1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) sets up and maintains an agent's MLS profile — the agent-facing business card that cooperating agents see when viewing any listing, offer, or search result. The MLS profile is how other agents in the market decide whether the agent looks competent, professional, and easy to work with before a single interaction happens.
Most MLS profiles at the start of a Levrly engagement are either incomplete (default photo, no bio, no designations) or stale (outdated headshot, superseded license, old market area). The VA's role is to get the profile to complete-and-current on Day 1 of the engagement and keep it current with an annual audit.
Where this SOP starts: Onboarding a new Levrly client, reviewing their existing MLS profile against the completeness standard.
Where this SOP ends: The MLS profile is fully populated, professional, and current; the annual audit is on the calendar.Success looks like: Any cooperating agent viewing the profile sees a current photo, a concise bio that communicates the agent's niche, accurate contact info, a valid license, and any relevant designations. Nothing looks outdated, nothing is missing, and the profile reflects the agent as they are today, not three years ago.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Auditing the current MLS profile against the completeness checklist in Section 4
- Updating profile fields per the agent's confirmed information (contact info, license, designations, areas served)
- Uploading a new headshot once the agent has approved which image to use
- Drafting bio updates for agent review and applying them after approval
- Scheduling and running the annual profile audit per Section 6
- Logging profile changes in the operations file with before/after values
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Any bio change — word choice, tone, claims about experience or production
- The headshot selection itself (the agent decides which photo to use)
- Any claim of a designation or certification the agent has not verified in writing
- Any change to the agent's contact information, license number, or brokerage affiliation
- Publishing a change during a sensitive period (active listing or offer) — confirm timing with agent
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 inflate or embellish the agent's stats, designations, years of experience, or production claims — the bio describes the agent exactly as they are
- You never use a headshot the agent has not confirmed is approved for use
- You never change the agent's license or brokerage affiliation — that's a manual process the agent completes with the state and brokerage
- You never access the MLS with credentials that aren't the agent's or that aren't covered by the agent's explicit delegation
When in doubt: Claims in a bio have compliance implications — production numbers, years in business, designations. Default to under-stating rather than over-stating.
3. Schedule & Trigger
Initial setup trigger: Onboarding a new Levrly client. Profile audit is part of the first week's work.
Update trigger: Any of the following — new designation earned, headshot older than 3 years, change in agent's market area, change in brokerage, license renewal.
Annual audit trigger: Once per year. License renewal date is a natural anchor — review the profile at that time. If the agent doesn't have a license renewal in the current year (some states have multi-year licenses), review in January.
Expected turnaround: Initial profile setup: 1–2 business days once the agent has provided all required inputs. Per-field updates: within 1 business day of agent approval. Annual audit: complete within the month it's scheduled.
Sequence context: This SOP is an onboarding-phase foundational SOP. It runs alongside Transaction Management System Setup, CRM Setup, and Zillow & Realtor.com Profile Optimization. The content in this SOP — headshot, bio, license — is reused across TECH-05 (consumer-facing platforms) and Agent Bio & Profile Updates for marketing materials. Coordinate so the agent's brand is consistent across all platforms.
4. Profile Elements to Complete
For every new Levrly client engagement, audit the existing MLS profile against this checklist and update anything missing or outdated.
4a. Professional headshot
Requirements:
- Current — taken within the last 3 years
- High resolution (specific requirement varies by MLS — typical minimum is 400×400 pixels, 72 dpi web or 300 dpi print; confirm the MLS's spec)
- Professional background (neutral or lightly branded; no distracting clutter, personal-life elements, or dated venues)
- Head-and-shoulders framing with the face clearly visible and well-lit
- Agent is dressed in business-appropriate attire consistent with their market
If agent doesn't have a current professional headshot:
Flag to the agent — recommend a session with a professional photographer. A smartphone selfie or family-photo crop undersells the agent and is the single most common MLS-profile weakness.
4b. Bio
Target length: 150–300 words. Long enough to communicate value, short enough to read in 30 seconds.
Must include:
- Agent's name and how they refer to themselves (e.g., "Sarah Johnson" or "Sarah")
- Years of experience as a licensed agent (actual — not estimated)
- Market area(s) served
- Niche or specialty (if any — first-time buyers, luxury, investment, relocation, specific neighborhoods)
- A brief value statement — what cooperating agents can expect when working with this agent (e.g., responsive communication, clean paperwork, collaborative approach)
- Contact information line
Should not include:
- Unverifiable stats (e.g., "#1 agent in the county") unless the agent has documented proof and the stat has a clear source
- Production volume claims unless the agent explicitly wants them stated and has the supporting data
- Personal-life details irrelevant to the business (family makeup, hobbies unrelated to real estate)
- Generic platitudes ("I'm passionate about real estate") — replace with specifics
- Copy that reads like consumer marketing — the MLS profile is read by other agents, not buyers
Tone: Direct, professional, collegial. Other agents read this quickly — they're looking for signals that you're competent and easy to work with, not trying to fall in love with your brand.
Draft template to adapt:
[Agent Name] is a licensed real estate agent with [X] years of experience serving [market area(s)]. [Agent] specializes in [niche — e.g., "first-time buyers and move-up sellers in the [specific area] market"].
Cooperating agents can expect [value statement — e.g., "responsive communication, organized document handling, and a collaborative approach to getting deals to close"]. [Agent] is licensed in [state(s)], affiliated with [brokerage name], and a member of [local board / MLS].
[Optional: 1–2 sentences on designations, certifications, or notable specialized experience]
Contact: [phone] | [email] | [website]
4c. Contact information
- Phone: Agent's business number (not personal, not a forwarding service that requires callers to navigate a menu)
- Email: Agent's business email (agent@brokerage.com or agent@custom-domain.com — not personal)
- Website: Agent's personal site or brokerage-provided site — confirm with agent which to use
- Social media: Optional — include the primary platform only (typically Instagram or LinkedIn for agent-to-agent)
4d. License and expiration date
- License number as issued by the state
- Expiration date — set a calendar reminder 60 days before expiration to begin the renewal process
- State of licensure (primary; if licensed in multiple states, include each)
4e. Designations and certifications
List only designations the agent has actually earned and that are verifiable. Common real estate designations:
- ABR — Accredited Buyer's Representative
- CRS — Certified Residential Specialist
- GRI — Graduate, REALTOR® Institute
- SRS — Seller Representative Specialist
- CIPS — Certified International Property Specialist
- SRES — Seniors Real Estate Specialist
- e-PRO — digital marketing certification
- RENE — Real Estate Negotiation Expert
- AHWD — At Home With Diversity
- PSA — Pricing Strategy Advisor
If the agent has a certification not on this list, confirm with the agent that it's verifiable before adding.
NEVER: Add a designation the agent hasn't earned or can't document. This is a compliance issue with the issuing body and the MLS.
4f. Areas served
- Specific cities, neighborhoods, or zip codes the agent serves
- If the agent serves a wide area, list primary areas first, secondary areas second
- Do not list an area the agent doesn't actually service — cooperating agents may reach out with referrals the agent can't honor
5. How to Update the Profile
Exact navigation varies by MLS. General workflow:
- Log in to the MLS as the agent (or with VA delegate access if the MLS supports it; many MLSs do not allow VA delegation for profile edits and require the agent to make the changes directly)
- Navigate to Profile → Settings or Account → Profile
- Update each field per the audit findings
- Upload the new headshot if applicable (platforms often have specific file format and size requirements — confirm before uploading)
- Save changes
- View the profile as a cooperating agent would (use the MLS's "View as other" or "Profile preview" feature if available) to confirm the result
If the MLS requires agent-only access for profile edits:
- Draft every change in a shared document with before/after values
- Send to agent for review
- Agent makes the edits in the MLS
- VA confirms changes are live after the agent finishes
Handling the license change or brokerage switch
These are substantive changes the agent must complete:
- License changes — agent handles with the state real estate commission
- Brokerage affiliation changes — agent handles with both brokerages and the state
- VA role: after the change is complete, update the MLS profile to reflect the new affiliation, license details, or any other downstream change
6. Annual Profile Audit
Once per year, run a full audit of the MLS profile.
Audit checklist
- ☐ Headshot is less than 3 years old; reflects current appearance
- ☐ Bio is current — years of experience, market area, niche all accurate
- ☐ Contact phone, email, website all work
- ☐ License is current; expiration date documented with renewal reminder
- ☐ Brokerage affiliation is current
- ☐ All listed designations are still valid
- ☐ Areas served match the agent's current business focus
Audit deliverable
After the audit, send the agent a brief memo:
Subject: MLS Profile Audit — [Month YYYY]
Hi [Agent Name] — annual MLS profile audit complete. Findings:
Up to date — YES
- [Item]
- [Item]
Recommended updates:
- [Item] — [specific recommendation]
- [Item] — [specific recommendation]
Suggested next step: [e.g., "Schedule a new headshot session — current photo is 4 years old."]
Let me know which updates to action.
[VA Name]
File the audit memo in the operations folder and schedule the next audit 12 months out.
7. Escalation — When to Escalate Immediately
MLS profile updates rarely require urgent escalation. The following warrant immediate agent contact:
- License has lapsed or is within 30 days of lapsing with no renewal underway
- Agent's bio contains an inaccuracy that appears publicly — wrong brokerage, wrong license number, claims that can't be verified
- Profile is incorrectly displaying archived information despite recent updates (MLS data-sync issue)
- Unauthorized changes appear on the profile — indicating possible account compromise
Use this escalation template:
Hi [Agent Name] — urgent MLS profile issue:
Issue: [One sentence — e.g., "Your license expiration shows as 5/1 and today is 4/15. Renewal underway?"]
Impact: [Specific — e.g., "If license lapses, your profile may auto-deactivate and any active listings could be flagged by the MLS."]
What I need from you: [Specific direction]
[VA Name]
If agent is unreachable within 1 business day on a compliance-critical issue (license lapse, unauthorized account activity):
1. Follow up via alternate channels
2. Do not attempt to renew the license or resolve account security on the agent's behalf
3. Log all contact attempts
8. Completion Checklist
Initial setup
- ☐ Current profile audited against Section 4 checklist
- ☐ Headshot confirmed current and high-resolution (or replacement scheduled)
- ☐ Bio drafted and approved by agent
- ☐ Contact info verified and updated
- ☐ License number and expiration entered with renewal reminder
- ☐ Designations verified and listed
- ☐ Areas served listed
- ☐ Profile viewed as a cooperating agent would for final confirmation
- ☐ Before/after values logged in operations file
Ongoing maintenance
- ☐ License renewal reminder on calendar (60 days before expiration)
- ☐ Annual audit scheduled on calendar
- ☐ Any bio or designation updates applied within 1 business day of agent approval
Annual audit
- ☐ Every element in Section 4 reviewed
- ☐ Audit memo sent to agent
- ☐ Any approved updates applied
- ☐ Next audit scheduled 12 months out
9. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MLS system | [Confirm during onboarding — board-specific; may be multiple if agent works across boards] |
| VA access method | [Confirm during onboarding — direct delegate access, or agent-executes-changes-VA-drafts model] |
| Agent headshot source | [Confirm during onboarding — photographer folder, agent's drive, or needs a new session] |
| Agent bio source document | [Confirm during onboarding — usually lives in the operations folder; consolidates with Agent Bio & Profile Updates] |
| State real estate commission portal | [Confirm during onboarding — for license renewal tracking, not editing] |
| Designation verification | [Confirm during onboarding — issuing body for each designation claimed] |
| Operations folder | [Confirm during onboarding — for audit memos and change logs] |