In Canada, MLSImport connects through the REALTOR.ca DDF Web API, run by CREA. It issues a Client ID and a Client Secret, and those two values are what the plugin needs.
There is no self serve portal that hands you the credentials. CREA manages DDF access as a supported service, so the request goes through their member support.
What DDF is
DDF stands for Data Distribution Facility. CREA describes it as a service for REALTORS and broker owners who want to share their listings with third party websites and access listings for their own website. The Web API version of it is a RESO style OData feed, which is what MLSImport reads.
Some Canadian boards also run their own RESO certified server. If yours does, that route works too and may carry more fields than DDF. Check your board before assuming DDF is the only option.
Requesting the credentials
- Contact CREA through their DDF support page or the Member Experience Centre.
- Ask for REALTOR.ca DDF Web API access for your own website, and state that you need a client ID and a client secret.
- Ask whether any additional approval or registration applies to your account.
- Complete whatever agreement CREA sends back. The approval is issued to you, for your site.
A message that gets a useful reply reads roughly: I need access to the REALTOR.ca DDF Web API for my own website, my plugin requires a client ID and client secret, please confirm how to obtain these for my account and whether any further approval is required.
The public DDF API documentation exists and looks like a self service developer portal, which sends people looking for a credentials page that is not there. The documentation describes the endpoints. CREA support issues the credentials.
Entering them in MLSImport
- Open MLS Import Settings and select the REALTOR.ca entry in the Your MLS search.
- Paste the client ID into MLSImport Realtor.ca Client id.
- Paste the client secret into MLSImport Realtor.ca Client Secret.
- Save, then run the connection test.
Selecting the REALTOR.ca entry is what reveals those two fields. If the screen shows a single server token box instead, a different MLS is selected.
Filtering a DDF feed
DDF covers a very large area, so filtering matters more here than in a single board feed. Two things are worth knowing before you build your first import task.
The county selector returns numeric identifiers rather than names in this feed, which makes county filtering awkward. Filtering by province works reliably through the Custom parameters field on an import task, written as StateOrProvince eq 'Ontario'. Enter the expression on its own, with no $filter= in front of it, whatever the on screen example in that field shows.
Even one province returns tens of thousands of listings. Split the work into several import tasks, narrowed further by city or price, rather than one task attempting the whole province.
Test your maximum safe import size before building the real tasks. Run one task with a small listing count, confirm it completes, then raise it. Finding your server’s ceiling on a run of 25 costs a minute, and finding it on a run of 20,000 costs an afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
Can MLSImport register as a REALTOR.ca vendor for me?
No. We cannot apply, sign, or complete a vendor application on your behalf, and we cannot access your REALTOR.ca account to find your credentials. The DDF process is between you or your broker and CREA.
Does DDF give me every listing in my board?
DDF carries listings whose brokerages have agreed to distribute them, so coverage is broad but not guaranteed complete for a given board. If your market needs full board coverage, ask your board whether they run their own RESO Web API server.
Which fields does DDF include?
DDF carries the core listing fields, and some board specific data present in a local feed is not in it. After connecting, load the field list in the plugin and you will see exactly what your feed returns rather than working from a general answer.
Can I import listings from two provinces?
Yes, if both come through the same DDF connection. That is one MLS connection as far as the plugin is concerned, so build separate import tasks with different filters rather than a second install.
Related
- What RESO Web API access is and why you need it
- PropTx and AMPRE for TRREB
- Who needs to hold the credentials
- How many listings can you import
If CREA has issued your credentials and the connection test still fails, send us your board name and we will check what the feed returns.