Realcomp is pleased to offer a new property photo watermarking service for MLS subscribing Brokers. This service is available at no additional cost on an “all or nothing” basis, meaning the watermark can be applied to all (or no) listing photos of the Broker per real estate office.
With the new watermarking service, the name of your real estate company can be provided to Realcomp and will be displayed as text in the lower left-hand corner of all listing photos. No other information (i.e. phone number, logo, etc.) can be displayed besides the company name.
For optimal display and readability, the company/office name for the watermark should contain 30 or fewer characters. If the Broker chooses to use a shortened or abbreviated office name for this purpose, the Broker must have the legal authority and all necessary licenses to use that name. *See information below for registering an assumed name.
If Realcomp distributes your listing photos to any 3rd Party websites, these photos will appear with this new watermark.
By choosing to opt-in to this service, Realcomp Brokers are in a stronger position to protect the copyright of your listing photographs. Realcomp’s position in upholding that copyright and that of the entire MLS compilation is also strengthened through the presence of the watermark. Therefore, we encourage all Brokers to sign-up for this service by completing our online Watermarking Order Form, which can be found on Realcomp’s corporate website (Realcomp.MoveInMichigan.com) under the “Links>DR/Broker Links” menu items.
*How to Register an Assumed Name (a “D/B/A”) with the State of Michigan
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Search the State of Michigan’s database to ensure that your proposed assumed name is not already taken. You may access the database here: https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx
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Locate the Customer ID (CID) and PIN for the entity which will hold the assumed name. This will have arrived from the State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs either through the mail or email. If you cannot locate your CID and PIN, go to this webpage and enter your entity’s information: https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/Corps/CIDPINRecovery
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Your CID and PIN will then be emailed to you.
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Enter your CID and PIN on this webpage: https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/corpweb/LoginSystem/ExternalLogin.aspx
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In the “Filing forms” menu, choose “541 – Certificate of Assumed Name”. Click “Select”.
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An electronic form will open; Lines 1 and 2 will be pre-populated with your company’s identification number and name.
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In Line 3, type the assumed name you wish to use.
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In the Signature entry, click “Add new entry to this list”. Fill out your name and title. Select “Accept” and click “Add”.
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Under “Submitter’s contact information,” enter your name and contact information.
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If you wish for expedited review, select the appropriate entry.
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Click “Review”.
Upon approval, your assumed name will last for five years, at which time you will be able to renew it.
Once you have registered with the State of Michigan, check with your county to see if it also requires registration of an assumed name. Information on registering with Oakland County is available here: https://www.oakgov.com/clerkrod/life-events-and-services/Pages/assumed-names-co-partnerships.aspx; Information on Wayne County is available here: https://www.waynecounty.com/elected/clerk/assumed-names.aspx; Information on Macomb County is available here: https://clerk.macombgov.org/Clerk-Services-BusinessRegistrations.
If you have any difficulty, please contact your legal counsel.