Difference between syndication and IDX

IDX and listing syndication often get confused. This is not surprising since both involve distributing and exposing listings online. But they are different in one key aspect—IDX facilitates brokers advertising each other’s listings; syndication is strictly limited to a broker advertising their own listings.

IDX is a set of business rules that allows brokers who participate in the IDX program to display the MLS listings of other participating brokers in the MLS. This is necessary since there are legal and ethical restrictions that prohibit brokers from advertising other brokers’ listings without specific permission. Participating in the IDX program gives that permission and allows each participating broker to host a consumer search experience on their own websites and mobile apps. Participating in the IDX program is a broker’s choice. But, once that choice is made, brokers cannot decide which competing broker websites can display their listings. Any participating broker in the IDX program can display any other participating broker’s listings—and vice versa.

Syndication is a process by which brokers make decisions about advertising their listings only.

Syndication allows brokers to independently decide where to advertise their listings. Each broker has full control over where and how to promote their listings.

Since publisher websites generally are not operated by brokers using an IDX feed, they are not subject to IDX display rules. Instead, the terms for display are governed by one of the following: the Terms and Conditions on the publisher website, an agreement between the listing broker/agent and the publisher, or in the case of ListHub, the ListHub publisher agreements. The ListHub publisher agreements provide brokers with protections and display rules.

MLS connectivity

The cornerstone of the ListHub model is MLS connectivity that supports the consistency of listing content with MLS data.

ListHub supports consistency between the listings provided to publishers and MLS records, because ListHub relies directly on MLS listing data. Unlike other platforms, brokers and agents cannot manually enter listings into ListHub for distribution. Instead, ListHub connects to the MLS, leveraging the work agents have already done to update listing details. This reduces costs and effort for brokers as they can add and maintain listings in one place before they’re automatically sent to chosen destinations, creating a consistent experience.

In a ListHub-connected MLS, brokers can choose to automatically distribute their company’s listings to broker-selected websites for advertising purposes through a free self-service option. This basic service comes at no cost to brokers and doesn’t require any technical expertise.

How the MLS gets connected

The MLS forms an agreement with ListHub to serve the members of the MLS.

ListHub does not charge fees to the MLS or to the brokers for the basic listing syndication service. The MLS provides ListHub with a single set of Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) credentials to access and pull active listings from the MLS for its brokers. The MLS also establishes the appropriate local definition of a marketable listing based on the different statuses available.

For most MLSs, this is the extent of what an MLS must do to offer ListHub to members. ListHub provides everything else including support for online listing display, broker tools to evaluate and opt in or out of publisher websites, enforcement of standards related to the manner in which publishers can use the listings they receive, ability for brokers to change their minds at any time, and full transparency to keep the broker in control.

Some MLSs choose to make preliminary decisions on behalf of their broker participants. These include delivering listings to some or all destinations by default and routing consumer inquiries to the MLS public site to display listing-detail pages. Moreover, it allows MLSs the opportunity to give brokers guidance by labeling certain websites as “preferred,” and enterprise-level purchasing of the reporting available for all members to reveal the activity that listings receive on each of the publisher websites. In each case, brokers need to retain control of their own listings, so the MLS’s selections in ListHub serve as the “default,” and brokers always have the option to overwrite the MLS’s preliminary selections. Brokers have the tools in ListHub to alter these MLS-level decisions to opt out of publisher websites, redirect traffic to their brokerage websites, and include their consumer site activity from their brokerage website on the reports.

Once the MLS is connected, the head broker in charge, or “designated broker,” can visit click the “login/Sign up” button at the top right of the site and create an account at no cost to access numerous tools and resources, as well as select from different publisher websites to advertise their listings.

MLS dashboard

MLSs that support ListHub are provided with login access to the ListHub MLS dashboard, which contains important online resources and options for the MLS leadership and staff, providing the ability to review the information the brokers see and tools available for the MLS to guide brokers and support them when needed.

MLS Preferred Publisher Program

The Preferred Publisher Program enables MLSs to designate MLS Preferred Publishers based on the MLS’s own criteria to help guide more discerning syndication choices by broker members. There are built-in features provided in the ListHub dashboard that can be used to filter the list of publishers by key criteria, helping the MLS to choose “preferred” publishers. MLSs may also create their own criteria independently to determine which publishers will be marked “MLS Preferred.” The MLS’s Preferred Publishers are then denoted in the ListHub dashboard, visible to broker members, with an easy option for the broker to filter on the MLS’s Preferred Publishers and choose those publisher websites. Brokers are not required to choose the MLS’s Preferred Publishers.

Dashboard filters that are currently available:

  • Mobile App Available: The website offers a real estate search via a mobile application.
  • No FSBOs: The website does not display “for sale by owner” listings.
  • Posts Redirect Link: Posts a link to the agent or brokerage property-detail page of choice.
  • Provides Error Reports: Publisher reports to ListHub when a qualified listing was not posted to their site and/or gives a link to successfully posted listings.
  • Provides Metrics: Tracks and reports listing views and inquiries and provides this data to ListHub for display on ListHub Reports.
  • Shows Broker Contact Info: Posts the brokerage name and brokerage address or phone number.
  • Timely Listing Removal: Identifies and removes inactive listings within one to three  days.
  • Timely Support: Responds to support requests within one to three days on average.

These filters refresh daily.