We’re very happy to introduce the flexmls IDX WordPress plugin. The primary benefits of the flexmls IDX WordPress plugin are:
- Introduce users to your flexmls IDX search. The flexmls IDX search is very powerful, but we’ve heard from agents and their clients that they’d like fewer options when they are just starting out searching. Many of the widgets here are designed to provide easy entry points into the home search process that you can put on your home or neighborhood pages as well as your blog posts and pages.
- Search Engine Optimization. The slide show, market stats, IDX search, one-click searches, and my listings widget all allow you to host valuable IDX and market stats content from the MLS system for your customers. This content can be narrowly focused on specific neighborhoods, cities or zip codes in which you specialize so that Google and the other search engines rank your site high for those areas.
- Neighborhood or City Pages. One of the best uses for the various widgets is to build neighborhood pages for the areas in which you specialize. The market stats widget will allow you to provide statistical graphs to support your market analysis for each area and the listing slide show widget will allow you to show users the homes for sale, new listings, open houses, and recent price changes as well for each of your neighborhoods.
There are several widgets that come with the plugin:
- IDX Slideshow Widget — The slide show widget allows you to show panels of photos from IDX listings matching your criteria. These slideshow widgets are great to build introductory neighborhood pages showing the homes for sale, new listings, recent price changes and open houses.
- Market Statistics Widget — The flexmls IDX plugin also includes a market stats widget that allows you to display a wide variety of market statistics for your selected location (city, zip, neighborhood, or even your own map overlay from the flexmls Web system). The available market stat categories include prices, volume, inventory, sale/list ratio, DOM, and absorption rate, and each of these categories contains a variety of stats, such as average, median, etc. For example, for prices, users can display trend lines for average or median list and sale prices for active, new and sold listings.
- IDX Search Widget — The IDX search widget is intended as a simple search form you can place on the front page or in the side panel of your WordPress site to give users an easy way to start searching on your site using flexmls IDX.
- 1-Click Search Widgets — The 1-click Location Search widget and the 1-Click Custom Searches widget use the saved search links from your IDX Manager in flexmls Web to create a panel of links visitors to your site can click and be taken immediately to your flexmls IDX search page showing them the results of that search.
- Contact Widget — The contact widget allows visitors to your site to submit their contact information directly into the flexmls contact management system. From there, you can begin working with them through the flexmls customer portal and other tools available in the flexmls and IDX systems.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a current user of your IDX, how do I get the plugin?
Jim, we’re expecting to release the plugin on January 31, and we’ll get in touch with you and others who inquire then.
Looking forward to this Mike and it will bring me back to Flexmls IDX. craigmische.com isn’t a WP site but I have a second site, lakesalexandria.com, that is a self-hosted WP site.
Looks great! I can’t wait to get it. Please let me know when it is available.
I have a static site now and am eager to develop a WP site. Currently use your IDX links all over the web (blog post, Craigslist, etc) and love the user friendly flavor.
I look forward to seeing your new product.
I’ve been fortunate to beta test this plugin and can tell you works GREAT. Congrats on the launch and thanks Flex!
My Wordpress site is ready for this, Been using Flexidx on my Point 2 Agent site which has been great, But I am excited about my Wordpress site … Currently I have over 60 URL index and out ranking my P2A site on Several keywords already!
Is it going to cost us anything?
The key for the API costs $240 per year.
How do I integrate my IDX with point2? Is there a manual or instructions?
I don’t have specific instructions for setting up Point2 web sites, but, generally, as long as you can add a link or frame to your Point2 site, it should work. I know others have done it and I will try to get you some sample ljnks next week.
Does our MLS have to participate with this or does it already by virtue of our use of Flex? We just built a new company site using WP and our designers like the idea of this product to assist with search engine “friendliness”.
Matt, the plugin is available for all of our MLS customers.
Hi we use the flex system for our MLS, but the MLS uses another IDX. Can you give me some insight into this?
how much for your set up and maintenance? do you have tech people who do this for me, or do I need to figure out the plugins, widgets, etc.
thank you!
Kathleen, we have a few IDX customers in Santa Barbara already. The cost is $480 per year, $240 for the basic IDX and $240 for the API that powers the WordPress plugin. Do you use WordPress for your site already?
Anyone know if the MLS for Atlanta GA has the flex and will support this plug-in??? Been trying to find a list of the MLS metro areas that have the flex in place to no avail
Gary, we do not serve the MLS for Atlanta GA. We’ll consider posting a list of MLSs we do serve, but, generally, we currently only service areas where we are the primary MLS system. In other words, if you don’t use flexmls every day, we’re most likely not in your area.
Is there a number to call to get some help in the installation of the Flex IDX Plug ins. I have been using FLex IDX for the last year and love it but I am having a little trouble installing it correctly. I am not super WP savvy Thanks for your help
Tom, first, I apologize I missed your comment and am incredibly late with this reply. I’m hopeful you found our number and received a response before now. If not, please call 888-525-4747 and ask for IDX Support.
Will this work only with WP or can it be integrated with a standard website?
Only WordPress.
Any idea when the next update will roll out? I was reviewing the Diverse Solutions website and they have some great uses of the IDX data. The most impressive and I beleive most powerful is the ability to use “Indexable property listings on your domain for short and long tail consumer searches”
We expect to have a new version released in the next month, including summary and detail results widgets. In the meantime, the slideshow widget will be indexed by search engines and can be used to build long tail consumer searches targeting specific communities. The key data that will be indexed is the address, which is provided in the slideshow.
Hi Michael,
any idea when the new version will roll out? On June 29th you mentioned “in the next month”. Also, is there a way to receive email updates from you regarding this product? Please let me know.
Tony, I’m sorry the next update has fallen behind our original schedule. We’re now aiming for early October.
Also, the best way to stay up to date on upgrades is through this site.
Does anybody at FBS monior and timely reply to these posts? Seems like not much is happening?? My last inquiry on 8/19, although posted, was never answered. Can somebody at FBS provide some updated info?
Tony, I apologize, I had responded to your comment earlier but for some reason, my own comment wasn’t approved.
I am the web admin of a Realtor, Lynette Dennis. She currently have a FlexMLS Web profile found here: http://armls.flexmls.com/.
We want to use the Wordpress plugin for her site: http://www.lynettedennis.com/.
The plugin requires the API Key and API Secret.
What do we need to do to get the API Key and API Secret and activate the plugin?
Thanks.
Please call 800-437-4232, x108, or email idx@flexmls.com from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time to speak with someone in our Broker Agent Services sales department.
What is the Best wordpress theme to use with the plugin?
I would say whatever theme with which you”re most familiar. I’ve used Thesis and some themes from RocketThemes.
Michael, any news on the update? I have been waiting on the new update from FBS. Can you share what will be included in the new update and when it is expected to be available? I am in process of researching IDX Word Press plugin vendors and possible change.
Thank you.
We’re currently targeting October 21 to be done with the coding and then we’ll need some time for testing as well.
The primary features of the new update will be a summary list of listings and a listing detail page, so you’ll essentially be able to create a simple IDX from search to the search results list to the detail page with the plugin. Of course, all the pages will be indexable as well and you’ll be able to use them in posts and pages.
Dave, single listings can be posted using the slideshow widget. We’re also in the process of creating a full detail widget and hope to have that released in the next 30 days or so.