4.7: Unlocking Brokerage and Association Templates

Documents provided by your brokerage or association are usually locked in regards to editing. You will not be able to modify any locked documents shared to you by your brokerage or association because these are blank copies available to everyone associated. In order to fill out these documents, they must first be added to a loop or copied to your personal folder. From there you can edit commonly filled fields or add your own text, signature, or initial fields. If you know there are certain locked document templates that you will need to modify regularly, you can always make an unlocked copy of the document to add to your personal template folders.

This requires creating your own template folder, then copying a flat PDF of the brokerage or association document into that folder. You can then use the Apply Template feature to apply the fields onto the document copy, leaving you with a fully customizable and unlocked template. To do this, start in the Templates section.

Step 1: Create a new folder in Templates

Learn how to create a new Template folder here. This new folder is a personal folder that will not be removed from your account if you leave a brokerage or team.

Note: If you want to skip this step, you can use your Personal folder

Step 2: Navigate to the folder that contains the locked document

This might be your brokerage’s master folder or an association folder.

Step 3: Check the template document you wish to unlock and select Copy To

Copy To appears next to the folder name once you check the document. You may also click the 3 vertical dots to the far right of the name of the document and choose Make a Copy.

Step 4: Select Copy as flat PDF and click To Templates

Click the radio button nest to "Copy as a flat PDF" and click the To Templates button in the bottom right corner.

Step 5: Select the new folder you just created and select Copy

You may use the search bar to find the new folder. Once creation process is complete, click OK to continue.

Step 6: Navigate to the flattened PDF copy in the new folder and open it

Click on the document name to open it in Doc Editor.

Step 7: Find File in the editor toolbar and select Apply Template

Apply Template is about halfway down the dropdown list, beneath “Template Options”.

Step 8: Find the original template and choose Apply

Use the list of folders in the left column to find the original template folder. Click on the original folder to see the list of documents. Choose the correct file and click the Apply button.

All previous fields apply back into the document and you now have access to all editor options to personalize the document. You can add this new template to loops at any time.

Step 9: Click Save

Click the Save button in the top right corner.

Remember: If the document is provided by a brokerage or association, it will only be available within those template folders. You must use the Make a Copy feature to flatten the document as a PDF first in order to edit it in a personal template folder.

Note: Any future updates to the original template provided by your brokerage or association will not be applied to the new copy. You must make your own copy of any newly updated brokerage or association template.