Manual category names like FOR SALE and FOR RENT

Imported categories carry the original MLS wording, so a site ends up with terms such as Residential and Residential Lease rather than FOR SALE and FOR RENT. The import does not rename them, because those values are the MLS taxonomy and other parts of the import match against them.

The way to get the public names you want is to create them yourself as parent terms, and file the imported ones underneath.

Why renaming the imported terms is the wrong move

Each import writes its terms by name, matching an existing term or creating it. Rename Residential to FOR SALE and the next run does not find a term called Residential, so it creates a new one and your listings end up split across both.

Moving a term is different. The import matches on the name and never touches the parent, so a term you have re-filed under a parent stays where you put it through every later run.

Set up the parent terms

1. Let an import run first, so the MLS based terms exist.
2. Open the property category taxonomy your theme uses, under the property post type in wp-admin.
3. Add FOR SALE and FOR RENT as new top level terms.
4. Edit Residential and set its parent to FOR SALE. Edit Residential Lease and set its parent to FOR RENT.
5. Repeat for any other imported term that belongs on one side or the other.

Expected result: menus, widgets and theme search can offer the two names you chose, while the imported terms keep the MLS values underneath. WordPress treats a query on a parent term as including its children, so a visitor browsing FOR SALE sees everything filed under Residential.

Standalone mode works differently

In standalone mode the plugin registers its own taxonomies, and they are deliberately flat: there is no parent field, so there is nothing to nest terms under. That choice keeps the term screens simple for people who are not building the site themselves.

Two options remain there. Use the MLS terms as they are and change the wording in your menus and page titles instead, or have a developer make one taxonomy hierarchical through the plugin’s taxonomy registration filter and then follow the steps above.

If it does not work

1. The parent field is missing on the term screen. That taxonomy is flat. On a supported theme, check you are editing the theme’s category taxonomy rather than a flat one such as a features or amenities list.
2. The parent term shows no listings. Your theme is querying that one term without including children. Point the menu link at the child terms instead, or ask the theme author how to include children in that query.
3. A duplicate term appeared after the next import. The imported term was renamed rather than re-filed. Rename it back to the exact MLS value, then set its parent.

Frequently asked questions

Can the plugin map MLS values to my own labels during import?

Not for the category terms themselves. Field labels can be changed on the Select Import fields tab, which is what appears next to a value on the property page, but the terms are created from the MLS values so that matching stays reliable across runs.

Will my parent terms survive a re-import?

Yes. Terms are matched by name and attached to properties, and the import does not set or change a parent. Deleting the terms and re-importing recreates them at the top level, so keep them rather than deleting them.

My MLS uses different wording than Residential Lease. Does this still apply?

Yes. The names come from your own feed, so use whatever your MLS publishes and nest each one under the parent that fits. The method does not depend on any particular wording.

Can I hide the MLS term names from visitors completely?

Only where your theme lets you choose what to display. The terms stay in the database because the import needs them, so hiding them is a matter of which taxonomy your templates and menus show.

Related

1. Controlling which listings are imported
2. Title format, property status and owner
3. What an import task is
4. Why a compatible theme or Standalone mode is needed

Tell us which theme you are on and which terms your MLS sends, and we will tell you which taxonomy to nest them in.