TOPICS

• 25 Photos is new limit per listing. – Effective 04/08/08
• Open Houses Now Available! – Effective 12/3/07
• Feature Code Translation Table Updated – Effective 9/25/07
• IDX Data File Schedule Change – Changes effective 8/11/07
• MLS Area List Change - Changes effective 4/25/2007
• New Helpful Documentation on IDX FTP Site - 4/17/2007
• Multiple Photos - photo modify dates added 1/31/06
• Realcomp IDX Offerings
• Working with Authorized Brokers and Agents
• Setting up a Realcomp IDX Search Frame within your Broker or Agent customer website
• Getting access to Realcomp’s IDX data
• IDX data file layout change - 10/10/2005

QUICK LINKS

Realcomp IDX Offerings

Internet Data Exchange or IDX is offered as an OPT-IN program for our broker customers. Brokers have the option to (1) not participate at all, to (2) have their listings included in the IDX database, to (3) include their listings and have the ability to frame a ‘slightly’ customized Realcomp IDX Search, or to (4) include their listings and have access to the IDX data through an FTP site for use by their own developers or a third party to develop and host an IDX enabled website.

Agents may ONLY frame their broker’s IDX website or Realcomp’s IDX framing site. (See section 18.6 and 18.7 of the IDX Rules.) In order to frame Realcomp’s IDX Search the broker must have signed up for Realcomp’s framing option, opted for agent framing licenses and set up the agents appropriately in our framing administration portal.

 As an IDX website vendor, how can I know that a real estate BROKERAGE or AGENT is authorized to have Realcomp IDX data on their website?

Brokers can just choose to have their listings included in the IDX program without having any form of IDX website. If they want an IDX website, they need to fill out the proper forms with Realcomp. For the benefit of IDX vendors, Realcomp will begin providing a new data file on our IDX FTP site beginning 9/5/2005 which will include a list of offices that are authorized for IDX websites. Keep in mind that you as the IDX website vendor will need to co-sign and turn into Realcomp a Third Party Consultant Form with each and every Realcomp participating real estate brokerage with whom you will be working.

Agents may only frame their broker's IDX websites or Realcomp's IDX framing site. (See section 18.6 and 18.7 of the IDX Rules.) Furthermore, the agent must be an Active participating Realcomp subscriber. Check the new list of agents on our IDX FTP site beginning 9/5/2005 to see if your potential client is authorized to have IDX. You should also add a process to regularly check this file so that if an agent goes inactive with Realcomp or changes offices, then you will be able to remove the IDX frame from their website. You will be in violation of Realcomp's IDX rules if you are caught providing IDX websites to agents who are not authorized or who have become unauthorized.

Authorized Office and Agent data file layouts and sample files are available here for download. Layouts.zip

 How do I set up a Realcomp Frame IDX website for my Broker or Agent website customer?

When a broker's website is hosted by a third party, and Realcomp's IDX Framing option has been selected, then the Broker must go into Realcomp's IDX portal, create a Framing link, and email it to you, their website host. You would then incorporate that link into their website. The Broker will have the ability to upload the brokerage logo and to pick from a variety of templates and color schemes for the search frame.

Brokers also have the option to set up and give access to their agents to the IDX administration portal which the agent can then use to create framing links for their website. They can set up and email you, their website host, a link that displays their own listings and or a link to a search of their office’s listings, or a link to a search of all IDX listings. The Agent has the ability to upload a photo of themselves but the template, color scheme and brokerage logo are all set by the Broker.

 How do I as the IDX vendor get access to Realcomp's IDX data?

Your broker customer must have filled out the proper IDX forms so as to choose FTP as their IDX choice. Furthermore, the broker and you must sign a Third Party Consultant Form. You will need to sign and submit a Third Party Consultant Form for each and every Realcomp broker customer. You will then receive an email with an ID and Password to the FTP site. Set up processes on your end to pull the daily updated data files from our FTP site so that your customer's IDX searches are always up displaying current information. It is a violation of Realcomp's IDX Rules to fail to update the IDX data less than weekly. Daily updates are recommended. Full data files are provided on Monday mornings. Tuesday through Sunday's data files are new and changed listings.

Updated data file layouts with feature code translations and sample data are available here for download.  Layouts.zip

 New Fields to be added to FTP file layouts beginning on 10/10/2005

Realcomp has recently added several new fields to its MLS system for all property types and we've now appended them to the end of the data files available on our IDX FTP site. The fields are as follows:

• SUBDIVISION - text field indicating the property's subdivision name
• MAILING CITY - a text field indicating the post office certified mailing city for the address of the property (in contrast to the physical municipality's jurisidiction within which the property sits). (For example a property may be in York Township but have a mailing city of Ypsilanti and to make things more complex may be in the Ann Arbor school district).
• ENVIRONMENTAL - a feature field containing environmental information regarding the property
• OTHER FEATURES - a feature field containing additional financial or other relevant information regarding the property

Modified data file layouts and updated Feature Code translations can be downloaded here. Layouts.zip

Multiple photos to become available for IDX Participants websites

Realcomp has always provided one photo per listing by including the URL of the primary photo within the listing record. Now, we have made multiple photos available to Brokers who have selected the FTP IDX option.  Multiple photos are not available via Realcomp's framing option.

The multiple photo files are accessible to you in a subdirectory off of your FTP login root called PHOTOEXT. The current photo file is in the PHOTOEXT folder with the last 6 days being in archive folders labeled 1 through 6. The file name is photos######.txt where ###### is the current date. Sunday night's file (created around 11:30pm) includes records for all on-market listings. Monday through Saturday's files only contain records for listings that have had photos added or changed. The photo file layout is pipe delimited with the mlsnumber and then the photo URLs with the photo titles and then the modify dates for each photo.

_{MLSNumber|PHOTO1|TITLE1|PHOTO2|TITLE2|PHOTO3|TITLE3|PHOTO4|TITLE4|PHOTO5|TITLE5|PHOTO6| TITLE6|PHOTODATE1|PHOTODATE2|PHOTODATE3|PHOTODATE4|PHOTODATE5|PHOTODATE6|}

As listings go off-market their photos will no longer be included in this file. Just as it works with the listing files, Monday morning's multiple photo file will contain records for all listings with multiple photos. Tuesday through Sunday's multiple photo file will contain new or changed records whenever a photo has been added or removed from a listing. You will need to delete all existing photos for a listing in one of these Tuesday through Sunday change files and import from scratch any photos indicated in the change record. Note, it will be the case that you will have photo file records for MLS listings for which you do not receive listing data. This is because we are using this multiple photo file for several different purposes. If the MLS number of a photo record does not exist in your database then you should just ignore it. The multiple photo file layout and a sample file is included with the other new layouts and samples and can be downloaded here. Layouts.zip

IDX Data File Schedule Change – Changes effective 8/11/07

Beginning August 11, 2007, the IDX data file schedule will be changed to make the full refresh files available by 12am Sunday mornings and the new/changed update files will now available by 12am Monday thru Saturday mornings.

Realcomp to Update its MLS Area List Effective 4/25/2007

Realcomp will be updating its MLS Area List on April 25, 2007. Some old area numbers are being eliminated. Some new ones are being added. And, some area names are changing. The complete list of changes is available below. The original full MLS Area list and the revised full MLS Area lists are also available below. In addition, this information will also be made available in the IDX FTP site under the new sub-directory called "shared_docs".

New Helpful Documentation on IDX FTP Site

Beginning April 17, 2007, you will find a new sub-directory in the IDX FTP Site. The new sub-directory is called shared_docs and will contain various information that has been requested by an IDX Vendor and it is deemed worthy of sharing with all. To begin with, the sub-directory will contain:

• A spreadsheet with a complete list of Michigan county codes as used in our MLS listings.
• An Excel workbook containing various spreadsheets of information regarding our MLS Areas and the changes mentioned above.
• An Excel spreadsheet containing the most up to date version of our Feature Codes and other fields which have translations.

Feature Code Translation Table Updated 9/25/07

Beginning September 25, 2007, the daily IDX data feeds will a few new feature codes needing translation. The translation spreadsheet has been updated in the revised Layouts document which includes the file layouts, data samples and feature code translations.

Open Houses now available!

It was recently requested that we release open houses from Realcomp Online^® for display via IDX sites. With the real estate market being what it is, it made sense to help REALTORS^® advertise their open houses everywhere possible. So open houses for Residential and Condo listings are now available to Brokers who have selected the FTP IDX option. Open houses are NOT available via Realcomp's framing option.

The open house files are accessible in a subdirectory off of your FTP login root called "OpenHouse". The most current open house file is in the OpenHouse folder with the last 6 days of files being in archive folders labeled 1 through 6. The file name is openhouse######.txt where ###### is the current date in MMDDYY format. Saturday night's file (created by 11:59pm) includes open house records for all on-market listings for open houses occuring in the next 30 days. Sunday through Friday's files only contain records for open houses that have been added or changed. The file layout is pipe delimited with the mlsnumber and remaining fields as follows.

_{MLSNumber|PropertyType|OpenHouseId|StartDate|EndDate|Description}

As listings go off-market or as the open house event occurs, the open house record will no longer be included in this file. You will need to purge your database of open house records after the open house occurs or the listing has gone off-market.

Note 1: It may be the case that you will have open house records for MLS listings for which you do not receive listing data. This is because we are using this open house file for several different purposes. If the MLS number of an open house record does not exist in your database then you should just ignore it.

Note 2: If there are no new or changed open house records on a given day, then there will not be a file for that day.

The open house file layout is included with our other layouts and can be downloaded here. Layouts.zip

MLS Photo limit has been raised to 25!

Per the request of our users, we have raised the number of additional photos allowed per listing from 5 to 24. Plus the required Primary exterior photo that makes a total of 25 photos allowed per listing. The new additional photos will be included in the existing daily multiple photo file.