FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Membership, Dues, and Fees Questions
There are multiple ways to update your card on file.
Option 1: Call the board office @ (217) 428-4321. Glenda or Paul will be happy to update it for you over the phone.
Option 2: You can update your card information through the GrowthZone Portal in the Autopay and Billing Tab. Important: Make sure you update the payment method for both dues and MLS Services.
- Login to the GrowthZone Portal / InfoHub
- Select My Billing Info from the left menu
- Select the Billing History from the top menu
Member Email addresses can be changed by either emailing or calling the board office.
- Login to the GrowthZone InfoHub
- Select My Info from the left menu
- Update/Verify address and phone information
*NOTE - please delete any address or phone records which are no longer utilized.
The name we maintain in our system and in the MLS must match the name shown on the member’s real estate license issued by IDFPR. If a member’s name legally changes, they must first change their legal name with IDFPR by completing this IDFPR form and emailing it to IDFPR at fpr.realestate@illinois.gov, along with the required supporting documentation. Once IDFPR has updated the legal name on the license, please email our Paul or Glenda with a copy of the new real estate license showing the updated name.
If a member wants to update their name to a nickname, middle name, or other non-legal name, the member must also first email IDFPR. IDFPR allows for a DBA/AKA name to be added to a real estate license. First email fpr.realestate@illinois.gov requesting that a nickname be added to the DBA/AKA section of the member’s real estate license.
Below is an example email to send to IDFPR.
Email To: fpr.realestate@illinois.gov
Subject: Add DBA/AKA Name to License (Insert License Number)
Email Message: I am currently licensed as (Insert full name on license Ex: Elizabeth M. Smith) under license number (Insert License Number). Please add (Insert Full AKA Name Ex. Marie Smith) to my license as a DBA/AKA name as I will be using this name for all marketing and advertising.
After IDFPR adds this DBA/AKA name to a member’s license, please email Paul or Glenda confirming this DBA/AKA addition and we will update our system and the MLS.
Members joining or transferring to another REALTOR® association may request a Letter of Good Standing from CIBR to submit to the other association they are joining. The purpose of the Letter of Good Standing is to receive credit for any IR or NAR dues paid through CIBR, as well as transfer dates of orientation and Code of Ethics trainings. Members will only be given a Letter of Good Standing if they have paid current membership dues and fees to CIBR. Please note that MLS fees do not transfer between associations. Please email Paul@CIBR.REALTOR to request a Letter of Good Standing.
Any licensing issue should be directed to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional regulation (IDFPR). Contact them at 800-560-6420; email them at fpr.realestate@illinois.gov; or visit them online at www.idfpr.com.
In 2015 The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation released a form that will allow managing brokers to revert to broker status.
The form came in response to efforts by the Illinois Association of REALTORS® to gain clarity on a process for some of its members to switch the broker license. The form is available here.
As part of the transfer process, those filing will have to have completed all 12 hours of the regular continuing education required to renew as a managing broker at the time of application.
In addition to the 12-hour CE guideline, managing brokers seeking to revert to broker status must:
- Have a sponsoring broker
- Have a managing broker’s license that is in active status
There is a $125 non-refundable fee to make the change, plus any other applicable fees.
Access IDFPR's License Lookup tool here for all licenses professions in Illinois.
IDFPRs CE Lookup (all courses taken)
Illinois REALTORS® (courses taken through CIBR or Illinois REALTORS®)
You must know your license number to lookup CE.
- If the complaint concerns a listing/MLS Policy violations, within Matrix, there is a yellow triangle icon at the top of every listing sheet. Please use this link to file the complaint. Note: listing complaints come directly to the AE and are then sent to the Listing Infraction Committee. The member filing the complaint will remain anonymous to the infractee.
- If the complaint concerns a violation of the Code of Ethics there are two options:
- If a dispute arises with a REALTOR® pertaining to several provisions of the Code, complaints may be filed for review by a panel of Illinois REALTORS® members which specializes in ethical standards through the Ethics Citation Program.
- If the complaint is outside of those provisions, a form E-1 should be filed. Please note, while the form should be completed and returned to the AE, CIBR does not handle Ethics Complaints at the board level. All Ethics Complaints are forwded to Illinois REALTORS® for processing.
- Illinois REALTORS® Ombudsman Program
This program is a structured communication and problem-solving system available to consumers as well as members of Illinois REALTORS®. The program provides a service to address complaints and questions that may be, but are not limited to, ethical, transactional, technical or procedural in nature. - IDFPR Complaint
If you wish to file a complaint with the State of Illinois (licensing), please visit the above link to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for more information.
Ethics Complaints, Arbitration Requests, and Related Information
REALTORS® are different from non-member licensees in that they voluntarily subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics. If you believe that a CIBR REALTOR® member has violated one or more Articles of the Code of Ethics, you can file an ethics complaint alleging a violation(s) through Central Illinois Board of REALTORS®
Below are several resources to help you understand what filing and processing an ethics complaint request entails, and the general process you can expect when filing an ethics complaint request with Central Illinois Board of REALTORS®.
Ethics
- Code of Ethics
View the current NAR Code of Ethics here. - Before You File an Ethics Complaint
This brochure explains alternatives to consider before filing an ethics complaint, as well as what to expect after filing a complaint. - Initiating an Ethics Hearing
Procedures for processing complaints alleging violations of an Association's bylaws. - Key Ethics Forms
View or download forms for initiating an ethics complaint.
Please send completed forms to Paul@CIBR.REALTOR. - Sanctioning Guidelines
While NAR does not recommend specific discipline for certain offenses, it does outline key points to be considered with respect to discipline.
Supra eKEY and Lockbox Questions
An Authorization Code can be obtained several ways.
- Call the Board Office @ 217-482-4321 and Glenda or Paul will be happy to generate and Authorization Code for you
- Request an authorization code through the SUPRA app.
- Login to Supra from the MLS Dashboard and click "Authorization Code" from the left-hand menu
- Call Supra @ 800-545-9601
Please note, Authorization Codes must be used within 48 hours before expiration.
Three Options:
- Call Paul or Glenda and request and update code
- Call Supra @ 800-545-9601 and request an upate code
- Login to SupraWeb from the Clareity Dashboard and select update code from the left menu.
Your eKEY Serial Number can be found by opening the eKEY app on your phone. The Serial Number will be displayed at the top of the screen following the words "eKEY Basic Serial #"
Lockboxes are available for purchase from several offices in the communities we serve.
Danville - RE/MAX Ultimate
Decatur - Brinkoetter REALTORS and Vieweg Real Estate
Effingham - Century 21 Realty Concepts
Charleston - Board Office (Contact Paul)
Member accounts will be billed $110 per lockbox purchased.
Please ensure you received the Shackle Code information with all purchased lockboxes.
You can change a shackle code from any smartphone with the Supra eKEY app by following the instructions here.
It takes about 60 seconds to reprogram the shackle code on each box.
The step that confuses most people is Step 8. In step 8 you enter the old shackle code one last time. Additionally once this step is complete, neither the key compartment or shackle releases, but you do receive confirmation that programming was successful on the smartphone.
We of course recommend trying to open the shackle with the new code once the reprogramming is complete.
Please call or email the board office with the lockbox serial number printed on the side of the lockbox. If you are the registered owner lof the lockbox, we will be happy to provide that assigned shackle code.
Please see this video and the guides below to assigne one-time access
MLS Questions
- Call the Board Office @ 217-428-4321
- Use the Forgot Password link.
- Call AnswerLink @ 800-334-0831 | M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM
Email Paul@CIBR.REALTOR with the requested changes.
Please enter the listing with today's date for the listing, contract, and closing dates. Enter yourselft for the listing and closing agent. Once closed, email Paul@CIBR.REALTOR indicating that it was a FSBO and include the correct list, contract, and closings dates.
Please use 1450 as the buyer's agent ID. This will show up as Non-Member.
Please enter the listing with today's date for the listing, contract, and closing dates. Enter yourselft for the listing and closing agent. Once closed, email Paul@CIBR.REALTOR indicating that it was a Non-Member Listing and include the correct list, contract, and closings dates. Paul will update to include the Non-Member as the listing agent and the correct dates.
MLS Touch is avaible from both the Apple Store and the Android Play Store. Login to MLS Touch with the same credentials you use to login to Matrix.
ShowingTime Questions
With the introduction of listings being fed to MRED, you now have a seperate ShowingTime account with MRED. This account is supposed to be automatically merged with your Matrix ShowingTime account, however, in some cases where member information is not exactly matched between the two platforms, that did not happen. It is easy to verify and manually merge the accounts by doing the following:
1. Login to ShowingTime from either the Clareity Dashboard or Matrix.
2. Access your agent profile by clicking you name at the bottom of the left-side menu
3. In the second section (labeled Login Information) you will see your accounts listed.
4. If both your CIBR (Source: Central Illinois Board of REALTORS®) and MRED (Source: MRED MLS) accounts are listed, your accounts are already linked/merged.
5. If your MRED MLS account is not listed, click the Add Profile+ button
6. From the source dropdown select MRED MLS
7. Enter your MRED Agent ID (this is the same as your MRED Login) and click Search
8. Select the appropriate account from the search results and click Link
9. A Link request will be sent to ShowingTime Technical Support and the accounts should be linked/merged soon after.
Other information concerning Merged Accounts:
The activity from the merged listings now appears in a single place. All of the settings, instructions, and rules can also be configured in one place.
Here are some of their helpful articles on the topic:
- Login to ShowingTime from either the Clareity Dashboard or Matrix
- Click your name/profile from the bottom left menu
- Scroll to the Mobile App Access section
- Confirm your email address and click "Send Authentication Link"
- Check your email. There will be two links in the email. The first link will download the ShowingTime app if you do not already have it. The second link will automatically login to the ShowingTime app.
Forewarn Questions
Primary REALTOR® Members with MLS Services are elgible for Forewarn Accounts. Please email Paul@CIBR.REALTOR with your Name, Email Address, and Cell Phone number to request an account. You will receive login instructions directly from Forewarn once the account has been added.
Your Forewarn Login is your registered email address. If you need your password, please use the Forgot Password link.
Access Forewarn from a computer here.
Other Questions
There are several online services available. CIBR does not gurantee the validity of any service, however, members have previously utilized this service.
Well...you made it to the end of the FAQ. If you cannot find your answer, please call or email Paul or Glenda.
And...if this really was your question...
It’s a simple question of weight ratios
A 54-year survey of 26,285 European Swallows captured and released by the Avian Demography Unit of the University of Capetown finds that the average adult European swallow has a wing length of 12.2 cm and a body mass of 20.3 grams.4
Because wing beat frequency and wing amplitude both scale with body mass,5 and flight kinematic data is available for at least 22 other bird species,6 it should be possible to estimate the frequency (f ) and amplitude (A) of the European Swallow by a comparison with similar species. With those two numbers, it will be possible to estimate airspeed (U).
In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right?
Actually, wrong. By comparing the European Swallow with bird species of similar body mass, we can estimate that the swallow beats its wings 18 times a second with an amplitude of 18 cm:
| Species | Body mass | Frequency | Amplitude |
| Zebra Finch | 13 g | 27 Hz | 11 cm |
| European Swallow | 20 g | ≈ 18 Hz? | ≈ 18 cm? |
| Downy Woodpecker | 27 g | 14 Hz | 29 cm |
| Budgerigar | 34 g | 14 Hz | 15 cm |
Note that even the tiny Zebra Finch flaps its wings no more than 27 times a second while cruising.
If we ignore body mass and look only at bird species with a similar wingspan, we can estimate an average frequency of 14 beats per second and an amplitude of 23 cm:
| Species | Wingspan | Frequency | Amplitude |
| Budgerigar | 27 cm | 14 Hz | 15 cm |
| European Swallow | ≈ 28–30 cm | ≈ 14 Hz? | ≈ 23 cm? |
| Downy Woodpecker | 31 cm | 14 Hz | 29 cm |
| European Starling | 35 cm | 14 Hz | 26 cm |
By averaging all 6 values, we can estimate that an average European Swallow flies at cruising speed with a frequency of roughly 15 beats per second, and an amplitude of roughly 22 cm.
A recent article on The Strouhal Number in Cruising Flight showed how simplified flight waveforms that graph amplitude versus wavelength can be useful for visualizing the Strouhal ratio (fA/U), a dimensionless parameter that tends to fall in the range of 0.2–0.4 during efficient cruising flight.
For a European Swallow flying with our estimated wingbeat amplitude of 22 cm, the predicted pattern of cruising flight ranges from a Strouhal number (St) of 0.2:
... to a less efficient 0.4:
If the first diagram (St = 0.2) is accurate, then the cruising speed of the European Swallow would be roughly 16 meters per second (15 beats per second * 1.1 meters per beat). If the second diagram (St = 0.4) is accurate, then the cruising speed of the European Swallow would be closer to 8 meters per second (15 beats per second * 0.55 meters per beat).
If we settle on an intermediate Strouhal value of 0.3:
We can estimate the airspeed of the European Swallow to be roughly 11 meters per second (15 beats per second * 0.73 meters per beat).
Airspeed can also be predicted using a published formula. By inverting this midpoint Strouhal ratio of 0.3 (fA/U ≈ 0.3), Graham K. Taylor et al. show that as a rule of thumb, the speed of a flying animal is roughly 3 times frequency times amplitude (U ≈ 3fA).5
We now need only plug in the numbers:
U ≈ 3fA
f ≈ 15 (beats per second)
A ≈ 0.22 (meters per beat)
U ≈ 3*15*0.22 ≈ 9.9
... to estimate that the airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is 10 meters per second.
With some further study, it became clear that these estimates are accurate, though perhaps coincidental.
An actual study of two European Swallows flying in a low-turbulence wind tunnel in Lund, Sweden, shows that swallows flap their wings much slower than my estimate, at only 7–9 beats per second:
“Compared with other species of similar size, the swallow has quite low wingbeat frequency and relatively long wings.” 7
The maximum speed the birds could maintain was 13–14 meters per second, and although the Lund study does not discuss cruising flight in particular, the most efficient flapping (7 beats per second) occurred at an airspeed in the range of 8–11 meters per second, with an amplitude of 90–100° (17–19 cm).
Averaging the above numbers and plugging them in to the Strouhal equation for cruising flight (fA/U = 7 beats per second * 0.18 meters per beat / 9.5 meters per second) yields a Strouhal number of roughly 0.13:
... indicating a surprisingly efficient flight pattern falling well below the expected range of 0.2–0.4.
Although a definitive answer would of course require further measurements, published species-wide averages of wing length and body mass, initial Strouhal estimates based on those averages and cross-species comparisons, the Lund wind tunnel study of birds flying at a range of speeds, and revised Strouhal numbers based on that study all lead me to estimate that the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.