1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) builds the complete property data profile for a new listing — gathering, verifying, and organizing every piece of factual data the agent needs before MLS input begins.
The property data profile is the foundation everything else is built on. Bad data at this stage cascades into MLS errors, marketing inaccuracies, disclosure mismatches, and compliance risk. The VA's job here is not to collect whatever the seller says and pass it along — it is to verify every data point against authoritative sources and flag any discrepancy before it gets entered anywhere.
Where this SOP starts: Listing Agreement Review & Filing is complete — the listing agreement is filed and the agent has confirmed it is ready to proceed.
Where this SOP ends: The property data sheet is complete, verified, and saved to the transaction file. The agent has reviewed it and confirmed it is ready for MLS input (MLS Data Entry & Listing Input Standards).Success looks like: The agent receives a complete, source-cited property data sheet with every field populated or flagged — zero blank fields and zero unverified data points — before MLS input begins.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Pulling property data from county assessor, recorder, and MLS auto-fill sources
- Cross-referencing seller-provided information against public records
- Building the property data sheet from the standard template
- Flagging any data discrepancies to the agent before entering data anywhere
- Saving the completed data sheet to the correct location in the transaction file
- Requesting missing data from the agent (not the seller directly)
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Any data field where sources conflict — stop and flag before entering anything
- Any decision about which source to use when records disagree
- Square footage input when county and agent-measured figures differ
- Any direct communication with the seller to request or clarify property information
- Proceeding to MLS input before the agent has reviewed and approved the data sheet
2c. What you never do
- You never negotiate on the agent's behalf under any circumstances.
- You never provide pricing, legal, or strategic opinions to any party.
- You never sign or initial any document on behalf of the agent, client, or any party.
- You never communicate directly with the other party's client.
- You never estimate, interpolate, or average square footage — if you cannot confirm the figure from an authoritative source, you flag it and wait.
- You never enter data into the MLS until the agent has reviewed and approved the property data sheet.
- You never choose between conflicting data sources — that is an agent decision.
- You never contact the seller directly to gather or verify property data unless the agent explicitly instructs it for a specific field.
When in doubt: Flag the field, note the discrepancy or missing source, and leave it blank in the data sheet until the agent resolves it. Blank-and-flagged is always better than estimated-and-wrong.
3. Schedule & Trigger
This SOP activates when Listing Agreement Review & Filing is complete — the listing agreement is filed, key data is logged, and the agent has confirmed it is ready to proceed. There is no fixed schedule; this SOP runs on-demand at the start of each new listing.
Trigger: Agent confirms the listing agreement is filed and authorizes the VA to begin property intake.
Expected turnaround: Complete the property data sheet within 24–48 hours of the trigger. If sources are easy to access and data is consistent, 24 hours is the target. If discrepancies require agent resolution, the clock pauses until the agent responds — log the hold reason and timestamp.
Sequence context: This SOP runs after Listing Agreement Review & Filing and before MLS Data Entry & Listing Input Standards. Vendor scheduling (Vendor Scheduling) may run in parallel with this SOP — confirm with the agent which starts first or if they can overlap.
4. Primary Data Sources
Use sources in this order of authority. Later sources supplement or verify; they do not override earlier ones unless the agent says so.
| Priority | Source | What It Provides | How to Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | County assessor / recorder website | Legal description, parcel number, assessed square footage, year built, owner of record, annual taxes, lot size | Search by address at the county assessor website — confirm county during onboarding |
| 2 | MLS auto-fill | Some fields populate automatically when address is entered — confirm which fields your MLS pulls vs. requires manual entry | Log in to MLS, start a draft listing, enter address, note which fields auto-populate |
| 3 | Seller-provided information | HOA details, utility providers, known defects, room-level details the assessor doesn't track | Agent sends seller questionnaire or intake form — treat as secondary, verify against public records where possible |
Notes on each source
County assessor: This is the default authority for square footage, year built, and legal description. Navigate to the county's assessor or recorder website, search by property address or parcel number, and download or screenshot the property detail page. Save it to the transaction file as a source document.
MLS auto-fill: Useful for confirming address formatting and pulling school district or subdivision data that the MLS database maintains. Do not assume MLS auto-fill is accurate — it pulls from prior listings and may carry errors forward. Always cross-check against the assessor record.
Seller-provided information: Sellers know details the county doesn't — HOA management company contact, which utility company serves the property, recent improvements, known defects. Use this information but treat it as unverified until you can confirm against a secondary source (HOA management company's own records, utility company lookup, disclosure documents).
5. Required Data Fields
Build the property data sheet by populating every field in this table. For each field, record both the value and the source. If a field cannot be verified from an authoritative source, mark it as [UNVERIFIED — FLAG FOR AGENT] and note what source you attempted.
5a. Property Identification
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street address | County assessor | ||
| City, State, ZIP | County assessor | ||
| Legal description | County recorder | ||
| Parcel / APN number | County assessor | ||
| Subdivision / community name | MLS / county / seller | ||
| School district | MLS / county records |
5b. Property Characteristics
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year built | County assessor | ||
| Property type (SFR, condo, townhome, etc.) | County assessor | ||
| Bedrooms | County assessor / seller | ||
| Full bathrooms | County assessor / seller | ||
| Half bathrooms | County assessor / seller | ||
| Garage (attached/detached, spaces) | County assessor / seller | ||
| Stories | County assessor / seller | ||
| Basement (yes/no, finished/unfinished) | County assessor / seller | ||
| Pool (yes/no, type) | County assessor / seller |
5c. Square Footage (see Section 6 for full protocol)
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total living area (sq ft) | County assessor (default) | ||
| Source of sq ft figure | |||
| Any conflicting figure | Note source | Flag if different | |
| Lot size (sq ft or acres) | County assessor |
5d. HOA Information
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOA (yes/no) | County records / seller | ||
| Monthly HOA dues | Seller / HOA management | ||
| HOA management company name | Seller / HOA docs | ||
| HOA management company phone | Seller / HOA docs | ||
| HOA management company email | Seller / HOA docs | ||
| Special assessments pending (yes/no) | Seller / HOA docs |
5e. Financial & Tax Data
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual property taxes | County assessor | ||
| Tax year (which year the figure covers) | County assessor | ||
| Any tax exemptions noted (homestead, etc.) | County assessor |
5f. Utilities
| Field | Value | Source | Verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas provider | Seller | ||
| Electric provider | Seller | ||
| Water / sewer (public or well/septic) | County records / seller | ||
| Trash provider | Seller | ||
| Internet providers available | Seller |
5g. Known Material Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seller-disclosed defects or conditions | Seller (note: verify these trigger disclosure documents per Seller Disclosure Request & Document Collection) | |
| Recent major improvements (roof, HVAC, etc.) | Seller | |
| Age of roof (if known) | Seller | |
| Age of HVAC system (if known) | Seller | |
| Any active insurance claims on property | Seller |
Note: Seller-disclosed defects and conditions captured here should be cross-referenced when preparing disclosure documents in Seller Disclosure Request & Document Collection. Do not act on this information independently — route it to the agent.
6. Square Footage Protocol
Square footage is the single most liability-sensitive data field in any listing. Errors in this field can lead to MLS fines, misrepresentation claims, and post-closing disputes.
The rule:
Always cite the source of square footage. If two sources conflict, flag to agent before any input or communication. Never estimate, interpolate, or average. The county assessor record is the default.
How to apply it:
- Pull the assessor's square footage figure first. Record it and note it as the assessor figure.
- If the agent or seller provides a different figure (from a prior appraisal, a floor plan measurement, or personal knowledge), record that figure separately and note its source.
- If the two figures match: proceed with the assessor figure, source noted.
- If the figures differ by any amount: do not enter any square footage anywhere. Flag to the agent immediately:
Hi [Agent Name] — I have two different square footage figures for [Property Address] and need your guidance before I enter anything.
County assessor record: [X] sq ft
[Agent/seller/appraiser] figure: [Y] sq ft
Which figure do you want to use for the MLS input, and would you like me to note the discrepancy anywhere in the transaction file?
[VA Name]
- Enter only the figure the agent authorizes. Note both figures and the agent's decision in the transaction file.
What never happens: You never pick one figure without agent input. You never average the two. You never leave square footage blank in the MLS without flagging it to the agent first.
7. Creating the Property Data Sheet
Once all fields are populated (or flagged), compile them into a single reference document: the Property Data Sheet.
File name format:
[Address] - Property Data Sheet - [Date]
Example:
123 Main St - Property Data Sheet - 2026-04-20
Where it lives:
- Transaction management system → property's transaction file → "Property Data" or "Intake" folder
- Google Drive listing folder → 02 - Property Data subfolder (or per agent's folder structure)
Format: Use the template structure from the data fields table in Section 5. Export as PDF before saving to the transaction file. Keep the working version (spreadsheet or doc) editable until the agent approves it.
Before MLS input: Send the completed data sheet to the agent for review with this message:
Hi [Agent Name] — the property data sheet for [Address] is complete and ready for your review before I move to MLS input.
File location: [link or folder path]
Flagged items needing your input: [list any unverified or conflicting fields, or "none — all fields verified"]
Once you've reviewed, let me know and I'll proceed to MLS input.
[VA Name]
Do not begin MLS Data Entry until the agent replies with approval.
8. Checklist
Source Research
- ☐ County assessor record pulled and saved to transaction file
- ☐ MLS auto-fill fields noted (what populated vs. what requires manual entry)
- ☐ Seller-provided intake information received from agent
Data Sheet Population
- ☐ All Section 5a fields populated or flagged
- ☐ All Section 5b fields populated or flagged
- ☐ Square footage handled per Section 6 protocol — source cited, no conflicts unresolved
- ☐ All Section 5d HOA fields populated (or confirmed no HOA)
- ☐ All Section 5e tax fields populated
- ☐ All Section 5f utility fields populated
- ☐ Section 5g seller disclosures noted and routed to agent
Filing & Handoff
- ☐ Property data sheet saved to transaction management system
- ☐ Property data sheet saved to Google Drive (if applicable)
- ☐ Completed data sheet sent to agent for review
- ☐ Agent approval received before MLS input begins
9. Escalation Protocol
Escalate to the agent immediately in any of these situations:
- Any data field where sources produce conflicting values and the agent has not responded within 4 hours — the MLS entry window may be at risk
- County assessor record is unavailable, inaccessible, or does not match the property address (possible parcel number error)
- The seller or a third party contacts the VA directly about property data, square footage, or disclosure items — do not respond; route immediately
- A material disclosure item surfaced during intake that appears significant enough to affect listing strategy or price (structural issue, open permits, active litigation)
- The property data sheet cannot be completed within the 48-hour window due to data unavailability — flag before the window closes, not after
Hi [Agent Name] — flagging an issue with the property data sheet for [Address] before I proceed.
Issue: [Specific discrepancy / unavailability / contact received]
Affected field(s): [Field name(s)]
What I have so far: [Available data]
What I need from you: [Specific decision or instruction]
I've paused on this field until I hear back. Everything else on the sheet is complete.
[VA Name]
If the agent is unreachable: Hold the affected field(s) as blank-and-flagged. Do not estimate or select a value. If the MLS entry window is approaching, notify the agent's backup contact with the same message. Log the hold reason and timestamp in the transaction file.
10. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| County assessor website | [Confirm county and URL during onboarding — varies by market] |
| MLS platform | [Confirm platform and login method during onboarding] |
| Transaction management system | [Dotloop / SkySlope / Brokermint / other — confirm during onboarding] |
| Google Drive listing folder | [Confirm root folder location and naming convention during onboarding] |
| Seller intake form / questionnaire | [Confirm whether agent uses a standard form — obtain template during onboarding] |
| Agent's preferred channel for data questions | [Confirm during onboarding] |