What is IDX, MLS, RETS? ...sounds like gibberish
The following explanations are based on their respective Wikipedia entries.
3. What's the difference between IDX and MLS? What about RETS?
1. What is MLS (Multiple Listing Service)?
A Multiple Listing Service (MLS) (also Multiple Listing System or Multiple
Listings Service) is a group of private databases which allows real estate
brokers representing sellers under a listing contract to widely share
information about properties with real estate brokers who may represent
potential buyers or wish to cooperate with a seller's broker in finding a buyer
for the property. There is no single authoritative "MLS", and no universal data
format. The many local and private databases--some of which are controlled by
single associations of realtors or groupings of associations (which represent
all brokers within a given community or geographical area) or by real estate
brokers--are collectively referred to as the MLS because of their reciprocal
access agreements.
Seen most widely in the US and Canada but spreading to other countries in a
variety of forms, the MLS combines the listings of all available properties that
are represented by brokers who are both members of that MLS system and of NAR or
CREA, (the National Association of Realtors in the US or the Canadian Real
Estate Association).
The purpose of the MLS is to enable the efficient distribution of information so
that, when a real estate agent is introduced to a potential home buyer, s/he may
search the MLS system and retrieve information about all homes for sale in a
given area or price range, whether under a listing contract by that agent's
brokerage or by all participating brokers.
In North America, the MLS systems are governed by private entities, and the
rules are set by those entities with no state or federal oversight, beyond any
individual state rules regarding real estate. MLS systems set their own rules
for membership, access, and sharing of information, but are subject to
nationwide rules laid down by NAR or CREA. An MLS may be owned and operated by a
real estate company, a county or regional real estate board of realtors or
association of realtors, or by a trade association. Membership of the MLS is
generally considered to be essential to the practice of real estate brokerage.
Limitations of access to the MLS
Most MLS systems restrict membership and access to real estate brokers (and
their agents) who are appropriately licensed by the state (or province); are
members of a local board or association of realtors; and are members of the
trade association (e.g., NAR or CREA). However, access is becoming more open as
internet sites offer the public the ability to view portions of MLS listings
(see below).
A person selling his/her own property - acting as a For Sale By Owner (or FSBO)
- cannot put a listing for the home directly into the MLS. (Note: Under the MLS
for Spain, [AMLASpain] FSBO listing are allowed.) Similarly, a properly licensed
broker who chooses to neither join the trade association nor operate a business
within the association's rules, cannot join the MLS.
However, there are brokers and many online services which offer FSBO sellers the
option of listing their property in their local MLS database by paying a flat
fee or another non-traditional compensation method.
What is IDX (Internet Data Exchange)?
2. What is IDX (Internet Data Exchange)?
An Internet Data Exchange (IDX) is a real estate property search site which
allows the public to conduct searches of approved Multiple Listing Service
properties in a certain area.
Site users generally gain the benefit of anonymous property searching and
review. IDX sites usually provide less detailed information than the full
Realtor Multiple Listing Service, limiting the data to that which is deemed
publicly accessible. The benefit to realtors is that users of their IDX web site
can search freely, establish some confidence, and qualify themselves before
contacting the realtor.
Certain rules apply to the real estate companies' ability to display each detail
about a property. These "display rules" are set by the Multiple Listing Service
organization, which generally forms its policy around the recommendations of the
National Association of Realtors.
IDX policy is nearing its replacement by a new Internet Listing Display policy
being formed by the National Association of Realtors.
A common and standard data exchange protocol for IDX information is the Real
Estate Transaction Specification or RETS.
What is MLS (Multiple Listing Services)?
3. How is IDX different from MLS?
The difference between IDX and MLS lies in presentation. When searching, MLS offers everybody a standardized output with names, telephones and contact details of whoever registered a given property into the database. This information is not in a realtor's interest to be shown to clients searching MLS, but s/he would prefer if say instead, his/her contact details came up with every listing, or rather -- if the original contact information was omitted from the search display. This is exactly what IDX can do.
Therefore IDX allows for direct access to the MLS database flat-files (files with ALL the property listings and details), thus allowing for direct manipulation of what is being shown, when a search is carried out. Therefore IDX can omit or include certain fields, and present the information in a friendly, colourful manner, with extra features like map location and much more.
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