How To Integrate RETS Feed to WordPress

There are many advantages to working with a RETS feed. It offers more control, Offers more SEO benefits. It can be customized.

 The tradeoff has long been technical knowhow. But these barriers are now coming down.

With Realtyna, website developers can set up a RETS feed with the simplicity and ease of working with the WordPress platform.

In this blog we will walk you through everything you need to know to plan a RETS project including cost estimates and development time.

Step 1

Get RETS Access

The first thing to know when planning out a RETS development project is that by and large RETS feeds are not free.

The RETS database is controlled by the local MLS and most MLS charge a monthly fee to access that database. As an initial step, you or your client should call the MLS administrator and confirm the process and cost of getting a RETS feed.

 In our experience, the RETS access can cost between $10 and $250 per month.

 For more details on the RETS access process, check out our blog How to Get a RETS Feed.

 Step 2

Hosting Setup

There are a few particularities that you should be aware of when setting up a WordPress site for RETS Feed. The most important is hosting.

A RETS feed works by replicating the MLS database on your website servers. Based on the size of the MLS, this can mean 100 GBs or more of new data. So you will need a hosting plan that can accommodate the load.

It is best to work with the MLS to estimate the size of the RETS database and then use this information to choose a hosting plan with appropriate disc space and bandwidth.  Costs for these plans vary widely based on the specifications. Our base managed hosting plans start at $50 per month.

For more details on choosing hosting for a RETS development project, check out our blog How to Choose the Right Hosting Package for Your Real Estate Website.

Step 3

Activate Data Feed

Now that you have your site set up, it is time to activate your data feed. We’ll walk you through the steps using Realtyna’s RETS Plugin, but the process will vary by the software you use.

Establish Connection

In the MLS-Add on menu, click the “+” symbol to add a new server connection. Then, insert your RETS username and password into the plugin. Add the url for accessing the RETS database. This tells the plugin where to look for new listings.

Configure Server Specs

In the advanced menu, select RETS version, image type, authentication method, etc. This tells the plugin how the listings stored.

Map Fields

Now you need to tell the plugin where to direct the data it receives. This process is called mapping. With Realtyna’s mapping wizard you can identify the available fields in the MLS. These fields are things like “Number of Bedrooms,” “Number of Bathrooms,” and “Square footage.” Mapping will ensure the right data shows up in the right location.

Customize Fields

The plugin has a flexible data structure, so you can modify listing fields on your site or add new ones. In the Data Structure panel, choose a field. Then you can change the name, specify whether the listing should be searchable by this field, and choose whether it appears in pdf print outs.

Set Queries

Queries are essentially saved searches for the MLS database. They tell the plugin what kinds of properties to look for and download. You should specify a query for each property type you seek to import to your site.

Import

Click import to manually import your first set of listings.

Automate

To automate your import process and sync your site with the MLS, you will need to insert commands in your cron job system. We have listed the relevant commands in our plugin manual.

Now you know how to integrate a RETS feed into a WordPress website. Questions or feedback? Leave them in the comments. Or check our blog on building a WordPress website that sends IDX listings to Facebook.

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