Mumbling Out Loud : IDX? Heck, yes!

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IDX? Heck, yes!

By: Ron Tarvin
Thursday, March 08, 2007 10:25 AM

This topic has come up a couple of times but I don't know if most of us have grasped the MAGNITUDE of it.

Right now, my site offers searches for all listings in the MLS. That's GOOD, but it's not GREAT.

A truly custom IDX is something that you should and MUST get to be competittive with your online competition! A custom IDX allows you to do much more than you can with a "search all homes" link. I find that type of link so very limiting!

So I hear a lot of agents saying that they don't want to pay the fees to set up custom IDX or the ongoing monthly fees (heck, it's hard to get a lot of agents to upgrade past a free website)! Let me try to say it clearly:

It is the SINGLE most important investment in your business you can make, outside of belonging to your MLS!

That sounded vaguely important...maybe it bears repeating:

It is the SINGLE most important investment in your business you can make, outside of belonging to your MLS

Now, if you don't have it, find out how you get it. If you can't get it, find out how you can get it. If your MLS board won't do it, get on the board and change the rules! I've been battling with my office for a while now trying to get them to invest in what is known as a BROKER FEED (which is the feed that a custom IDX provider needs to do what they do) and it's only $850/year for the feed! Ever heard the term stepping over dollars to pick up pennies?

Our MLS board has been slow to partner with new IDX solutions but they are branching out...a new partnership is in the works which will give agents the ability to get custom IDX, but until then, I'm still fighting the good fight to get it myself...

If you take nothing away from this blog post it should be this about custom IDX solutions:

It is the SINGLE most important investment in your business you can make, outside of belonging to your MLS

Comments

Member Since '06	Karen Lindholm said: where do i find broker feed? March 8, 2007 10:50 AM
Member Since '06	Russell Volk said: Ron, I couldn't agree more with you. If you're not providing your visitors with custom searches, you're just like every other agent out there. Dare to be different and start standing out from the crowd. It's expensive, but well worth the money. I learned it today, the hard way. You can read my earlier post regarding Handshakes. Good post Ron! March 8, 2007 11:00 AM
Member Since '04	Ron Tarvin said: All MLS are different but usually this is a raw data feed that a broker can buy for their office. Sometimes, IDX solutions companies have already purchased this feed and then they just repackage it and sell that to you. All you need is for SOMEONE who can manipulate the data how YOU want it to get the direct, full information feed. I would start by checking with your MLS to see if they have any approved IDX Solution vendors. Then if not, do a search and find a company that can do the custom stuff you want done and find out what feed they need. Then go about finding out how to get the feed (usually through your broker though). March 8, 2007 11:00 AM
Member Since '05	Mary DeWitt said: Hello my mls has just the raw data. I'm trying to figure out which idx is best. so far I haven't seen anything I like. ihouse is the one I preferr so far. I'm looking into a local computer web design that pretty much can do anything so far no figures yet. I'm open to suggestions --anyone March 8, 2007 11:32 AM
Member Since '05	Carol and Steve Coldwell Banker Parker Realty said: I have a link to MLS.ca on our website. That shows all listings on MLS to the public. Isn't that sufficient? Does the US have something like that where the average Joe can search MLS? March 8, 2007 11:45 AM
Member Since '04	Ron Tarvin said: Yes Carol and Steve (not sure who posted) we do. But having a generic SEARCH ALL is just not as powerful as a customized IDX solution in terms of "exchanging" information. See Mark's comment in Diego's thread above to get a glimpse of why it's so much better than just a raw search. Mary, there is a company that I think does a good job, but they are not available all over (in Houston, I can't use them). They have set up some pretty great IDX searches that I've seen: http://www.idxdirect.com/ March 8, 2007 12:16 PM
Member Since '05	Carol and Steve Coldwell Banker Parker Realty said: I'm the poster (Carol). Does Point 2 not have an IDX feature? I think I tried it but it was just..ugly. My MLS.ca link brings them right to the PEI search link. I'm not sure what you mean by customized though. Do you have something on your site that I can look at to see what you mean? March 8, 2007 12:19 PM
Member Since '03	Gary Szolosi said: Ron, I’m feeling a little stupid on this one because since I can’t follow what you are saying that the purchased IDX feed will add to what I have now. I have a feed link from my board and have been able to do most things with it using the point2 MLS search page. In fact it is the most used page on my site and provides me with the best leads. The only thing it does not provide me is the data on what properties they viewed. If I want to set up a neighborhood links to only show those listing I just create the link and add it to any page. I use that on my neighborhood sites. If there is a way to make it better, I’m all ears! March 8, 2007 1:18 PM
Member Since '04	Ron Tarvin said: Not yet, I don't but it's coming...it's been something I have been working on for a while. Custom IDX searches give you more flexibility with what you can do with the listings. March 8, 2007 1:19 PM
Member Since '04	Ron Tarvin said: Ok, well one of the things that we fight as website owners is how to make our sites "STICKY". That is, how can we be sure that the prospective client comes back to OUR site and not just whatever site they happen to land on. One way you can make your site sticky is by having a SAVED search feature. So when I come to your site to look for homes and I find one or two or more that I really like, I can SAVE it to your site and come back later to see it again, maybe show it to my wife or family. With the traditional IFRAMED search, you can not do that. People want to see homes...that's why they are coming to your site. That is why it will be the most used page on your site. Now, I know that is a real heartbreaker for some who think they are there to see your face or your wonderfully written reports, but what it really is, is to see HOMES. So by having a customized IDX solution, you are going one more step further. Kinda like a buffet versus a sit down restaurant. Both feed you, only one SERVES you. March 8, 2007 1:23 PM
Guest	Tracy Thrower Conyers said: Hi Ron!!! Thank you for your shout out above. As a testimonial to the power of blogging, a woman from Catskills, NY called me today in CA because she read your post from TX. The internet is an amazing communication arena, as well as an excellent marketing medium. Most realtors haven't quite caught on yet that they have such a unique marketing opportunity on the web because their stock in trade (listings) can be reduced to a manipulable database. Doctors, lawyers and other service providers certainly don't enjoy a marketing opportunity like this. Thank you for helping us get the word out to realtors about the possibilities. To Your Unlimited Online Marketing Success! Tracy March 8, 2007 3:23 PM
Member Since '03	Lou Burns said: Do the IDX companies offer more, or deeper, search criteria than the MLS, or just fancier packaging? I have an IDX link supplied from my MLS but they have elected to give a scaled-down search capability, rather than what we as agents can do directly. Can IDX companies offer more?? March 12, 2007 4:18 PM