ORBIT, your AI partnerIn short
- IDX and VOW are ways of showing listing data from a board's MLS® System on a website.
- Your board and brokerage decide how listing data reaches your site.
- Fresh, accurate listings matter more than how many you show.
- Your own listings can shine on their own pages, feed or no feed.
IDX and MLS® listings on your website: the basics
When buyers search homes on an agent's website, the listings usually come from a data feed tied to a real estate board's MLS® System. The board shares that data with its members so they can show listings on their own sites.
Ontario has several real estate boards and associations, and many agents belong to one board while working across others. Which listings reach your site depends on the boards you belong to and the setup your brokerage supports.
This guide explains the common terms in general. Your board and your brokerage know the details for your area, so use it as a starting point for the right questions.
IDX, VOW and listing display in plain words
IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange. It generally lets participating members show active listings from many brokerages on their public websites, with each listing credited to the brokerage that holds it.
VOW stands for Virtual Office Website. It is generally an area where visitors register and sign in before they see more detail than a public page shows, such as extra history on a property.
Your own listings are a separate case. You can market the homes you list on your own site and on dedicated pages without needing a feed of everyone else's listings.
For a buyer, the difference is invisible. They see homes, photos and prices. What matters to them is that the search is easy, the listings are current and someone answers when they ask about a home.
| Term | What it generally means | Who you talk to |
|---|---|---|
| MLS® System | The co-operative selling system a board runs for its members | Your board |
| IDX display | Public display of active listings from a board's data feed | Your board and brokerage |
| VOW | A sign-in area that can show more detail to registered visitors | Your board and brokerage |
| Your own listings | Homes your brokerage lists, marketed by you | Your brokerage and your seller |
| National distribution | Listing data shared nationally with members' sites, where listing brokerages take part | Your brokerage |
How the pieces fit together
Three parties shape what appears on your site. The board provides the listing data. Your brokerage approves how its agents use it. A website or data provider connects the feed to your pages.
Boards commonly ask members to sign a data agreement, use a provider they work with, refresh listings regularly and remove homes once they sell or come off the market. The exact steps vary by board, so ask for them early.
Most of this is set up once. After that, the feed runs in the background and your job is to make sure buyers who find a home on your site hear back from you quickly.
- Which boards you belong to through your brokerage
- The data agreement your board uses
- Which providers your board already works with
- How often listings refresh and how fast sold homes drop off
- How each listing brokerage is shown on the page
Questions to ask before you choose a setup
Before you pay for any listing feature, get clear answers from your brokerage, your board and the provider. A short list of questions now saves money and rework later.
Write the answers down and keep them with your website records. If anything changes later, you will know exactly what was set up and why.
- Ask your brokerageWhich boards am I a member of through you, and how do your agents usually show listings on their own sites?
- Ask your boardWhat do I sign to receive listing data, which providers do you work with, and what can appear on a public page?
- Ask the providerWhich boards do you have feeds for, who handles the paperwork, and how fast are sold listings removed?
- Check the wordingMake sure buttons and headings write MLS® correctly and that each listing shows its brokerage.
Keep listings fresh and accurate
Stale listings frustrate buyers. A home that sold two weeks ago and still shows as available sends a buyer on a wasted call and makes the whole site feel neglected.
Keep each listing as the listing brokerage published it. If something looks wrong, contact the listing agent rather than changing the details yourself.
Add a short line on listing pages inviting buyers to confirm availability with you. It turns a stale-listing moment into a conversation.
Check your own site once a week the way a buyer would. Search your main area and price range, open three listings and make sure the photos load, the details read well and the ask-about-this-home button reaches you.
A buyer in Kanata asks about a townhouse she saw on an agent's site, but it sold the week before. The agent replies within minutes, sends two similar homes still on the market and books a Saturday tour. He then asks his provider how often the feed refreshes.
Where Tanero fits
Tanero's website templates include Home, Search homes, Sold, Home value, Calculators, Playbooks, Neighbourhoods, About, Book a meeting, Contact and Blog pages. ORBIT also builds a property page from live MLS® data for any listing you name, with its own short link.
Property pages are a separate tool. Give ORBIT an MLS® number or an address and it builds a page for that listing from its real facts and photos, with its own short link and a way to request a viewing.
Whatever setup you choose, confirm it with your brokerage before you share the site widely.
Make your own listings shine
A feed shows buyers everything. Your own listings deserve more than a row in a search result: a full photo gallery, the story of the home, the neighbourhood and a simple way to book a visit.
A dedicated page for each listing gives you one short link for the sign, the flyer, your posts and your texts. Every channel then sends people to the same place.
Sellers notice this effort. Showing a seller how their home will look on its own page is a strong moment in a listing presentation.
Questions
Can I put IDX and MLS® listings on my website in Ontario?
Usually yes, through your board's listing data and with your brokerage's approval. Ask both which listings and details can appear and which providers they work with.
What is the difference between IDX and VOW?
IDX generally covers public display of active listings. A VOW is a sign-in area that can show registered visitors more detail. Your board decides what each one includes.
Does a Tanero website include listing search?
Yes. Every Tanero website template has a listing search page, and ORBIT builds property pages from live MLS® data for any listing you name.
Do I need a feed to market my own listings?
No. You can give each of your listings its own page with photos, details and a viewing request, and share that link everywhere.
Can I show sold prices on my site?
That depends on your board and on where the data appears. Some boards make sold details available only in a sign-in area. Your board can tell you what is possible.