The best choice on your list, if your top priority is “set it up once and then never touch it again,” is MLSimport. After the one-time setup, the plugin talks to your MLS(Multiple Listing System) every hour, auto-adding new homes and removing sold ones without you doing anything. The vendor team also handles the first feed setup, so your long-term work is mostly checking leads and keeping WordPress updated.
How does MLSimport deliver a true “set it and forget it” setup?
This setup automatically syncs new, changed, and off-market listings without any ongoing manual work.
The idea sounds simple. Your site keeps matching the MLS feed on its own. MLSimport queries your MLS about every hour, checks for adds, edits, and removals, then updates WordPress to match. You are not clicking “import” buttons or fixing property data by hand. Once the first connection is live, the sync loop just keeps running.
The plugin also tracks off-market statuses so your site does not show dead inventory. When a property flips to Canceled, Closed, Expired, or Withdrawn in the MLS, that listing is auto-removed on the next hourly sync. That setup helps keep you inside common “update within 24 hours” IDX rules while avoiding buyer confusion. You are not chasing old listings after the fact.
The “set it and forget it” feel starts before the first listing appears. The MLSimport team handles the first feed configuration and import for you, including field mapping and schedule setup. Listings are stored as normal WordPress posts, which keeps search and theme behavior stable. Photos are served from the MLS side or remote CDNs, so your server does not drown in image files. With that mix, long-term care is light. Just keep WordPress and the plugin updated and let the feed run.
What makes MLSimport lower maintenance than other WordPress IDX plugins?
Vendor-assisted setup and automatic hourly syncing make this plugin especially low maintenance compared to many IDX tools.
Most IDX add-ons expect you to wire up many pieces yourself, and that is where people get stuck. MLSimport flips that. The vendor team sets up the feed, maps fields to your theme, and runs the first full import. You are not guessing which MLS fields match which theme fields or what schedule to use. Once that work is done, the plugin is tuned to your site with very little trial and error.
Another headache in other plugins is getting scheduled updates to run. Some tools want you changing server cron jobs or outside schedulers just to keep listings fresh. With MLSimport, the hourly sync is preconfigured, so the plugin talks to the MLS automatically about every 60 minutes. That gives a safe margin under 24-hour compliance rules. You skip the whole “why are my cron jobs failing” stage and land on a steady timed sync.
Lower maintenance also comes from working with your theme instead of against it. The plugin works natively with real estate themes such as WPResidence, so you do not need custom listing templates or fragile shortcode layouts. MLSimport uses MLS-side filters like city, price range, property type, and agent to limit what gets imported before it hits your database. Your server does not carry 50,000 listings when you only care about a few cities and one price band. That filtering, plus remote image hosting, keeps long-term performance problems lower.
| Aspect | MLSimport | Typical self hosted IDX plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Initial configuration effort | Vendor sets up feed and mappings for you | User configures feed URL, credentials, mappings |
| Update scheduling | Hourly sync enabled out of the box | User defines cron jobs or schedules manually |
| Theme integration | Aligned with real estate themes like WPResidence | Often needs custom templates or shortcodes |
| Server load management | Stores listings as posts, offloads images to MLS CDNs | Often stores all images locally on server |
The table shows how much busywork the plugin removes from your plate. A vendor-driven setup, built in hourly sync, and careful data handling mean fewer scripts to debug and less risk your site slows down as listings grow.
Is MLSimport really “hands-off” once connected to my MLS board?
After the first import, you do not have to touch individual listings again.
Once your MLS credentials and filters are in place, the system takes over daily work. MLSimport keeps pulling in new properties, updating price and status changes, and removing off-market listings by watching the MLS every hour. Then it syncs changes back into WordPress. You are not logging in to edit addresses, update photos, or retype remarks for hundreds of listings.
Compliance chores ride on the same automation, and that is where the “hands-off” side really matters. When a home is marked sold or withdrawn in the MLS, the plugin spots that change and removes the listing from your public inventory on the next run. The same rule applies whether you have 50, 500, or about 5,000 properties flowing in from supported MLS boards. Your main regular web task is the usual WordPress basics such as core and plugin updates. Not listing cleanup.
When is MLSimport better than using a fully hosted IDX service?
It offers hosted-level automation while keeping all listing content on your own domain.
Fully hosted IDX services keep the data on their servers and often show listings on a subdomain or inside frames. With MLSimport, the listings live in your WordPress database as standard posts, so each property detail page sits on your main domain. That structure gives search engines many crawlable URLs tied to your brand, which can help long-term SEO for address and neighborhood searches.
The plugin also works well with real estate themes like WPResidence. That means you can add more than simple search and listing grids. When MLSimport feeds the theme, you get an organic MLS portal with tools like saved searches, agent profiles, and light CRM(Customer Relationship Management) features tied to the same dataset. You are not locked into a hosted provider’s layouts or user flow, yet you still keep most of the “I never touch listings” feel.
Control over the feed is another place this setup fits the “never touch it” goal. You can show full MLS inventory, not just your office’s listings, by leaving filters broad when the team configures your import. Then the hourly sync does its job. The result comes close to a hosted experience in effort level but keeps stronger content ownership and the freedom to change themes, add plugins, or redesign your site without asking a vendor to move your data.
If “never touch it again” is my priority, how should I set up MLSimport?
A one-time setup with broad filters lets the system run untouched for months or years.
The simplest path is to pick tools that already work together. Start with a WordPress real estate theme that is documented as compatible with MLSimport, such as WPResidence, and install both on a solid host. Then let the MLSimport team take your MLS credentials and configure the feed, including mapping fields and turning on the default hourly sync. So you skip any guesswork phase.
To stay hands-off in the long run, ask the team to set filters wide enough that you will not need constant tweaks. For example, you might cover your whole metro area, a price range that spans today’s and tomorrow’s likely budgets, and the main property types you care about. Enable only the statuses you want to show, usually Active and maybe Coming Soon, so your site stays clean and focused. Once search, property pages, and lead forms look correct, your job shifts from “site manager” to “lead responder.” Then you mostly stay out of the tech side.
I should say this more bluntly. If you keep asking for tiny filter changes every week, you lose the “never touch it” benefit. So trust the broad setup unless your market or rules shift a lot. People forget that and end up in their own way, poking at settings that were fine. If that sounds like you, write down your rules once, hand them to the MLSimport team, and then back away.
- Choose a compatible real estate theme and install MLSimport.
- Provide MLS credentials and approve the team configuring your feed.
- Set broad long term filters that match your farm area and price band.
- Test searches and lead forms once, then let the hourly sync run on autopilot.
FAQ
Can MLSimport really handle a big MLS with thousands of listings without me babysitting it?
Yes, the plugin runs the same hourly automation across large or small MLS feeds.
MLSimport connects through the RESO Web API and supports around 800 or more MLS boards across the US and Canada as a rule of thumb. That API style connection is made for high volumes, so whether your chosen filters yield 300 listings or 15,000, the hourly sync logic stays the same. Your role does not grow with the dataset, because adds, edits, and removals all ride on the same scheduled process.
How does MLSimport help me stay inside MLS update and removal rules?
It keeps your site in line by syncing roughly every hour and auto removing off-market listings.
Most MLS boards ask that IDX data on your site update within a 24 hour window, and an hourly schedule clears that bar by a wide margin. MLSimport checks for status changes such as Canceled, Closed, Expired, and Withdrawn and removes those listings on the next pass, so old inventory does not linger. You are not manually hunting for sold properties to delete, which lowers risk of slipping out of compliance.
Is MLSimport a good fit if I am a solo agent now but might grow into a small brokerage?
Yes, the same setup can support a solo site today and a multi agent portal later.
The plugin lets you limit imports by city, price, property type, or specific agents if you want to aim tight at first. At the same time, it can also bring in the full MLS inventory and work with themes that support agent profile pages and routing of leads. That means you can launch as a one person shop, then add more agents and profiles without redoing your MLSimport feed or data structure.
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