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Update Lane Help
Topic: General
I use a virtual assistant. Can they use Update Lane for my listing?
I have a team. Can we all use the same account?
What if the site goes down?
Does Update Lane have tools for brokers to manage all of our agents and their transactions?
Can I advertise on Update Lane?
Does accepting a sponsored transaction violate RESPA?
Where are my customized Update Lane colors displayed?
My client changed their email address. How do I change their email address on the transaction?
Can anyone else that accesses my transaction see my client’s information?
How much disk space comes with my free account?
What happens to my transactions when I exceed my storage capacity?
Not all of the images are being loaded on my browser.
Which browsers does Update Lane support?
What is a transaction?
Do transactions expire?
Can I use the same transaction over and over again?
I added a client to my listing/transaction and the name appears multiple times.
How do I add a listing?
If I send a transaction to someone without an Update Lane account, will they get it?
The co-operating agent on the transaction does not have an Update Lane account. Can they still access the transaction and post and share privileged files on Update Lane?
How do my clients create their account?
Can I get some information on Update Lane for my listing appointments?
Why is the information I just added not being displayed?
Permissions
Who owns the data that I post?
Topic: Account InfoYes. Multiple people can work in the same account at one time. You would need to give your virtual assistant the login information to your account.
I have a team. Can we all use the same account?
Yes. Multiple people can work in the same account at one time. For login purposes, you will all use the same email address and password. You can associate many email addresses to one account. Thus, if a vendor wants to co-brand with you or one of your team members, they can use any email address that is associated with your account to send over a transaction. Just pay attention - if everyone uploads the same file in the same transaction, it will appear multiple times.
What if the site goes down?
The server almost never goes down but it can happen as with any website (less than 0.1% of the time). We employ mirrored servers with full redundancy. Data is constantly being backed up and “reinstalled” on alternative servers. If the main server ever crashes, a backup server is instantly ready to take its place. In this unlikely event, the site may become inaccessible for anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours while the internet adjusts its “address book” to direct everyone to the new server. You would experience at worst minimal data loss, most users would be completely unaffected by the transparent transition.
Does Update Lane have tools for brokers to manage all of our agents and their transactions?
Update Lane will release a reporting function where you, as the broker, can have better insight into your agents and listings. This reporting function will not be available until Phase 2 of the Update Lane release. The release date of Phase 2 has not yet been scheduled. Please contact Update Lane if you are interested in this function so that we can better determine demand and value-added.
Can I advertise on Update Lane?
Update Lane enables advertising in the form of co-branding with agents on each transaction. Simply purchase a transaction, go to the sponsor tab, and email it to the agent you would like to advertise or co-brand with. The next time that agent adds a listing they will have an option to select the transaction you send them. However, there is no guarantee that they will use your transaction or your services.
Does accepting a sponsored transaction violate RESPA?
We do not believe it does. This is simply a way for vendors to co-brand, advertise, or expand existing services. In the case of title or escrow companies, the cost of Update Lane is reflected in the cost of their services. However, please go to http://nhl.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/res/respa_hm.cfm to read more about RESPA and compliance. You are solely responsible to ensure that you are compliant with all RESPA and other legal requirements. Please review the terms and conditions of service for further information on Update Lane and legal responsibilities prior to accepting a sponsored transaction – or sponsoring a transaction.
Where are my customized Update Lane colors displayed?
Your color selections are displayed on all of your pages and for each transaction that you manage. Your site colors are displayed when your clients or anyone else accesses your transaction.
My client changed their email address. How do I change their email address on the transaction?
You don’t need to. Your client just needs to assign a new email address to their own Update Lane account and they will still be able to access the transaction. If they choose not to do that, they will need to create a new account under their new email address. Then, you can just add a new client to the transaction using their new email address.
Can anyone else that accesses my transaction see my client’s information?
No. Other users on a transaction can see which role is assigned to a document that they can also see but not who is assigned to that role. Update Lane goes to great lengths to ensure confidentiality.
How much disk space comes with my free account?
500 megabytes. We have found that one transaction uses 8 megabytes on average. This means the average user will store about 60 transactions before thinking about adding any additional storage on your live account or moving it to Update Lane’s backup storage. The 8 megabyte average will fluctuate based on the size and number of files uploaded to your transaction.
What happens to my transactions when I exceed my storage capacity?
You have a few options. You can buy an additional 1 gigabyte of data for $2.50/month (or more at the same rate). You can download the files to your computer then move the transaction to Update Lane’s archive. Or, you can just move the transaction to Update Lane’s archive storage (to access a transaction from archives costs $10 per transaction). Update Lane will notify you when you are close to exceeding your storage capacity, giving you the above options. If you choose to do nothing, Update Lane will automatically archive your oldest closed files and make enough space for you to continue to work uninterrupted. If all your transactions are active and you exceed your storage capacity, your Update Lane account will be temporarily suspended until you purchase more storage.
Not all of the images are being loaded on my browser.
This is commonly known as memory leaks. All browsers are known to have memory leaks. Close your browser and open it back up again. Starting fresh is usually all that is needed. In some rare cases, you may need to restart your computer.
Which browsers does Update Lane support?
We support 99.3% of all browsers in use, according to the latest w3c usage statistics. This includes the most common browsers of Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera. We will be adding support for IE 8 after Microsoft completes its beta. Browsers not officially supported may still work with the site.
What is a transaction?
A transaction is essentially one property. Update Lane is geared to predominantly support all the work that an agent has to do to market and sell a property (as the listing/marketing agent). However, buyer agents may take advantage of Update Lane too, especially to collaborate during negotiations.
Do transactions expire?
The transaction expires after the property closes or 12 months pass, whatever comes first. An unused transaction does not expire. An unused transaction remains in your account for your future use. The clock starts ticking on your transaction when you assign a property address to it.
Can I use the same transaction over and over again?
No. A transaction becomes active when you assign a property address to it. Then the clock starts ticking on the transaction. The transaction expires after the property closes or 12 months pass, whichever is sooner.
I added a client to my listing/transaction and the name appears multiple times.
You may have accidentally clicked Save twice or more. Simply go to the Manage Users tab under the “Guest” link heading. Select the appropriate property and remove the user by clicking on the red “X” to the right of the name in the table.
How do I add a listing?
The Add Listing page can be found either from the Welcome page (the main switchboard for the site) or by selecting the “My Listings” tab then clicking on Add Listing on the link bar. If you do not have any transactions
If I send a transaction to someone without an Update Lane account, will they get it?
Yes. Update Lane uses the first and last name and the email address you provide to contact the recipient to let them know you have sent them a transaction and guide them to create their free account. When the recipient creates their free Update Lane account, your transaction will be waiting for them.
The co-operating agent on the transaction does not have an Update Lane account. Can they still access the transaction and post and share privileged files on Update Lane?
Yes. You simply add the agent to the transaction by assigning their email address to a specific guest role. Update Lane checks to see if they are or are not account holders. If they do not yet have an account, Update Lane will contact the agent using their email address you provide and guide them to create their free account. When the person creates their free Update Lane account, they will be able to access your transaction as a guest.
How do my clients create their account?
Simple. The site will send them an automated email with directions on how to signup, and it will autofill a lot of the registration form for them. All they need to do is complete the form and submit it, no activation is needed. Clients may register with or without the help email, so you can also just direct them to sign up at updatelane.com!
Can I get some information on Update Lane for my listing appointments?
Yes. You just need to request the information. We will either email you an Adobe Acrobat Reader file by contacting us under the “My Lane” tab
Why is the information I just added not being displayed?
Update Lane is built to automatically update your pages on your browser, without refreshing. However, some browser settings may not allow us to live-update information. Simply press refresh on your browser to update any tables if you are not seeing your changes applied, or close and reopen your browser if you are suddenly experiencing problems using the site.
Permissions
R Read Only Privileges
F Upload or download files privileges
A Assign viewing privileges to documents they have uploaded
F Upload or download files privileges
A Assign viewing privileges to documents they have uploaded
| Guest Role | Marketing Actions | Showings & Feedback | Competition | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client | R | R | R | F |
| Seller** | - | - | - | F |
| Buyer** | - | - | - | F |
| Buyer Agent | - | - | - | FA |
| Lender | - | - | - | FA |
| Title/Escrow | - | - | - | FA |
| Seller Attorney | - | - | - | FA |
| Buyer Attorney | - | - | - | FA |
| Inspector | - | - | - | FA |
| Custom Roles | - | - | - | FA |
* Users can only see documents where their role is assigned to that document. The agent managing the transaction on UpdateLane.com has permission to view, edit, upload, download, or override any document, regardless of who uploaded the document.
** If the client is the same as the seller, the seller will have the Client permission level. If the client is the same as the buyer, the buyer will have the Client permission level. If your client is either the seller or the buyer, you do not need to reassign your client to the seller or the buyer role. Sellers or Buyers uploading documents can only be viewed by the agent managing the transaction (e.g., list agent). The agent will need to edit the document’s viewing privileges to allow others.
*** Any newly created role that you create for your account will have this Custom Role permission level
** If the client is the same as the seller, the seller will have the Client permission level. If the client is the same as the buyer, the buyer will have the Client permission level. If your client is either the seller or the buyer, you do not need to reassign your client to the seller or the buyer role. Sellers or Buyers uploading documents can only be viewed by the agent managing the transaction (e.g., list agent). The agent will need to edit the document’s viewing privileges to allow others.
*** Any newly created role that you create for your account will have this Custom Role permission level
Who owns the data that I post?
You do. It remains a part of the transaction as a whole but you are solely responsible for the data. Please review the terms and condition of service for further information.
I changed companies and now use a different email address. Can I change my login information?
How do I customize the appearance of my Update Lane account?
My chosen site colors are not retained?
Topic: Buy TransactionsYou can associate your new email address to your existing account. However, you cannot change your login email address. Update Lane ties all transactions you have participated or managed to the email address you registered with. You can contact us to change your primary email account if you no longer have access to it to continue all emailed updates.
How do I customize the appearance of my Update Lane account?
Go to the My Lane tab and select Account Info on the link bar. On the left column, you can upload your logo and agent photo. You can also select “Customize Site Colors” where you can change the colors of the different backgrounds and text to match your brand. Make sure you save your selections! Unsaved selections will preview throughout the site until you logout or leave, and then the site will default back to it’s original colors.
My chosen site colors are not retained?
This problem mainly occurs with a public or shared computer. This is a browser specific setting. Clear the cache and cookies from the browser’s memory, hit refresh, and your selections should appear. If it still doesn’t after clearing the browser’s memory, close the browser and log back in to Update Lane. You can set your browser to “always check for new files.”
How much do transactions cost?
Will I get a discount if I purchase many transactions at one time?
Where do I get a promotional code?
How do I add my charity to the giving page?
When do you disburse donations to the charities?
Topic: Manage ListingDuring the beta, transactions cost nothing. You can add as many transactions to your account as you want. When the beta is over, any unused transaction will be removed from your account. All active transactions will remain until either the property closes or twelve months pass, whichever is sooner. Once the site is live, individual transactions will cost $10 and less in bulk.
Will I get a discount if I purchase many transactions at one time?
Yes. Check our bulk pricing by clicking on the link in the Buy Transaction box.
Where do I get a promotional code?
On the Giving page on the main UpdateLane.com website. Update Lane strives to give back to our communities. Update Lane donates to all the charities listed on the Giving page on the main UpdateLane.com website. Each charity is given a promotional code. Every time you make a purchase using that charities promotional code, Update Lane donates a small percentage of the total to that charity.
How do I add my charity to the giving page?
Simply contact us and let us know which charity you want added and their contact information. We will do our own investigation to make sure it is a legitimate charity that meets our criteria. Then, we will add it to our list. We are looking forward to watching the Giving page grow so please help everyone out by informing us of the charity.
When do you disburse donations to the charities?
We are currently disbursing donations the week after Thanksgiving, annually. It’s our way of giving thanks during the holiday season. The funds are separated and held in reserve until that time.
Who can access my transaction?
How do I assign a new guest or client to a transaction?
How do I upload a photo of the property for my listing?
I made a mistake on the property address. How do I change it?
Topic: Add ListingThis is entirely up to you. You assign your clients or guests. Your initial clients are assigned at time of adding the listing. You can add all your other clients or guests by going to the Guest Access tab – Manage Users on the link bar.
How do I assign a new guest or client to a transaction?
You can add all your other clients or guests by going to the Guest Access tab – Manage Users on the link bar. Your initial clients are assigned at time of adding the listing.
How do I upload a photo of the property for my listing?
After you have added your listing, go to the My Listings tab – Manage Listing on the link bar. Select the specific property. Select the orange button that says “Upload Photo”. You can only assign one photo per listing. This picture is used for emails including to showing agents to collect feedback.
I made a mistake on the property address. How do I change it?
You can’t change the property address after you have confirmed the address when you add a listing. Please be sure the property address is correct. You can contact Update Lane and we will make the necessary change.
How do I add a listing?
Topic: MarketingFrom either the Welcome page or by going to the “My Listings” tab – Add Listing on the link bar. Follow the four easy steps to add your first listing. Update Lane will prompt you if you need to add a transaction to your account first.
How do I build a marketing plan?
How do I know if my client can see my marketing activities?
Can I download my marketing activities to my calendar?
Topic: Add Showings & FeedbackGo to the My Listings tab – Marketing page on the link bar. Select a property. First, build your activity template by clicking on the orange button “My Action List”. You can edit the default actions and add new actions to create your own list. Click “save”. Now click on the orange button “Add Activity”. Select an action from your list, add any comments, assign a due date, and choose if you want your client to see the action now (you can change this later). Click “save”. You can now add another or close the browser. When you’re ready for your client to view the activity, edit the activity and change the viewing option. With Update Lane, you can organize all your marketing activities on day one.
How do I know if my client can see my marketing activities?
Go to the My Listings tab – Marketing page on the link bar. Select a property. Look at the All Activities table and the “Client” column. Your client can see all the activities denoted “Y”. To change the activity from “N”, click on the edit icon (blue with pencil) and change the viewing status to “Client can view this activity.”
Can I download my marketing activities to my calendar?
You will have the ability to download your activities to your Outlook calendar once the site goes live. This feature is not available during the beta.
I put the wrong agent for a showing, how do I change the showing agent?
How do I change the time of a showing?
How do I add showing instructions for a property?
I can’t find the showing I just created?
Topic: CompetingYou can’t. You need to delete the showing and schedule a new showing with the correct showing agent.
How do I change the time of a showing?
Go to the My Listings tab – Showings page on the link bar. Find the showing on the showing table and click the edit button (blue with a pencil). Change the time and click save.
How do I add showing instructions for a property?
Go to the My Listings tab – Showings page on the link bar. Click the orange button titled “Add instructions”. Enter your showing instructions and click “save”. To edit the instructions, also click “Add instructions”, edit as necessary and click “save”.
I can’t find the showing I just created?
First, click refresh to make sure the browser checked for a new entry on the showing page. Next, make sure you entered the correct date. The showing table is organized into two categories – pending and past showings. If you still cannot find it, re-enter it. You may not have clicked “save” when you were finished. If you’re still having problems, contact Update Lane through the Contact Us page found under the “My Lane” tab.
How can I make the table automatically update the status and price of a property when it changes on the MLS?
How do I change the starting price, current price, address, or status of a competing property?
Topic: DocumentsRight now, you can’t. Update Lane would like to link to your MLS but we need your help to do that. Let us know who your local technology contacts are at your local Board of Realtors and we will take it from there. It’ll help the cause if we have many Realtor’s from your local Board using Update Lane.
How do I change the starting price, current price, address, or status of a competing property?
Go to the My Listings tab – Competition page on the link bar. Click on the edit icon (blue with pencil) next to the property in the Competing Properties table. Make any necessary change and click “Save”.
How do I change who can see the document?
Which file types can I upload?
How do I make sure the other agent can only see certain files?
How do I know if the other agent, client, or anyone else has seen the document or information I posted?
What if I assign a role to a document but I don’t have any users assigned to that role?
Topic: Guest Access To edit any information in a document, click on the edit icon (blue with pencil) to the right of the document on the All Documents table. Edit any information including viewing privileges and click “Save”.
Which file types can I upload?
The following file types are currently supported:
Other: PDF, PPT, PPTx, PUB, WPS
Images: JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
Text: DOC, DOCx, RTF, TXT
Archives: ZFX, ZIP, RAR
Spreadsheets: XLS, XLSx, CSV
Other: PDF, PPT, PPTx, PUB, WPS
Images: JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
Text: DOC, DOCx, RTF, TXT
Archives: ZFX, ZIP, RAR
Spreadsheets: XLS, XLSx, CSV
How do I make sure the other agent can only see certain files?
Update Lane uses permission levels for each role in a transaction. The below chart shows the permissions and roles. When you grant a third party access into your secure transaction, you must first assign that third party user to a role in the transaction (such as buyer agent, lender, or title/escrow). Users can only see information where their role is assigned. For documents, users can only see specific documents where their role is assigned. The agent managing the transaction has the ability to edit or delete privileges or files.
How do I know if the other agent, client, or anyone else has seen the document or information I posted?
Update Lane tracks access to each part of the Update Lane site. You can request a report from Update Lane to see who and when documents were accessed. There is currently a $25 fee for this service (Seems unnecessary, we know. This just covers our cost of generating the specific report. We are working to make this report more readily available).
What if I assign a role to a document but I don’t have any users assigned to that role?
That’s fine. Update Lane stores your selections. Once you have assigned a user to that role, they will be able to see the document.
How do I know that only my client can see my marketing activities, showing schedule, competing properties, and ONLY the documents they are allowed to see?
If I give Guest access to another user, how do I know what they can and cannot see?
How do I give someone permission to see a document?
How do I give someone permission to see feedback from a showing?
How do I give someone permission to view my marketing activities?
How do I give someone permission to view competing properties?
Where do I go to see who is listed as a client or guest on my transaction?
I’m the buyer agent on a transaction and need to assign my team member access in my place. How can I assign them to the transaction?
Can more than one user be assigned to a Guest or Client role?
What is the difference between a Client, Seller, and Buyer? Aren’t these all “clients”?
I’ve been assigned as a Guest on a transaction. How do I access the transaction?
Where can I see all the properties that I’m listed as a Client or Guest?
Topic: SponsorThe privacy of all information posted to Update Lane is managed within the roles assigned to each guest or client. Review the permission table found by going to the Help categories “Individual Page Notes” and select “Manage Users”.
If I give Guest access to another user, how do I know what they can and cannot see?
Review the permission table found by going to the Help categorie “Individual Page Notes” and select “Manage Users”. The permission table explains what each role can see and do. Then, see which documents have that guest role assigned to it.
How do I give someone permission to see a document?
First, determine which role the person needs to have. Then, go to the Guest Access area and select the Manage Users page on the nav bar. Click the appropriate orange button: “Add/Assign Client” or “Add/Assign Guest”. Select the appropriate property from the drop down box. Select an existing client/guest or add a new client/guest. Click the orange button “Assign”.
How do I give someone permission to see feedback from a showing?
Only users assigned to the Client role can view showings and feedback. Go to the Guest Access area and select the Manage Users page on the nav bar. Click the orange button titled “Add/Assign Client”. Select the appropriate property from the drop down box. Select an existing client or add a new client. Click the orange button “Assign”.
How do I give someone permission to view my marketing activities?
Only users assigned to the Client role can view marketing activities. Go to the Guest Access area and select the Manage Users page on the nav bar. Click the orange button titled “Add/Assign Client”. Select the appropriate property from the drop down box. Select an existing client or add a new client. Click the orange button “Assign”.
How do I give someone permission to view competing properties?
Only users assigned to the Client role can view competing properties. Go to the Guest Access area and select the Manage Users page on the nav bar. Click the orange button titled “Add/Assign Client”. Select the appropriate property from the drop down box. Select an existing client or add a new client. Click the orange button “Assign”.
Where do I go to see who is listed as a client or guest on my transaction?
Only the agent managing the transaction can see everyone that is listed on a transaction. And, only the agent managing a transaction can assign users to a transaction. You can see this information by going to the Guest Access area – Manage Users page on the nav bar.
I’m the buyer agent on a transaction and need to assign my team member access in my place. How can I assign them to the transaction?
You will need to contact the agent managing the transaction. Only the agent managing a transaction can assign users to a transaction. Multiple users can be assigned to one Guest or Client role.
Can more than one user be assigned to a Guest or Client role?
Yes. You can assign as many users as necessary to any Guest or Client role. If you have ten clients on one property (first, we would feel for you), you can add all ten users to the Client role.
What is the difference between a Client, Seller, and Buyer? Aren’t these all “clients”?
Users assigned to the Client role can view marketing activities, showings/feedback, competing properties, and all documents marked with the “Client” viewing privilege. Users assigned to either the Seller or Buyer role can ONLY see the documents marked with the “Seller” or “Buyer” viewing privilege.
The initial client is added to the property when you add a listing. You can add more clients to a transaction in the Guest Access – Manage Users page.
I’ve been assigned as a Guest on a transaction. How do I access the transaction?
From the Welcome page, find your applicable box (Agent, Client, Broker, Vendor) and select “Participate as Guest”. This will take you to all the properties that you are listed as either a Client or a Guest. You can also select the property from the property drop down box on any of the pages. This will take you directly to the transaction. Or, go to the Guest Access area and select the Guest Trans page on the nav bar. This displays all the properties where you are listed as either a Client or Guest. Then, select the property you’d like to see.
Where can I see all the properties that I’m listed as a Client or Guest?
Go to the Guest Access area and select the Guest Trans page on the nav bar. This displays all the properties where you are listed as either a Client or Guest.
Can I retrieve a transaction once I’ve sent it to a user?
What do you mean by “sponsor”?
I sponsored a transaction, sent it to a user, and the user cannot see the transaction from me.
You cannot currently retrieve a transaction once you have sent it. You can contact Update Lane for assistance.
What do you mean by “sponsor”?
To sponsor a transaction is simply to advertise, co-brand, or provide an extension of your existing service on a transaction. You can read more about sponsoring a transaction by going to the Sponsor tab – About Sponsor page on the link bar.
I sponsored a transaction, sent it to a user, and the user cannot see the transaction from me.
If you just did it, give it a few minutes and have the user refresh their browser. The processing and live updating takes a few minutes to complete. If it’s still not there, check your Sponsored Transaction Summary table on the Sponsor tab – Sponsor List page on the link bar and ensure that transaction was sent.
Welcome Page
The Welcome Page is the main switchboard for the site. Each box contains specific activities you can do as either an Agent, Client, Broker, or Vendor. We understand that when you’re not used to a website, you may not be comfortable just clicking. You can always find your way back to the Welcome page and go from there.
Account Info
This information is all about you. You can change your password, address, broker information, logo’s, profile image, and custom site colors.
Buy Transactions
During the beta, transactions cost nothing ($0.00). To add a transaction though, you will still need to walk through the process as if you were paying for a transaction by adding one to your account. Or, you can use a transaction that another user has sent to you.
Refer an Agent
We like to keep track of which Update Lane users are referring us agents. We just want to be able to send you a thank you.
Contact Us
We can be contacted by email through this Contact Us feature. In the future, we will also have a phone number for you to reach us directly.
My Listings
From this page, you can view all your transactions. Your listings or the properties you are managing are displayed in the first box. The properties that you own and are selling are displayed in the second box. And, the transactions where you are acting as a guest (like a buyer agent, lender, or title/escrow) are displayed in the third box.
Add Listing
To add a listing, just follow the four easy steps outlined on this page. Update Lane will guide you if you need to purchase a transaction. Please be sure to double check the address before submitting
Manage Listing
You can change the property status, upload the property photo, assign guest users. The table will let you quickly see if you have any new documents or feedback pending.
Marketing
You can build your entire marketing plan for your listing. First, create your task plan by clicking on the My Action List button. Update Lane starts you with some tasks but you can edit these and create your own actions. Second, click on Add Activity. Select an action, assign a due date, any comments, and then select if you want your client to see the activity. Click save. You can add another and another. Close the window when you are done creating your marketing plan.
You can download all the activities and their due dates to your Outlook calendar by pressing the export button*. This feature will not be available during the beta.
You can sort the table by any of the columns. You can edit any task by clicking on the edit button next to the task. When you’re ready for your client to view the activity, click on the edit button and change to “Client can view this activity”.
Showings & Feedback
You can schedule showings and collect feedback from the showing agents. You can also save showing instructions for quick, easy, reference.
First, select the property and click the orange button “Schedule Showing”. Enter the day, time, how many times to request feedback, and either select from an agent you’ve already entered or enter the information on a new agent. Click “Save” when you’re finished. You may then add another showing or close the window. The showing table is automatically updated and an email is sent to the showing agent requesting feedback after the showing.
The showing table lists all showings that have been scheduled on the property. Showings are separated by past and pending showings. You can sort on all columns. When feedback has been received from the showing agent, the text appears in the feedback column. The “Posted” column signifies if your client can see the feedback (Y=yes, N=no). To post feedback so that your client can view it, click on the edit icon in the edit/post column (blue with a pencil). You can then edit the text if necessary or just select “Client can view feedback”. Click “Save” when you are finished. Your client is notified that new feedback has been posted to the property.
To delete a showing, click on the red “X”, confirm you want to delete, then click the delete button.
Competition
The competition or competing page is built to be very simple and track just the important information that your sellers would want to know about the other homes they are competing against for the same buyer.
First, select the property you would like to view and click “Add Competition”. Enter the address, status on the market, starting or baseline price, current price, and any comments you have on the property. The purpose of the baseline price is to show your clients the competing properties price changes. Hence, if the home starts at $399,900, the baseline price would be $399,900. If the home drops price to $375,000, you would edit the current price to reflect the change to $375,000. Your clients can then see the ~$25k drop in price.
When you want to edit a property, click on the edit icon (blue with pencil) next to the property in the Competing Properties table. Make any necessary change and click “Save”. If you need to delete a property, click on the red “X” next to the property, confirm the deletion, and click “Save”.
Documents
You can post and share documents with your client or anyone else that is a part of the transaction. With your free account, you are provided up to 500 megabytes of storage. You can view your current storage usage on the Storage box on the page.
The documents table is organized by the document type: listing, marketing/media/property data, purchase, inspection, closing, or miscellaneous. You can expand or collapse each folder to quickly view the documents you would like to see. You can sort by each column. You can quickly view when the document was uploaded, by whom, if there is a due date associated with the document, the name of the document, and who can see the document.
For all the documents that you upload, you can edit or remove them. The agent managing the transaction will be able to view, edit, or remove all documents that are posted to the transaction. If you need future reference to see who has accessed, edited, or removed a document, you can contact us. Update Lane tracks all activity on each transaction.
To upload a document, select a property and click the orange button “Upload Document” or any of the Upload Document links on the All Documents table. Give the document a title and assign it a category. If the document is time sensitive (like a counter offer), list the Due By date and time. Browse for the file on your hard drive. And most importantly, select which users should be able to see the document. Finally, click “Save”.
Please note that the Client is the client of the agent managing the transaction. In most cases, the Client will also be the Seller. You do not need to select both Seller and Client although you can. You can also assign user roles without having first setup those roles. In other words, if you upload a listing contract and you know the title/escrow company will need access to that, you can assign the title/escrow role to be able to view that document. Once you have decided on a title/escrow company, you can add their email address to that role and they will automatically get to see that document.
To edit any information in a document, click on the edit icon (blue with pencil) to the right of the document on the All Documents table. Edit any information including viewing privileges and click “Save”.
Guest Access
In the Guest Access area, you can access documents where you are assigned as a Guest or Client. Or, you can manage those users listed on the transactions you are managing. You can also add custom Guest roles. The privacy of all information posted to Update Lane is managed within the roles assigned to each Guest or Client.
Guest Trans
These are the properties where you are listed as either the client or a guest participant (e.g., buyer agent, lender, or title rep). Select a property to go to that transaction. If you are an industry professional, please ensure that you take special care in assigning appropriate viewing privileges for each document. As a Client (or assigned to the Buyer or Seller role), you will be unable to assign viewing privileges. The agent managing the transaction will be the only one who can see a Client’s uploaded document and will need to edit the viewing privileges accordingly.
Manage Users
The privacy of all information posted to Update Lane is managed within the roles assigned to each guest or client. Please take special care to make sure you assign your clients to the Client, Seller, or Buyer roles and that other industry professionals are assigned to their applicable role. Please also ensure that you take special care in assigning appropriate viewing privileges for each document. Here’s some special notes to remember:
- The initial client is added to the property when you add a listing. You can add more clients to a transaction in the Guest Access – Manage Users page.
- A user assigned to a Client role can see Marketing, Showings, Competing, and Documents sections. Users assigned to the Seller and Buyer roles can only see the Documents section.
- All other roles can view only the Documents section. Please see the permissions table
- Your Client is only also listed as a buyer or seller if you assign that role to them in Guest Access.
- As the agent managing the transaction, you can edit or delete any document
- The user that uploads a document can always view, edit, or delete it
- Client, Seller, and Buyer roles cannot set viewing permissions when uploading a document. All other roles can set document viewing permissions for the documents they upload.
User Permissions
R Read Only Privileges
F Upload or download files privileges
A Assign viewing privileges to documents
Guest Role Marketing Actions Showings & Feedback Competition Documents*
| Guest Role | Marketing Actions | Showings & Feedback | Competition | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client | R | R | R | F |
| Seller** | - | - | - | F |
| Buyer** | - | - | - | F |
| Buyer Agent | - | - | - | FA |
| Lender | - | - | - | FA |
| Title/Escrow | - | - | - | FA |
| Seller Attorney | - | - | - | FA |
| Buyer Attorney | - | - | - | FA |
| Inspector | - | - | - | FA |
| Custom Roles | - | - | - | FA |
* Users can only see documents where their role is assigned to that document. The agent managing the transaction on UpdateLane.com has permission to view, edit, upload, download, or override any document, regardless of who uploaded the document.
** If the client is the same as the seller, the seller will have the Client permission level. If the client is the same as the buyer, the buyer will have the Client permission level. If your client is either the seller or the buyer, you do not need to reassign your client to the seller or the buyer role. Sellers or Buyers uploading documents can only be viewed by the agent managing the transaction (e.g., list agent). The agent will need to edit the document’s viewing privileges to allow others.
*** Any newly created role that you create for your account will have this Custom Role permission level
** If the client is the same as the seller, the seller will have the Client permission level. If the client is the same as the buyer, the buyer will have the Client permission level. If your client is either the seller or the buyer, you do not need to reassign your client to the seller or the buyer role. Sellers or Buyers uploading documents can only be viewed by the agent managing the transaction (e.g., list agent). The agent will need to edit the document’s viewing privileges to allow others.
*** Any newly created role that you create for your account will have this Custom Role permission level
Guest Roles
You can create custom roles to match your needs. Update Lane default roles cannot be changed. Once a Guest Role is created, it can never be removed so add wisely!
Sponsor
Sponsor Home
The Sponsor Home page gives you a quick overview of your account. The Quick Status box shows you how many transactions you have sponsored, how many in use, and how many transactions you have available to send to Update Lane users. You can buy more transactions in the Buy Transaction box, and send transactions to others by filling in the Sponsor Transactions for these Agents table. You can sponsor many transactions at a time by adding more rows by clicking “Assign Another”. When you have your list complete, click “Continue”. Update Lane will ask you to confirm your selections. You cannot currently retrieve a transaction once you have sent it. You can edit any at this point then select Yes at the top of the box. Click “Save”. The site will let you know if they were sent successfully.
You can still send a transaction to someone who does not yet have an Update Lane account. Update Lane uses the first and last name and the email address you provide to contact the recipient to let them know you have sent them a transaction and guide them to create their free account. When the recipient creates their free Update Lane account, your transaction will be waiting for them.
Sponsor List
The Sponsor List page provides a Sponsored Transactions Summary table where you can view the status of all your transactions that you have sent. The table is organized into two groups – sponsored transactions with existing Update Lane users and without existing Udpate Lane accounts. The agent moves to the other part of the table when a user creates their account. They also find the transaction you sent them. You can sort on all of the columns.
| Update Lane Account | The Update Lane account you sent a transaction |
|---|---|
| Sponsored | The quantity you have sent to the user |
| Avail | Available transactions from you |
| Active | The number of your sponsored transactions that are active (assigned to a property and active on the market) |
| Pend. | The number of your sponsored transactions that are pending or in escrow with that user |
| Exp. | The number of your sponsored transactions that expired with that user |
| Closed | The number of your sponsored transactions that are closed with that user |
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