Diverse Solutions IDXpress

Houzez can be used with dsIDXpress IDX Plugin which is optional and it is not necessary for the functioning of the theme. This plugin allows WordPress to embed live real estate data from an MLS directly into a blog. You MUST have a dsIDXpress account to use this plugin.

Important requirements to use this plugin

• You must be an active member of multiple listing services (MLS). This means that anyone other than real estate agents and brokers (and, in some MLS’s, even agents are excluded) cannot use this plugin.
• The executives at the MLS must be progressive enough to allow the data to be syndicated to your blog from our (Diverse Solutions) API.
• Downloading and installing the dsIDXpress plugin is 100% free, but getting the data from your MLS is not. You can use the free demo data in the beginning and move on to obtaining your MLS’s data after you’ve evaluated it.
• Your web host must be running at least PHP 5.2. PHP 5.2 has been out since 2006, so if they aren’t using PHP 5.2, they’re quite a way behind the times. This is almost never an issue nowadays.
• You must be using at least WordPress 2.8. It will run faster on WordPress 2.9.1 and later.

dsIDXpress installation & activation

1. Go to your WordPress admin area, then go to the “Plugins” area, then go to “Add New”.
2. Search for “dsidxpress” (sans quotes) in the plugin search box.
3. Click “Install” on the right, then click “Install” at the top-right in the window that comes up.
4. Go to the “Settings” -> “dsIDXpress” area.
5. Fill in the dsIDXpress activation key.

For a more detailed installation guide, please take a look at the install wiki.

Using dsIDXpress Widgets

How to add your mapping IDX search to tour website

Limitations due to the dsIDXpress plugin

About user interface. IDX integration means theme work good with those third party IDX plugins but it is impossible to have the same page look for IDX listings, page search, property detail page, and property-related pages. IDX providers use iframe or shortcodes which don’t allow to change any HMTL or CSS code. It is also impossible to overwrite their HTML to make the same page design as Houzez default.

About searches. Theme default searches and maps never work with IDX nor it is possible because theme searches get data from the WordPress database and it is not possible to search and get data from the third party IDX provider database

This is how all WordPress themes work and in general each website that hosts IDX listings.