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IDX & Data Feed Overview

IDX (Internet Data eXchange) Program

What is it?

IDX is a program allowing MLS Participants (Broker owners) to give each brokerage participating in the program permission to display each other’s listings on the broker’s company website(s) (subject to the rules of UNYREIS and NYSAMLS’s).

All Broker owners who are MLS participants automatically become IDX participants and their listings are included in the UNYREIS IDX database. A participant may ‘Opt Out’ to not allow their listings to be included in the IDX database, but they lose the benefit of displaying IDX listings on their company website if they do so.

What does it cost?

UNYREIS does not charge a fee for any portion of the IDX program.

How Do I Get Started?

Broker Owners

View the NYSAMLS’s Broker-Vendor Resource Guide which includes our IDX Rules.

Broker Owners have two options for participating in the IDX program.  Your vendor may request a raw data feed via the CoreLogic Trestle platform or you may use the IDX Property Search Link that is available via Matrix.

  1. TRESTLE – As of July 1st 2019, the New York State Alliance of MLS’s transitioned access to listing content for IDX to the Trestle™ Data Management Platform from CoreLogic®.   Your vendor will need to have or set up an account on Trestle for the New York State Alliance of MLS’s (NYS) connection.  For IDX, we use a Data License Agreement that includes data for all three of the participating MLS’s in our database for IDX.   UNYREIS does not charge a fee at this time but there is a vendor fee charged by CoreLogic via Trestle. Other things to know:
    • The New York State Alliance of MLS’s, is a joint venture of the Central New York Information Service, Inc.(CNYIS) in Syracuse, the Upstate New York Real Estate Information Services LLC (UNYREIS) in Rochester and the Western New York Real Estate Information Services, LLC. (WNYREIS) in Buffalo.
    • NYS offers IDX RETS Plus and IDX Web API Plus feeds via Trestle.
    • The vendor starts the procedure and adds the broker’s name and email address (and agent’s name and email, if applicable) to the connection. All approvals are handled via AuthentiSign and originated in Trestle.
    • Vendors enjoy these benefits from Trestle:
      • Consistent metadata across all MLS Organizations.
      • Standardized field names to comply with RESO Data Dictionary Standards – reduces the cost of mapping.
      • Single point of query – Pull data from California and North Carolina in the same query.
      • Developer Support via Email and Slack Channels for support (email trestle support to request access).
    • Forward this info to the web developer that is doing your website
      • View this link to learn how to start pulling data from Trestle.
      • Reach out to Trestle Support for any questions/concerns or contact our IDX Dept staff at idx@grar.net.
  2. IDX Frame-able Link via Matrix and or Matrix Agent Webpage-The IDX option in Matrix allows you to create an iFrame link for your website to allow your clients to search from the MLS. This option is for those who have a website where they can edit the content and web pages. If you do not have a website, check out the Agent Web Page option. It gives you the basic functionality of a website without having to develop one.

Agents

Agents also have two options for displaying IDX listings on their web pages.  While they may not request a data feed directly from UNYREIS/NYS, an agent may request that their vendor obtain a data feed via Trestle (see above) to use for a custom IDX webpage. All agent implementations should be coordinated with your broker who will be a signer and need to approve the connection and your vendor.  Please provide your vendor with your broker’s name and email so that they may include them in the signing.  UNYREIS does not provide agent level support, as the IDX program is a Broker-Owner program per NAR mandate.

Additionally, agents may also use the Agent Webpage or IDX features of Matrix.  See IDX Search Links and Personal Websites Created in Matrix to get started.

Third Party National Portal Data Feeds

All UNYREIS MLS listings get syndicated to Realtor.com unless the broker has opted out of that program (to do so, email GRARHelpDesk@grar.net).

To syndicate your brokerage listings to national portals (Ex. Apartments.com), please return a completed Data Access Agreement for each portal that you wish your firm’s listings to go to. Note – the broker may be able to syndicate to more national sites by establishing an account on ListHub.  The forms can be accessed at these links:

Questions?

Contact GRAR IDX Department and/or Trestle Support

GRAR does not provide technical or user support for RETS/Trestle. If you feel that there is missing data or the process is not updating, please contact  for any questions/concerns.

Otherwise, please refer to the resource documents provided below.

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