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What does IDX stand for?
IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange
What does IDX do?
On an IDX-enabled Web site, a visitor to your site can view all of the listings (homes for sale) on your MLS through your site. Your customers will be able to browse the entire database of homes for sale without ever leaving your website.
IDX is a national association-mandated program whereby MLS member brokers allow other member brokers to post their listings on each others’ Web sites, exposing properties to more consumers. IDX is a way of advertising and marketing listings.
How does IDX benefit me?
When implementing IDX on your site, depending on your MLS's rules, each listing, including listings that are not your own, will display a contact option to contact YOU for more information. This means that you can display the entire MLS on your site and not have to worry about your hard earned traffic calling another agent for information on a home.
How do I get IDX?
Contact your local board of realtors and ask them how you can sign up for IDX. It is as simple as that. They will most likely have a form you have to fill out and possibly a fee. Then you will have potentially 2 options:
Option A
If your board has the IDX links already set up and prepared, you will receive a link from them that you can frame within your site allowing your visitors to view all of the listings in your area. NOTE: Sometimes your board offers this link but it is not very user friendly or beneficial for you. The best IDX options will include the following:
- When viewing the details of any listing, there will be a very visible option for clients to contact you for more details.
- Your contact info will be prominently displayed on all pages of the search and on the listing details.
- There will be an option for the client to create a login/profile, save searches, save listings, share them with friends and family, and receive daily email updates on saved searches.
- There will be an option to search all homes by MAP. This allows a client to put in their requirements and then when they hit the search button a MAP will open up with little pin points on it displaying the locations of all of the homes that match the search.
Option B
IF your MLS IDX option does not offer the link to you or the link they offer does not have many if not all of the options above, then you can always seek an outside IDX provider. There are many that you can choose from and many have most/all of the options above. You can expect each to have a monthly fee and sometimes an intial set-up fee. Below is a list of IDX providers that I have found. If you want to look up more, go to www.yahoo.com or www.google.com and search for "IDX service" or "IDX provider"
These are three of the best.
Good luck and as always, please contact me if I can help in any way!
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