No. You don’t need to be a web person to run MLS Import. Setup is boxes, dropdown menus and a five-listing test, and our team will do it with you on a live call. After that, the listings update on their own. Two things stay technical, and neither is your job: your web host keeps the server big enough and the timer running, and our support team fixes the plugin side when something breaks.
“I am NOT a tech person so to me this is greek / french” is something agents tell us before they start. Here is an honest look at what you will actually touch, and what you won’t.
What do I have to do myself?
Less than you think, and none of it is code.
| Job | What it takes from you |
|---|---|
| Get your MLS feed approved | Paperwork with your board, and your broker signs. No tech. |
| Install the plugin | Same as any WordPress plugin: Plugins, Add New, Activate |
| Connect your MLS | Copy and paste your login into the Setup Wizard, or let us do it with you on the onboarding call |
| Pick which homes come in | Choose cities, prices and home types from lists |
| Keep listings current | Nothing. The hourly update does it. |
| Check now and then | Look at the Last Action column on Import Tasks once in a while |
Want someone else to do even the setup? See who can set up MLS Import and your neighborhood pages for you. What the onboarding call covers is in onboarding calls and support tickets.
Which parts are still technical?
Two parts, and both belong to your web host, not to you. MLS Import saves every listing on your own site. That is what puts the pages on your domain, and it is also why your server matters.
- Server size. A few hundred listings often run fine on shared hosting. Thousands need a bigger plan, like a VPS (a private server) or a managed WordPress plan sized for the feed. Send your host the list in hosting requirements and recommendations and let them confirm it.
- The update timer. WordPress only runs its timer when someone visits your site, so a quiet site can update late. Your host can add a real server timer (a cron job). You don’t set it up. You send them one sentence, which is in setting up a real server cron.
Ask a host two questions before you sign up: “Can you add a real server cron for WordPress?” and “Is this plan big enough for an MLS feed of my size?” A host that answers both in plain words will save you headaches later.
Do the listings update by themselves?
Yes. Every hour, MLS Import asks your MLS which listings changed since its last check, and updates price, status, photos and description on your site. You don’t click an import button. A separate daily check removes homes that left the MLS, once you turn it on. See how the hourly auto update works.
What happens when something breaks?
You run a short check, then a real person takes it from there. Most “my listings stopped” problems are the timer, the host or an expired MLS login, not the plugin.
- Run the ten-minute checks in the cron not working checklist. It tells you who to call for each problem.
- If it points at your host, forward them the checklist line.
- If it points at the plugin or your MLS connection, open a ticket from your MLS Import account. Plugin fixes and support are part of your plan.
Is a hosted IDX easier than an import plugin?
A hosted IDX gives you less to look after, but you give up the pages. With a hosted IDX, the vendor’s server holds the listings and shows them inside your site, so there is no server sizing or timer for you to think about. The trade is that the listing pages stay on the vendor’s side, not on your domain. Either way you wait for the same MLS approval, so neither one gets you live faster.
With MLS Import, the extra setup is the part the wizard and the onboarding call cover. The ongoing part is your host’s job. Compare both in how MLS websites work: import vs live IDX.
Frequently asked questions
Can I break my live website by setting it up?
Not by installing it. Nothing is imported until you run an import, and the first test pulls only five listings. If you have a staging copy of your site, test there first; see testing MLS Import on a staging copy.
Can you check my MLS login before I buy?
Yes. Send us your MLS name, and we will tell you what to ask your board for and check that your login connects. See requirements before you buy.
Fellow agents, what was the scariest part of your setup, and how did it go? Share it in the comments!
