php mls integration / import scripts / where to begin

Developers, looking for php mls integration? Searching the web for php mls integration scripts, information or example code will turn up virtually nothing. Most programmers don't share this type of information freely and when you do find something decent they want a fortune for the script. Since there seems to be so many small design firms and solo designers out there that are looking for php mls integration info we have decided to share a bit of our knowledge on the subject with you.

What will I need to get started?

Software: You will need to figure out what you will be using to display / search mls listings. This could be a 3rd party script or a custom script that you write yourself. If you are going to go 3rd party there are a lot of choices out there.

Start by searching Google for php real estate script. You can also go to http://www.hotscripts.com and search there. The better ones will be version 2 or higher and will have example sites you can visit other than their demo.

If you are using a cms like Joomla as your solution take a look at Mosets Hot Property. We've never tried it personally but do know other developers that have and they are happy with it.

Hardware: You will definitely want a dedicated server to host the mls database on. If you live in a state that has a very small number of real estate listings (say 3000 or less) you could get away with hosting the data on a shared hosting account but we don't recommend it. You can find database only hosting out there for less than $20.00 a month so if you are on a tight budget and can't afford a full dedicated server this is probably the way to go.

Data Import: Once you have a listings solution up and running you will need to import the mls data into your listings database. This isn't as hard as it sounds and you can write a decent import script in less than a day if you prepare ahead of time.

Where To Start: Basically all you need to do is look at the database provided with your listing solution. Make notes of the database fields that are required for a listing to be added, displayed and or searched. Then go through the data provided by your mls and try to match up field names with your listing solutions corresponding database fields so you have an idea of what goes where. Once you have that part figured out you can start writing your import script.

Now you're thinking yea, right, like I know how to write an import script! If you are using php, most of what you need is built in. First you need to copy the data/photos to your server. If your mls requires you to download data and photos a good example of how to do this using php is available in the php ftp functions section of php.net. Once you have the data on your server and ready for import you can use the csv functions provided by php to read/parse your data for insertion into your listings database.

If you have a good basic understanding of php and mysql, the information we provided above should get you well on your way to creating a decent import script.

If you feel that you don't have the skills necessary to write your own scripts or are pressed for time and need a quick solution we offer our services for a one-time flat fee. FTP data / image transfer scripts are $150.00. Custom IDX/MLS data import scripts are $650.00. We also offer remotely hosted solutons starting at $29.95 monthly. If you are interested in purchasing one of our custom scripts or wish to inquire about our hosted solutions email us here.