No license, no listings. Every home on your website needs an MLS data license behind it, and that license comes with rules.
This is general education, not legal advice. MLS rules differ by market and change often, so your MLS's current rules always win. Sources checked 11/01/2026.
Buyers expect to search homes on your brokerage site, not only on the big portals. Getting those homes there runs through your MLS. The words you will hear are IDX, VOW and data license. They sound alike, but each one allows different things. This guide explains them in plain English, lists the display rules most MLSs share, and covers the 2025 policy changes that affect what shows up.
Three ways MLS data reaches a website
| Type | Who sees it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| IDX (Internet Data Exchange) | The public, no login needed | Showing other brokers' active listings on your site, with their permission through the MLS |
| VOW (Virtual Office Website) | Registered consumers who log in | An online version of what you could share with a client in person, sometimes with more data |
| Other data licenses | Usually your team, not the public | Back-office tools, reports and listing management, under a separate agreement |
All three come from the MLS, and each needs its own permission. A feed licensed for your back office does not let you put listings on a public website. Read what your agreement actually allows.
What IDX rules usually require
IDX rules start from NAR's model policy in its Handbook on Multiple Listing Policy. Each MLS then adopts its own version. As one current example, San Diego MLS's July 2026 IDX rules include these common points:
- Show who listed it. Listing attribution must appear on the first screen a viewer sees for a listing.
- Keep it fresh. Refresh IDX displays at least once every 12 hours.
- Do not change other brokers' listings. No editing or manipulating their information.
- Hide confidential fields. Information meant for agents, not consumers, stays off the public site.
- Respect opt-outs. A listing broker can opt out of IDX, and sellers can direct that their listing not be shown online.
The handbook also says an MLS must act on a request for an IDX feed within five business days. If your vendor has waited weeks, ask the MLS where the request stands.
You can choose which listings to show, within limits. NAR's guidance on objective criteria says IDX and VOW displays can filter by neutral, verifiable things like location, price range or property type. They cannot filter out listings based on the compensation offered or on a brokerage or agent name.
What a VOW adds
A VOW is more like a private client room. Under NAR's VOW policy in the same handbook, visitors register and log in, agree to terms of use, and the broker must be able to form a lawful broker and consumer relationship with them. In return, a VOW can often show data that IDX cannot, such as sold information where your MLS and state allow it.
Sellers have extra choices on a VOW. Beyond keeping their listing off the internet entirely, they can ask that automated value estimates and consumer comments not appear on their listing. Your VOW has to honor those settings.
What changed in 2025
NAR adopted its Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy on 03/25/2025, and MLSs had to put it in place by 09/30/2025. Two listing types matter for your website:
- Delayed marketing exempt listings. The listing goes into the MLS, but public marketing through IDX and syndication waits for a period set by each MLS.
- Office exclusive listings. The listing is filed with the MLS but not shared with other participants or marketed publicly.
Both need a signed seller certification. NAR kept its Clear Cooperation Policy in place alongside these options. For your site, this means some new listings will not show up in your IDX search right away. That is expected, not a broken feed.
Fair housing on your search
Search tools can steer buyers without anyone meaning to. Filters or answers about "safe areas," school quality, who lives in a neighborhood, religion or family status can create fair housing risk. Stick to facts about the home: price, size, location, features. Point buyers to public sources for schools and crime data. The same care applies to listing text; our guide to fair housing words to avoid covers that side.
Questions to ask your website vendor
Most brokerages do not build their own IDX site. A vendor does it, and the MLS holds you, the participant, responsible for what shows. Ask these before you sign:
- Whose license is it? The feed should run under your brokerage's MLS agreement, and you should be able to take it with you if you switch vendors.
- How often does it refresh? Get the number in writing and make sure it meets your MLS rule.
- How are opt-outs handled? Seller and broker opt-outs, office exclusives and delayed marketing listings should drop out on their own.
- What filters do buyers get? Ask to see every filter and every answer the search can give. Remove anything that hints at who lives in an area.
- What happens when the MLS changes a rule? MLS rules change often. You want a vendor that updates without a new contract.
Before you go live: a checklist
- Signed license. An IDX or VOW agreement with each MLS whose listings you show.
- Approved vendor. Your website vendor approved by the MLS, if it requires that.
- Attribution and disclaimers. Listing firm on the first screen, plus any wording your MLS requires.
- Refresh schedule. At least every 12 hours, or faster if your MLS asks.
- Opt-outs honored. Broker and seller opt-outs, and VOW settings for value estimates and comments.
- Neutral filters. No filtering by compensation or brokerage name, and no steering filters.
- Your name on it. Your brokerage name on every page and ad.
RealtyMind shows MLS data only where a signed MLS license exists. The brokerage sponsors one feed, and every agent's search, website and listing library runs on it, as described on the brokerages page. Listings flow in through the RESO Web API. Home search does not have a live MLS feed yet; MLS homes come once an MLS license is signed. Search takes plain-English requests with no steering filters, and every ad shows the brokerage name. See the full list on the built-in compliance page.
Questions
Can each agent get their own IDX feed?
IDX is a benefit for MLS participants, which usually means the broker. Agents typically display listings under their broker's IDX permission. Many brokerages run one feed that serves every agent's site.
Can we show sold prices on our website?
It depends on your MLS and your state. Some MLSs allow sold data on a VOW for registered users, and some states do not make sale prices public at all. Check your MLS rules before you display them.
Can we pull listings from the big portals instead?
No. Portal data is not licensed for your website. Use a feed licensed by your MLS for the way you plan to show it.
Why is a new listing missing from our IDX search?
It may be a delayed marketing exempt listing, an office exclusive, or a listing whose seller or broker opted out of internet display. It could also be a refresh delay. Check the listing's status in the MLS.
Do we need a separate license for each MLS?
Usually yes. Each MLS licenses its own data under its own rules, so a brokerage that works in several markets needs an agreement with each MLS it shows listings from.
Sources
Checked 11/01/2026. Laws and rules change; confirm anything important with your broker or a real estate attorney. This article is general information, not legal advice.
- NAR, Handbook on Multiple Listing Policy 2025 (IDX policy and VOW policy): https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-01/PDF-HMLP-2025-Handbook-on-Multiple-Listing-Policy-2025-01-23.pdf
- San Diego MLS, IDX Rules and Compliance, July 2026: https://sdmls.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IDX-Rules-and-Compliance-July-2026.pdf
- NAR, Policy Statement 8.5 and objective criteria in IDX and VOW: https://www.nar.realtor/policy-statement-8-5-and-objective-criteria
- NAR, Multiple Listing Options for Sellers: https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers