
f. Display of MLS® System data must include a notice indicating that the data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar9.
g. Participating Brokers’ VOWs may include other appropriate disclaimers necessary to protect the
Participating Broker and/or Pillar9 from liability.
h. MLS® System information available on any VOW must be refreshed at least once every twenty- four (24) hours and must indicate the date of the last update.
i. All listings displayed on VOWs shall identify the name of the Listing Brokerage in typeface not smaller than the median size used in the display of listing data.
j. The objectives of this policy are to help ensure that Trademark legislation and other Rules relating to MLS® information are respected.
4.04 Access
a. Personal computer access codes and passwords are for the Member’s sole and exclusive use
and disclosure to anyone is prohibited.
b. Computer programs provided by Pillar9 to access the MLS® System information are for the Member’s sole and exclusive use and selling or distributing these programs to any unauthorized person is prohibited.
5. PENALTIES
a. The unauthorized use of MLS® System data by any Membe r, may result in an immediate investigation which may lead to a disciplinary hearing if charges are laid.
b. A reward of up to $2,000.00 may be paid for any information leading to conclusive evidence that MLS® System information or data has been distributed to anyone other than a client directly involved in the trade or potential trade in real estate.
c. Upon receiving a Complaint of non-compliance of a public site displaying MLS® System internet data, Pillar9 will send written notice to the Member and/or their Broker that the site must be brought into compliance with these Rules within seven (7) business days. Failure to do so will result in the termination of MLS® System services to that Member until they can demonstrate that the site is in compliance.
ParticipatingBrokers, Associate Brokers and Associates affiliated with the Participating Brokers acknowledgethatfailureto comply with thegoverninguseofVOWswill result inPillar9sending writtennotice to theMemberand/ortheirBrokerthat thesite must be broughtinto compliance with these Ruleswithinseven(7)businessdays.Failure to do so will resultinthe terminationof MLS® Systemservicestothe Memberuntilthey can demonstrate thatthe site isin complia