1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) enters a new listing into the MLS — accurately, completely, and in the correct order — so the agent can review and activate with confidence that every field is correct before the listing goes public.
Your job is not to fill in boxes and move on. Your job is to understand what every field means, why accuracy matters, and what the downstream consequence of an error is — so you catch mistakes before the agent ever sees the draft.
"Errors in the MLS can lead to fines, misrepresentations, and lost opportunities."
A wrong square footage creates liability. A wrong co-op commission creates agent disputes. A wrong status setting can accidentally activate a listing before the seller is ready or trigger legal requirements around disclosure delivery. None of these are recoverable without cost. The VA's role is to be the last line of defense before the agent hits activate.
Where this SOP starts: All pre-entry requirements are met (see Section 3) and the agent has confirmed the go-live date.
Where this SOP ends: The MLS draft is complete, the agent has reviewed and approved it, and the listing is either activated or set to activate on the confirmed date.Success looks like: The agent opens the MLS draft and finds a complete, accurate listing with no corrections needed — and activates it with a single click.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Entering all property data into the MLS draft using the property data sheet from Property Intake & Data Collection
- Writing nothing in public remarks — only entering the copy the agent has approved
- Uploading photos in the correct sequence per Listing Photo Review, Sequencing & Upload
- Running the completeness checklist before sending the draft to the agent
- Sending the agent a review request with a link to the draft
- Post-activation: taking a screenshot of the live listing and verifying syndication to Zillow and Realtor.com
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Any field where the correct value is ambiguous or the data sheet is blank
- Setting the listing status (Active vs. Coming Soon vs. any other status) — confirm with agent before entry
- Entering any value for public or private remarks — agent approves all copy before it goes in
- Activating the listing — the agent (or authorized VA with explicit instruction) activates, not the VA by default
- Any change to the co-op commission field
- Syndication settings — confirm with agent whether to suppress any portals
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 activate a listing without the agent's explicit approval — not even if the agent has already reviewed the draft.
- You never write or modify public remarks — you enter only what the agent has approved verbatim.
- You never enter a square footage figure without noting the source in the transaction file.
- You never enter data that conflicts with the property data sheet without flagging it first.
When in doubt: Leave the field blank, note the question, and send the draft with the gap flagged. A blank field the agent can fill is better than a wrong field that goes live.
3. Schedule & Trigger
This SOP activates when all four pre-entry requirements in Section 4 are confirmed. Do not begin MLS entry until every item in the pre-entry checklist is checked.
Trigger: Agent confirms all pre-entry requirements are met and gives go-ahead for MLS input.
Sequence context: This SOP runs after data sheet, disclosures, and photo review. It runs before listing activation and launch (Listing Launch Day Checklist). Photos are uploaded as part of this SOP or concurrently per agent's MLS workflow — confirm which step handles the upload at onboarding.
4. Pre-Entry Requirements Checklist
Do not begin MLS entry until every item below is confirmed. If any item is missing, stop and notify the agent rather than proceeding with incomplete information.
- ☐ Property data sheet complete and agent-approved (Property Intake & Data Collection)
- ☐ All required disclosures received and filed (Seller Disclosure Request & Document Collection)
- ☐ Photos delivered, reviewed, and ready for upload (Listing Photo Review, Sequencing & Upload)
- ☐ Agent has confirmed the listing price
- ☐ Agent has confirmed the go-live date (or "Coming Soon" launch date if applicable)
- ☐ Agent has provided or approved the public remarks copy
- ☐ Agent has confirmed the co-op commission amount
- ☐ Agent has confirmed the showing instructions
If any item is not yet ready, log what is missing and when you expect it, and notify the agent:
Hi [Agent Name] — I'm ready to begin MLS input for [Address] and am waiting on the following before I start:
- ☐ [Missing item]
- ☐ [Missing item]
Once these are confirmed, I'll complete the draft within [X hours] and send it to you for review.
[VA Name]
5. Field-by-Field Entry Sequence
Work through MLS fields in this order. Pull every value from the approved property data sheet unless the agent has provided a correction or update. If a field on the data sheet is blank or marked as flagged, do not guess — note it in the review request message.
5a. Status
Set this field before entering anything else. Confirm with the agent:
- Active — list price live, immediately visible and showable
- Coming Soon — pre-market visibility (rules vary by MLS — confirm your MLS's Coming Soon policies)
- Draft / Private — not visible outside the brokerage (use for staging while completing entry)
NEVER accidentally set a listing to Active before the agent is ready. If unsure, default to Draft.
5b. Property Identification
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Property address | Data sheet | Match exactly to county format |
| Legal description | Data sheet / county recorder | Copy verbatim — no paraphrasing |
| Parcel / APN number | Data sheet | |
| Subdivision / community name | Data sheet | |
| School district | Data sheet |
5c. Property Type & Style
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Property type | Data sheet | SFR, condo, townhome, multi-unit, etc. |
| Architectural style | Agent / data sheet | Ranch, colonial, contemporary, etc. — confirm with agent |
| Construction type | Agent / data sheet | Wood frame, masonry, etc. |
| Year built | Data sheet (county assessor) | |
| New construction | Agent | Yes / no |
5d. Size & Structure
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total living area (sq ft) | Data sheet — cite source in transaction notes | See Section 6 for square footage protocol |
| Lot size (sq ft or acres) | Data sheet (county assessor) | |
| Bedrooms | Data sheet | |
| Full bathrooms | Data sheet | |
| Half bathrooms | Data sheet | |
| Garage (type, spaces) | Data sheet | |
| Stories | Data sheet | |
| Basement | Data sheet | Finished / unfinished / none |
5e. Financial
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| List price | Agent confirmation | Do not pull from the listing agreement — confirm the final price with the agent |
| Annual property taxes | Data sheet (county assessor) | |
| HOA dues | Data sheet | |
| HOA frequency | Data sheet | Monthly / quarterly / annual |
| Co-op commission | Agent confirmation | Enter exactly as the agent instructs — do not calculate or estimate |
5f. Narrative Fields
| Field | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Public remarks | Agent-approved copy only | Enter verbatim — no edits, no additions |
| Agent / private remarks | Agent-approved copy only | MLS-only field visible to agents — agent provides |
| Showing instructions | Agent confirmation | Exact match to how the agent wants showings scheduled |
NEVER write, edit, or paraphrase public or private remarks. If the agent has not provided copy, leave the field blank and flag it in the review request.
5g. Utilities & HOA
Enter all utility providers and HOA details from the property data sheet. If a field was left blank on the data sheet and it is required by the MLS, flag it in the review request rather than entering a placeholder.
6. Square Footage Protocol
The same rule from Property Intake & Data Collection applies here:
Always cite the source of square footage. If two sources conflict, flag to agent before any input. Never estimate, interpolate, or average. The county assessor record is the default.
When entering square footage into the MLS:
1. Use the figure the agent authorized in the data sheet review.
2. In the transaction file, note: which figure was used and which source it came from.
3. If the MLS has a "source of square footage" field, fill it in.
4. Never enter a number that does not match the agent-approved data sheet.
7. Common MLS Input Errors to Avoid
Review this list before sending the draft to the agent. These are the most common errors that get through to the agent review stage.
| Error | How It Happens | How to Catch It |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong status (Active instead of Coming Soon or Draft) | Default setting / careless click | Re-read the status field before sending for review — confirm it matches agent's instruction |
| Square footage mismatch with county records | Entering seller-provided figure without noting source | Always note the source — if it differs from assessor, it should have been flagged at LIST-04 |
| Incorrect co-op commission | Transposing numbers or picking wrong format (percentage vs. dollar) | Read back the exact value to the agent in the review request |
| Typos in public remarks | Copy-paste errors or manual re-entry | Copy and paste verbatim from agent's approved copy — do not retype |
| Wrong primary photo | Default to first uploaded instead of confirmed primary | Explicitly set the primary photo to the agent's confirmed choice |
| Blank required fields | Skipping fields that were missing from data sheet | Run the MLS's own completeness check — it will flag required blanks |
| Showing instructions incomplete | Generic text left in the field | Replace all placeholder text with the agent's confirmed showing instructions |
8. Agent Review Request
When the draft is complete, send this message:
Hi [Agent Name] — the MLS draft for [Address] is complete and ready for your review before activation.
Draft link: [link or instructions to access in MLS]
Please confirm the following before I activate:
- Status setting: [Active / Coming Soon — as entered]
- Listing price: $[amount]
- Co-op commission: [amount/percentage]
- Square footage: [figure] (source: [county assessor / appraiser-measured / other])
- Photos: [X photos uploaded — primary photo is [front exterior / other]]
- Public remarks: [first 10 words of the copy] ...
- Go-live date: [date]
Flagged items needing your input:
- [Any blank or unresolved fields, or "none — all fields complete"]
Once you've reviewed and confirmed, let me know and I'll activate (or set the activation date).
[VA Name]
Do not activate the listing until the agent replies with explicit approval — even if they have already viewed the draft.
9. Activation Protocol
Who activates: Confirm with the agent at onboarding whether the VA activates on agent's behalf or whether the agent activates personally. Default: agent activates.
If VA is authorized to activate:
1. Confirm activation date and time with the agent.
2. Activate at the confirmed time (morning, not afternoon — see Listing Launch Day Checklist for launch day protocol).
3. Immediately after activation:
- Take a screenshot of the live listing in the MLS
- Check that the listing appears on Zillow, Realtor.com, and any other portals the agent syndicates to (allow 15–30 minutes for syndication)
- Save the screenshot to the transaction file
4. Notify the agent:
Hi [Agent Name] — [Address] is live. Confirmed active in MLS at [time].
Syndication check:
- Zillow: [confirmed live / pending — recheck in 30 minutes]
- Realtor.com: [confirmed live / pending]
Screenshot saved to the transaction file.
[VA Name]
If syndication has not appeared within 2 hours of activation: Notify the agent.
10. Checklist
Pre-Entry
- ☐ All four pre-entry requirements confirmed (Section 4)
Entry
- ☐ Status field set correctly and confirmed with agent
- ☐ All property identification fields entered
- ☐ All size and structure fields entered — square footage source noted
- ☐ Financial fields entered — list price and co-op confirmed with agent
- ☐ Public remarks entered verbatim from agent-approved copy
- ☐ Agent/private remarks entered from agent-approved copy
- ☐ Showing instructions entered exactly as agent instructed
- ☐ Photos uploaded in correct sequence — primary photo set
- ☐ All HOA and utility fields populated (or flagged if blank)
Review & Activation
- ☐ Completeness check run — no required blank fields
- ☐ Common errors checklist reviewed (Section 7)
- ☐ Agent review request sent with draft link
- ☐ Agent approval received before activation
- ☐ Listing activated at confirmed date and time
- ☐ Post-activation screenshot saved to transaction file
- ☐ Syndication confirmed (Zillow, Realtor.com)
- ☐ Agent notified that listing is live
11. Escalation Protocol
Escalate to the agent immediately in any of these situations:
- The MLS draft is ready for review but the go-live date is within 4 hours and the agent has not yet responded to the review request
- Any field in the MLS draft does not match the agent-approved data sheet and the discrepancy cannot be resolved from the existing documentation
- The listing accidentally activates (status flips to Active) before the agent has approved — take a screenshot, do not modify further, notify agent immediately
- Syndication to Zillow or Realtor.com has not appeared more than 3 hours after activation
- An MLS error or system issue prevents saving or activating the draft
Hi [Agent Name] — flagging an issue with the MLS draft for [Address].
Issue: [Specific problem — draft not reviewed in time / field discrepancy / early activation / syndication failure]
Current status: [What the MLS shows right now]
Needed: [What you need the agent to do — review and approve / confirm correct value / contact MLS support]
[VA Name]
If the agent is unreachable: Do not activate the listing. Hold at draft status. If activation was unauthorized, do not modify the listing until the agent responds. Attempt the agent's secondary urgent contact channel. Log the hold and timestamp.
12. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MLS platform | [Confirm platform and login method during onboarding] |
| MLS access method | [Agent delegation / separate login / shared credentials per brokerage policy] |
| Property data sheet | [Transaction file → Property Data folder — from Property Intake & Data Collection] |
| Approved public remarks | [Agent sends via email or task — confirm delivery method at onboarding] |
| Photo files | [Transaction file → Photography folder — from Listing Photo Review, Sequencing & Upload] |
| Transaction management system | [Confirm platform during onboarding] |
| Syndication portals to check | [Confirm with agent: Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, agent's website, others] |