Standalone mode lets MLSImport run on any WordPress theme. Instead of writing listings into a supported real estate theme, the plugin brings its own property post type, its own search index, and its own front end: search forms, listing cards, single property pages and agent pages.
You turn it on by picking one option in the plugin settings. Everything else follows from that choice.
Before you start
Your MLS connection needs to be working first. Standalone mode changes where listings are stored, not how they are fetched, so a connection that fails still fails after switching.
Turning standalone mode on
- Open MLS Import Settings in the WordPress menu.
- Find Your WordPress Theme.
- Choose Standalone (any theme).
- Click Save Changes.
Expected result: two new items appear in the WordPress menu, MLS Properties and Real Estate Agents, along with a second top level menu called MLS Import Design Settings.
What changes when it is on
Imported listings become MLS Properties posts rather than posts of your theme’s property type. Each one also gets a row in a search index table the plugin maintains, which is what makes price, beds, area and location searches fast.
Agents become Real Estate Agents posts with their own profile pages. Listing data is spread across eleven taxonomies, so cities, statuses, property types and features all get archive pages and search filters of their own.
The plugin also gains a front end of its own: a single property page, an agent page, listing archives, and a set of page blocks you drop onto any page. None of that exists in the four theme integrations, because there the theme provides it.
The MLS Import Design Settings menu and the MLSImport Design panel in the Customizer only exist in standalone mode. If you cannot find them, the theme setting is still pointing at one of the four supported themes.
What it does not change
Your theme still runs the rest of the site: the header, the footer, menus, the blog, and every page you built yourself. Standalone mode owns the property and agent pages, not the site.
It also does not convert properties you imported previously. The theme setting decides where new writes go, so listings already stored as your old theme’s property type stay exactly where they are. Switching mode on a site with existing imports leaves you with two sets of properties until you delete the old ones.
Rebuilding the search index
The search index table is derived data, rebuildable at any time from the properties themselves. If searches return fewer results than the property list shows, rebuild it with WP-CLI:
wp mlsimport reindexDeleting a property removes its row automatically, so the rebuild is only needed after enabling standalone on a site that already had listings, or when the index and the posts have drifted apart.
Flush your permalinks after switching. The property archive lives at /properties/ and the new taxonomy archives need rewrite rules, which WordPress only regenerates when the permalink settings are saved.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a real estate theme?
No. That is the point of standalone mode. Any theme works, including a default WordPress theme or a page builder theme, because the plugin supplies the property templates itself.
Can I switch back to a supported theme later?
Yes. Change Your WordPress Theme back and new imports write into that theme’s property type again. The properties created while standalone was active remain as MLS Properties posts and are not converted.
Do I need Elementor or a page builder?
No. The property pages, agent pages and archives render on their own. Page builders are for arranging your home page and landing pages, and shortcodes cover the same ground if you do not use one.
Can I change how the standalone templates look?
Yes, in two ways. The design settings cover colours, layout, card style and section order without touching code. For deeper changes, copy any bundled template into a folder named mlsimport inside your theme and edit your copy, which survives plugin updates.
Related
- Why a compatible theme or standalone mode is needed
- Choosing your theme mode
- Properties, agents and the eleven taxonomies
- Building your pages: blocks, shortcodes and Elementor widgets
- The Design Settings page
Send us your site and the theme you are running and we will tell you whether standalone mode is the right route.