Quick
Link: Essentially all Agents and most
Brokers, even large companies, use LIST-IT
Gateway to add MLS data to their websites.
Click this to go straight
there.
Internet Data
Exchange (or IDX) is an agreement among the brokers
in each real estate market that
allows them to
display each other's listings on their
respective web sites without displaying the
contact information of other listing brokers or agents. The purpose of this function is
to maintain the focus of the consumer on the
Broker or Agent's web site and push listings to more
REALTOR web sites. There are two ways
to get data for your site:
For
Brokers and Agents The
most common method is to "Frame"
the data using
LIST-IT
Gateway, a simple linking tool that adds
live, real-time data to your site. This is the
easiest and least expensive way to put MLS data on
your web site and it can be done online within the
LIST-IT MLS system. If you do not have a
website yet, Gateway is automatically added to the
Free Web Site that already comes with membership to
a LIST-IT MLS installation.
Click here for more
information.
IDX
Options Other than Gateway: You should
contact the local MLS staff to find out what other
vendors are licensed to offer IDX data driven
solutions to their members. There are many
national web vendors selling real estate web sites
and some are likely operating in your area.
For Web Developers and Large
Brokers: The other methods of integrating
listing data into your web site each involve the
each require the download of data from the MLS. This is
potentially far more flexible because
programmers may reformat the data to fit other business
requirements or formats.
These are however "raw data" feeds which require a
web application and database to work. You have the option of hiring someone to build
that type of application or more likely to find another
IDX software vendor or web developer with whom your MLS has a relationship.
If you want more information on that
relationship, contact a local MLS staff person
in your city. The methods currently
supported by Solid Earth for data export are:
-
LIST-IT
Data Shuttle - A nightly download of the raw
data which can be used by a programmer to
populate a remote database
-
LIST-IT RealView
- A special view of the database accessible
through an Oracle Client service. This is
the tightest integration available.
-
RETS
Server - The Real Estate Transaction
Standard, or RETS, is a data standard created by
the National Association of REALTORS to facilitate
the exchange of real estate data among vendors.
Not all LIST-IT Systems feature a RETS server,
contact the local MLS for availability.
