Author: Sharon Wong

We are pleased to announce a valuable enhancement to the MLS, a brand new status: Sold Off MLS.

What is “Sold Off MLS”?

This new status allows agents to report properties that were closed/sold outside of the MLS.  Meaning, at the seller’s request, the property was never entered into the MLS prior to the sale. 

Why This Matters?

Adding this status helps strengthen our MLS data and better support you and the marketplace. The Sold Off MLS status will:

  • Ensure agents receive proper production credit
  • Strengthen comparable sales data for appraisals and CMAs
  • Maintain accurate and complete market statistics

This is an important step toward capturing a more comprehensive view of our local market activity.

When inputting a new listing onto the MLS, you will see three choices in the Status field:

  • New
  • Active – Coming Soon
  • Sold Off-MLS

Important Reminder

This status is strictly for reporting completed sold transactions that were not previously listed in the MLS.

Before submitting the listing, you must enter: “FOR COMPS ONLY” in the Confidential Remarks field.

Listings that were not input into the MLS as a result of the seller’s instructions may be input into the MLS “Sold off Market” data at the listing broker’s option within 30 days after the closing date.

You may also search for listings with this Status.

If you have any questions or need assistance, our Support Team is here to help at 925.730.7100 or techsupport@bayeast.org.

Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our MLS data accurate, complete, and valuable to the entire membership.


Friday, Mar 6, 10 pm to Saturday, Mar 7, at 9 am PST.

Clareity (our MLS login security provider) will be performing critical maintenance on Friday, March 6

Paragon MLS will be unavailable to access. For searching, you may use the RPR or Homes.com Pro mobile app.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.  

We frequently receive requests to remove listing photos from the MLS. While we understand the reasons for these requests, California law requires MLSs to retain listing data, including photos, for a minimum of three (3) years. Because of this legal requirement, photos cannot be deleted.

To help accommodate needs while remaining compliant, we offer a “Private” photo option within the MLS system.

What the “Private” Photo Option Does

  • The photo remains stored in the MLS to satisfy legal retention requirements.
  • The photo is excluded from IDX and other third-party data feeds, meaning it will not be distributed to external websites or products.
  • Agents may mark photos as Private while the listing status is Active, Pending, or Hold.

Sold Listings

Once a listing has moved to Sold status, photo changes must be submitted directly to the MLS (mlsservices@bayeast.org) for review and processing.

Important

Any request to update on a Sold listing must come directly from the Listing Agent or Listing Broker.

Our goal is to support your needs while ensuring compliance with State law and MLS policies.

To improve search functionality and provide a more consistent experience for MLS subscribers, the following updates will take effect on April 15, 2026:

  • Character limit to Driving Directions will be increased from 50 to 100
  • Character limit to Public Remarks will be increased to 2,500
  • Number of listing photo will be increased from 60 to 99
  • Feature categories of Water and Sewer will be separated to its own category
  • Add “Taxiway Properties” as a selectable value in:X – Lot Description (Residential Class)H – Lot Description (Lots & Land Class)
  • Add “Aircraft Hangar” as a selectable value in:N – Garage/Parking (Residential Class)

California Regional MLS (CRMLS), with whom we maintain a data share agreement, has implemented a rule requiring that only the primary photo be displayed for Sold listings within the IDX data feed. All IDX displays containing CRMLS data are required to comply with this rule.

At this time, we are not technically able to suppress only the non-primary photos for Sold listings from the CRMLS portion of our IDX feed while continuing to provide the remaining listing data.

To ensure compliance with CRMLS rules and our data share agreement, we will be temporarily removing CRMLS listing data from our IDX data feed effective 3/2/2026, until further notice.

Please note: This change applies only to the IDX data feed and public website displays. It does not impact the ability to view all listing photos, including Sold listings, within the Paragon MLS system.

This step is being taken solely to remain in compliance. We are actively evaluating technical solutions and will provide updates as soon as additional options become available.

If you have any questions, please contact our MLS team at mlsservices@bayeast.org.

Bay East is receiving an increasing number of reports about fraudulent activities by real estate licensees.

Read more.

Starting February 17th, 2026, all Bay East eKEY subscribers will receive a complimentary upgrade to the eKEY Professional. Your key will automatically update to the new service level on this date. Nothing is required of you. 

Read more.

Paragon and Paragon Connect will not be available from Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 10:00 PM PST through Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at around 4 AM PST.

MLS Requirements for Sellers & Listing Agents (Disclosure Only)

Effective January 1, 2026, sellers and listing agents marketing a single-family home or duplex in Berkeley are required to comply with BESO MLS disclosure rules, which are actively monitored by the City of Berkeley.

For applicable Berkeley properties, the seller and listing agent must:

  • Obtain a Home Energy Score
  • Include the Home Energy Score in the MLS Public Remarks

**Enforcement Notice**

Failure to obtain a Home Energy Score and include it in the MLS Public Remarks will result in a $500 non-compliance fee assessed by the City of Berkeley to the seller.

Required Language for MLS Public Remarks

  • Single-family homes:
    “Home Energy Score of [#].”
  • Multi-unit buildings:
    “Home Energy Score of [#] for [Unit Identifier], [#] for [Unit Identifier].”

BESO Resilience Upgrade Requirement (Separate from MLS Rules)

Under Berkeley’s Building Emissions Saving Ordinance (BESO), sellers must either complete required resilience upgrades prior to sale or defer the obligation to the buyer in accordance with City rules. Qualifying upgrades may include heat pump space or water heating, and electrical panel upgrades among others. These requirements are separate from MLS disclosure obligations and are enforced by the City of Berkeley.

Helpful Resources

Realtor.com® and Bay East Association of Realtors® have launched a new strategic partnership, driven by a shared vision: elevating the role of the professional by equipping you with powerful, cutting-edge tools. The first product delivered from this powerful collaboration is Realtor.com+: a collaborative home search for professionals and clients that helps them stay in sync from click to close.

Read more.