For Realtors that use our built in MLS (Multiple Listing Service) property feeds, we offer free Email Alerts for their visitors who want to be notified of new properties that match specific search criteria. There are professional services that offer this product exclusively, but Realtors prefer our version because it's free, visitors can create an email alert easily and instantly from any listing page on their site, the email designs can be customized, and more importantly, the properties in the email can link directly back to their own website (rather than the local MLS site or some generic page), creating a more comprehensive user experience.

We have been working to improve reliability of this feature over time, and along that vein we have recently added some new monitoring features. As a Site Administrators you may now view the MLS Email Alert Subscriptions for each visitor account and see the last time the system checked for matching properties, the last time it actually found properties and sent an email, the total number of properties that were found, and a linkable list of the specific properties that were sent in the email. This allows Realtors to know what each of their clients is looking at.

In addition, the Site Administrator or the client themselves, may add extra email addresses that should be copied on each alert. This is useful if the client wants their spouse to see the same alerts they are receiving. The Site Administrator may also turn on a setting that copies themselves on every email alert as well (some Realtors want to see everything their clients see).

We've also added some options to customize the text of the email, and add a portrait or logo image next to the contact information in the header. We'll be redesigning the email template soon to make it more beautiful, but in the mean time each client always has the option of having us design a custom Email Alert for them which matches their own site design.

We hope all these new monitoring features give Realtors greater confidence in using these Email Alerts.