Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

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BlakeM
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Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by BlakeM » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:10 pm

I am building a real estate site and need to integrate the MLS

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by tarheit » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:32 am

It really depends on what format you are receiving the MLS information in.  I believe the is a script to import MLS data into it, though it doesn't handle all formats.  Typically though you'll probably end up writing your own script to import the data into one of the realty components (CMS-realty/Open-Realty, hot properties, etc.).

-Tim

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by BlakeM » Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:18 pm

Thanks Tim... But I really have know Idea what that means :(

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by MrRoyce » Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:51 pm

It means that if you are building a site that integrates MLS data, you need to know what format the MLS data is in as well as what format your real estate component expects the data then write SQL or CSV statements (the script) that will allow you to import the data.

If you still have no clue what that means, I suggest you hire someone that does  ;)

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by BlakeM » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:18 am

do i have to have a real estate component... cant it just go into Joomla!

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by tarheit » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:36 pm

You probably do need a real estate component.  The only way to do it with joomla itself would be to import each property as an article and that probably won't give you the functionality you want.

That said, the MLS where I'm at provides either a data feed (the raw data and photos you have to import into your site), or a link you could simply use iframe to include it into your set (which joomla will do out of the box).  It's not nearly as nice, but it does work.  But again, you'll have to check what your MLS will provide to you.

-Tim

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by BlakeM » Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:54 pm

alright Tim... Thanks Again.. that is helpful info

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by brianfle » Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:07 am

The easy way is to use  a wrapper page wherein you specify the existing MLS link  - take a look-couldn't be easier.

http://www.brianflemingonline.com

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by entrecon » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:33 pm

I am working on a site for an agent that has access to the IDX where we can put it into a frame or retrieve it via FTP. I looked at the FTP site last night and it looks pretty ugly. They also say they will update it every three days, and I don't see an easy way to identify what listings have been dropped. The images are kept in seperate ZIP files so all of these would also have to be matched. Not a task for the faint of heart.

Anyone working on scripts already handling this, or am I looking at doing all this work from scratch? As an initial step, we are going to go with the frame option and drop it in a wrapper.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by tarheit » Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:02 pm

That's pretty much how ours works, though they ftp the data to us (we don't have to retreive it). 

For expireing listings (those that have been dropped), I simply do the following.  When importing the listings I set an expiration date of 3 days from now.  Every night the list is imported and updates the expiration date.  Since the data we receive only has the active listings (not those dropped), the dropped listings automatically expire after 3 days.  This gives us a bit of cusion should something fail to run yet still stays withing the mls requirements for updating our site.

One other thing I did was create an extra table that relates the MLS number to the internal hot property's record number (index), plus a crc32 value of the raw data for the given property.  This lets me quickly find and check to see if any data has been changed.  If you need to expire/remove listings immediately when they are dropped, you could just add an extra field to this table.  When you update the listings, update this field with the current date (or similar) then afterwards search for any that haven't been updated and set them to expire.

After importing the data, then I extract the images from the zip file and add them to the database as well.

Likely you'll have to have a somewhat custom solution as I don't believe there is any particular standard for MLS feeds.

The frame option is simple and easy, though isn't always as nice depending on what your service provides.

-Tim

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by johnjames84 » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:52 pm

Hi,

I know the whole joomla community is now in search of a method to import the MLS data into joomla website. We have the best solution and scripts for you.

http://www.joomlabrothers.com/importing ... bstie.html

-James

http://www.joomlabrothers.com
Webmaster, Joomla Brothers
http://www.joomlabrothers.com

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by donmarvin » Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:06 pm

http://www.serr.biz/ had a real estate solution where it went into a real estate component (I think Mosets) so that you (the agent running the site) would be contacted by the prospective buyer instead of the listing agent that shows on the MLS.

Mosets has the contact form built-in. You don't want the buyer going to the listing agent because then you're paying for them to get the business.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by tarheit » Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:09 pm

The way I set ours up was to import all listings from other offices under a single MLS user, with the contact email address being ours. MLS rules vary but ours says we only have to disclose the listing agent and office (which I do import as part of the description), but don't have to have the contact form contact them or even list their contact information at all. No special modification or application required.

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by MrRoyce » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:40 am

imoria wrote:...If you don't know what drupal is it's just like Joomla but better ...
Ouch! :o

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by donmarvin » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:58 am

Ouch! :o
Yeah, I didn't even both responding to that nonsense.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by entrecon » Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:37 pm

imoria wrote:I'm not sure of a Joomla installation of IDX but http://www.IMORIA.com can provide you a drupal idx solution. If you don't know what drupal is it's just like Joomla but better (some will disagree). Imoria can build you a new website equipped with the IDX and display the URL's however you like. To learn more go to http://www.imoria.com and click "advanced MLS/IDX integration"
I would say this is nonsense for 2 reasons:
1. You come to a message board meant for a specific product and bash it. That is just in poor taste. I doubt you want me to show up at your place of business and/or any forums where you discuss your business and say that another company is better.
2. You show up on a board to promote your business where you have not been an active part of the community. Many forums I have been part of would classify your posting as SPAM and have it removed. I am honestly quite surprised it hasn't been removed from here.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by NyHick » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:19 pm

imoria wrote:How come you said you didn't feel like responding to that nonsense? What advantages would you say make Joomla a completely unmatched solution over Drupal?
I don't want to make this a Joomla vs. Drupal thread but I recently moved a lot of my environments over to Joomla from Drupal not because I felt that Joomla was superior in it's coding or technology but mostly because of my business users. Joomla has a much easier to follow out-of-the-box Administration UI than Drupal. If your building sites for clients (or pushing your business on message boards), most likely your clients are not developers or coders - the learning curve for non-developer clients if far less with Joomla in 100% of my recent migrations.

So, let me say that Drupal is AWESOME and probably way ahead of its time with what it is doing but is hindered by its ability to be consumed or administered by the average user. It doesn't come down to better or worse... Frankly speaking, the time and frustration I usually experience while training site administration to non-tech business users is minimal on Joomla.... and as you know time is money and money is the boss.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by NyHick » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:48 pm

imoria wrote:Great post by NYHICK! I agree the out of the box admin section of Drupal is complicated. However, drupal has a new module that cleans up the admin section and makes it pretty straight forward. So, if you build a site for someone you can only give them permission to content types and blocks and they should be able to handle it. After all, those kinds of people really are only adding new pages, blogs, etc.
Thanks...btw, if its the module (the administration module) I think you are referring to I checked it out a while ago and, at the time, it was buggy but promising. I will always say that Drupal is awesome. However, what I stated before about admin UI is something that is not uncommon (http://www.lullabot.com/articles/how_dr ... save_world). However, Drupal has traditionally been a CMS by developers for developers. There's a lot of people calling for change ("Yes we can! Yes we can!" haha), and I think it will, but until it does I'm loving my Joomla! :D
Last edited by NyHick on Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by entrecon » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:58 am

imoria wrote:Well obviously you didn't read the thread it's asking for the IDX integration and I stated IMORIA per drupal!
You mean the fact that I posted on the thread back in March of 2007? The thread is old and you just recently strolled into. Again, bad etiquette.

The thread is also about a Joomla solution posted on a Joomla message board.

I am not trying to pick a fight here. You asked why it was nonsense, I am telling you.
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by ronnieg » Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:04 pm

I know this is a very old thread, but it comes up so high in SERPs, even now, and it is still an important subject, especially to those of us who are now embracing open source platforms to run our real estate businesses, so I thought I would chime in anyway:

As a real estate broker with a Joomla 1.5 website myself, and who has looked at many vendors and their solutions, as well as having dozens of conversations on the subject with other agents and vendors, I can say that you will never ever find any one "magic bullet" plug-in for handling real estate IDX, for Joomla or WordPress or Drupal any other CMS.

The fact is that every real estate market is different, and IDX is NOT, as many may think or would like, a "standard". No MLS's IDX data is going to conform to any common standard as to what it contains or how it is formatted. The only commonality (generally) is that the IDX data would first need to be downloaded from the MLS with appropriate cron jobs, ftp logins and passwords to the vendor's or brokers server, or accessed dynamically via the newer RETS access technologies, if the MLS supports that. Once the downloaded data is on the broker or agent's website, it will then require significant re-formatting, including complex data normalization and database up-loading, via off-line batch processing or custom php or other programming. Those processes will be totally dependent on the particular MLS's IDX unique data formatting and contents. Then, every time the MLS decides to change the IDX data feed in any way, those processes will probably break and need to be re-programmed. Unless a vendor has already developed these processes for a particular MLS, and maintains them on their own servers, in close coordination with each MLS, any solution would only be temporary. Finally, given the complexity of these processes and lack of standards, the skill sets required to keep everything running smoothly will not be within the grasp of most real estate agents.

Therefore, no one standard plug-in will ever exist to do everything that is required.

Some vendors seem to have developed plug-ins to handle IDX data that has already been successfully imported into their own proprietary database designs, so their components will then understand it, and the website owner can then customize the display of the data as they see fit. But even that can be very risky for the agent, as all MLSs have strict standards about how their IDX data is displayed, and no one vendor or product can be held responsible for doing that as the MLSs may specify. It will also always involve significant compromises, as the vendor's database design will generally be a "common denominator" subset, consisting of data elements that are common to nearly every MLS. That means they will probably require significant customizations to handle a particular field that may be deemed critical to some parts of the country.

The only viable solutions I have found involve IDX vendors that download and maintain the IDX data on their own servers, and then provide components and/or interfaces to that data from open source platforms like Joomla, WordPress and others. In most cases, these vendors will provide access via IFraming, which does nothing to improve SEO for the real estate agent's website, but is very easy to implement and maintain. A few vendors have successfully integrated IDX data (still on their servers) with a client's website (usually also on the vendor's servers), usually via RPC calls, sub-domains or other techniques, where the IDX data appears to the search engines to be on the client's domain. Those solutions provide the most SEO benefit and flexibility, but are typically more technically challenging for a real estate webmaster to implement.

There are always exceptions to the rule, and some real estate brokers and agents, probably at significant expense, have been able to successfully get their particular MLS's data downloaded to their own servers and displayed on their open source websites. But those successes are few and far between, and I am sure that they will typically not be agreeable to sharing their successes and technologies with other local competitors in their markets.
Ron Goodman, Owner/Managing Broker
Denver Home Value Realty LLC
Denver, CO, USA
http://www.DenverHomeValue.com

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by johnjames84 » Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:08 am

Hi,

Here is a website done with Joomla, which displays the MLS data by pulling it into its own server including images.

http://www.maplebluff.com/cms

I agree with the above post that all MLS data fields and format are different for every MLS. But, through joomla Hot Property and by cron job we can plugin any MLS feeds.

-James
Webmaster, Joomla Brothers
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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by karee » Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:26 am

Thanks Tim... But I really have know Idea what that means

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Re: Does anyone know of an IDX solution for Joomla!

Post by marianoredden5 » Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:48 am

Hello it seems that you really put time in your site it is very well arranged and I love the way how you share your information with us. Looking forward to see your posts again so to the viewers that will also shared their opinions. Thank you so much.


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