Yes, there are limits on using MLS data from MLSimport in blog posts or market reports, especially with active listings or sold comps. You still have to follow your MLS’s IDX rules. That means show broker credit, keep the MLS disclaimer, and don’t change factual fields. Many MLSs also set rules on sold data and off‑site reuse. MLSimport helps you stay inside those rules, but your local MLS policy always has final say.
Before you start: how do MLS rules affect using MLS data in content?
MLS policy, not your WordPress plugin, controls how you can reuse listing data in content.
Each MLS runs on its own rulebook, and those rules stick to any listing data you pull into WordPress. MLSimport works from RESO (Real Estate Standards Organization) Web API feeds, but the feed already marks what is IDX‑approved and what must stay hidden. So you can’t treat imported listings like free stock content and reuse them everywhere.
IDX rules say every listing view needs broker credit and the MLS board disclaimer. If you show a property card inside a blog, that card still has to show “Listing courtesy of …” and the MLS notice. Many MLSs also limit public sold data or keep exact prices for logged‑in clients only. MLSimport reads those flags and exposes just the fields allowed for public display.
Can I embed active MLS listings directly inside blog posts or guides?
You can embed active listings inside content as long as each one still follows IDX display rules and shows full attribution.
The clean path is to let your IDX layer render the listing inside the post instead of copy‑pasting raw MLS text or photos. With MLSimport, each property is a normal WordPress post in your theme’s property type, so your theme shortcodes or blocks can drop a full listing card into any article. That card carries the listing broker name, office, MLS ID, and the disclaimer, because the plugin mapped those fields at import.
Where people get in trouble is when they right‑click a photo in their MLS system, paste it into a blog, and write their own summary under it. That breaks copyright and usually drops the needed credit lines. If your theme has a “property card” module or “featured listing” block, use that instead and point it at the listing you want to show. MLSimport then keeps those modules tied to the same IDX‑safe data and output rules used on your search and detail pages.
- Embedding with your IDX layer using shortcodes, blocks, or widgets keeps output compliant, while copy‑pasting MLS content does not.
- With MLSimport, each imported property is a WordPress post, so you can safely auto‑insert listing cards in blogs.
- If your MLS allows featured listing callouts, you can build lists like “Top 5 condos this week” with full credit.
- Some boards forbid using IDX data in off‑site ad images unless the listing broker gives separate written permission.
What are the rules for showing sold data and comps in market reports?
Your MLS decides if you can show exact sold prices or detailed comps in public, and MLSimport has to follow that.
Many MLSs split data into two groups. One is for a public IDX site, and the other is for registered clients or office use. Some boards send only active and pending listings into the IDX feed but keep full sold history in a separate VOW feed. MLSimport is built around RESO Web API IDX fields, so the plugin only imports sold records when your board marks them as okay for public display. If the API doesn’t mark solds as displayable, you won’t see them as front‑end options.
On top of that, some regions follow state privacy rules. In non‑disclosure states, exact sale prices often can’t be posted openly even if the MLS knows them. In those places, you might write that “most sales closed in the 900k–1.1M range” instead of showing exact numbers. MLSimport stores whatever RESO fields it receives so you can query them, but how you show them in public posts versus private client reports must match MLS policy and any state law.
| Use case | Typical MLS stance | How MLSimport sites usually handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Public recent sales grid | Allowed in some MLSs with attribution | Publish a Just Sold archive only when solds are IDX‑displayable |
| Sold prices inside blog posts | Restricted or banned in non‑disclosure areas | Show price ranges in public and keep exact prices for clients |
| Detailed CMA‑style comp lists | Usually okay for one client privately | Build client‑only pages or PDFs behind login using imported solds |
| Portfolio of your own luxury sales | Commonly allowed with you as participant | Mark your old listings as Sold posts for a Track Record page |
You can see the pattern. MLSs are strict when data is wide open to the internet but more relaxed with one‑to‑one client work. MLSimport gives you the fields and status changes fast, but you still choose which views stay public and which move to private or “past sales” sections that match local rules.
Are there limits on reusing MLS photos, remarks, and data outside IDX pages?
Treat IDX listing content as licensed for controlled on‑site display, not as raw material you can freely reuse everywhere.
Listing photos are almost always under copyright held by the listing broker, photographer, or both. IDX and RESO licenses let MLSimport show those photos inside your approved site layout, but they don’t give you blanket rights for print flyers, YouTube thumbnails, or off‑site banner ads. The same goes for remarks and fields like beds, baths, and square footage. You can show them as‑is on WordPress listing pages and IDX widgets, but you can’t alter them or remove the required credits.
Since MLSimport keeps the official MLS fields tied to each property post, any extra “marketing copy” you add should live in separate custom fields or plain post content, not as edits to synced IDX data. That way, when the MLS updates a price or remarks, the plugin overwrites only the official fields and stays compliant. If you plan to push listings into print, bulk email, or a third‑party app, check if your MLS offers a separate data license for that type of use. IDX rights usually stop at your own website and email that just links back.
How does MLSimport help keep my content compliant with individual MLS rules?
A RESO‑based import layer like MLSimport enforces field and status rules before any listing appears in your posts or pages.
The plugin pulls only the fields your MLS marks as “OK for IDX display” in its RESO Web API, so forbidden or office‑only fields never reach public templates. When MLS policy requires broker attribution and a specific disclaimer on each listing, MLSimport maps those into your theme’s property layout so they appear on search results, cards, and detail pages. That same mapping gets reused when your theme drops a listing card into a blog or “market update” page, so you don’t have to paste legal text every time.
On the status side, MLSimport watches for changes like Active to Sold, Withdrawn, or Expired and updates your WordPress posts on schedule, often within minutes or a few hours. You can set the plugin to import only some statuses, like Active and Pending for public browse and maybe your own office’s Sold for a portfolio section. At first that sounds like a minor switch. It is not. That selective import keeps visible content aligned with what your board allows on an open IDX site, while still letting you query deeper data for private client reports where rules are looser.
FAQ
Can I screenshot MLS and paste that into my blog?
No, taking screenshots from your MLS system and pasting them into a blog breaks both copyright and IDX rules.
A screenshot usually pulls listing photos and text out of their licensed context and drops all required credits and disclaimers. Instead, let MLSimport feed the listing into WordPress and then use your theme’s listing card block or shortcode inside the post. That keeps the broker name, MLS ID, and disclaimer attached, and the content comes from the approved IDX feed, not a back‑office screen.
Is it okay to email blog‑style market reports with embedded MLSimport listings to my database?
You can link to MLSimport‑driven listings from emails, but full IDX layouts should live on your site, not inside email.
Most MLSs treat your domain as the approved IDX display and treat email as marketing that should point people back. A safe pattern is: write the market report on your WordPress blog, embed the listings using your theme modules, then email a short summary with links back to that post and to listing pages. It sounds a bit fussy. But that pattern keeps all required attribution and disclaimers where the listing actually renders.
What happens if my MLS changes its IDX rules about sold data?
If your MLS tightens or relaxes sold‑data rules, you must change what you show, even if MLSimport still holds those fields.
The plugin will keep syncing what the RESO feed exposes, but local policy can change how much may be public. When your board updates its IDX policy, review any “Just Sold,” “Comps,” or market‑stats posts and update or hide parts that no longer match the rules. MLSimport filters and status settings make it pretty direct to stop importing or displaying certain statuses or fields from that point on.
Do I need broker approval before using listings in content?
Yes, your broker is the one on the IDX agreement, so you should clear unusual listing use with them.
The broker is responsible to the MLS for how your site handles listing data, including blogs and reports that mix IDX cards with commentary. Before you try heavy sold‑comp posts, “top 10” lists, or off‑site campaigns driven by MLS data, make sure your broker is comfortable and has read the MLS IDX policy. You might feel tempted to move fast, but that can backfire. When there is doubt, ask your broker or the MLS compliance office first, then build content on what MLSimport already does safely.
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