Getting Started with IDX Plugin
Everything we build and do around IDX Broker, and how to connect your account in about a minute.
On this page
In short
- Everything we build around IDX Broker, in one place.
- Products you use yourself, and our hands when you need them.
- IDX Broker keeps the MLS data and your leads.
- Setup is one API key, about a minute.
What IDX Plugin is
IDX Plugin is everything we build and do around IDX Broker so that a real estate website actually works. Some of it is software you use yourself, some of it is work we do for you, and it covers every starting point: a site you already run, a site you want to build, or no site at all. All of it is free through our IDX Broker developer partnership.
In practice that means:
- Search forms in several layouts, from a full hero bar to a compact sidebar box, all running the same portal-grade search.
- Listing widgets that put real properties on your homepage, landing pages and blog posts.
- IDX Broker templates that replace the default layout of your search, results and listing pages with our own.
- Global Styles, one place for colors, typography, spacing and effects, feeding everything above.
- The MyHome IDX theme, our premium WordPress theme, free for your IDX Broker work.
- A complete IDX website if you don't have one yet, or want a fresh start.
- Our support, which can take the setup work off your hands entirely.
Here is one of those search forms, live on this page. Type a city and watch how the autocomplete behaves. This is a demo MLS, and on your site it runs on your own.
How it works together with IDX Broker
Your IDX Broker account stays the engine. It holds your MLS access, generates the IDX pages, and runs everything around leads: property enquiries, saved searches, listing alerts, favorites and registered user accounts. All of that keeps working exactly as IDX Broker built it, and every lead lands in your IDX Broker account as before.
What we add is the layer your visitors actually see and touch. The search fields, the listing cards, the page layouts and the styling of it all. Nothing is copied or stored on our side, so your site is always showing live MLS data with nothing to sync.
| Handled by IDX Broker | Handled by IDX Plugin |
|---|---|
| MLS access and listing data | Modern search forms and listing widgets |
| Search, results and listing pages | Our templates and layouts for those pages |
| Leads, saved searches, alerts, favorites | Where the lead forms appear and how they look |
| Your subscription and billing | Styling, setup work and support, at no cost |
Connect your IDX Broker account
Everything runs on your IDX Broker account and a free IDX Plugin account, connected with your API key. That is the whole setup, and it changes nothing on your current website or in your existing IDX Broker setup, so it is completely safe to try. No IDX Broker account yet? Create a free IDX Plugin account and we help you get set up, with the $100 IDX Broker setup fee waived.
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1
Copy your API key from IDX Broker
Log in to IDX Broker, open Home › API Control, and copy the key.
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2
Paste the key in your IDX Plugin dashboard
Open Account Settings and paste it. Setup takes about a minute.
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3
We prepare your widgets
Once connected, we create a set of ready widgets for you, linked to your account. These are new widgets on our side. Your website and anything you already have in IDX Broker stay untouched.
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4
Check your widgets
Open any widget and click its preview to see it filled with live data from your MLS.
Your widgets
You do not start from a blank screen. After connecting your account the dashboard already contains ready widgets, including search forms and listing widgets, so the first thing to do is simply look through what is already there.
A listing widget is the other half of the set. This one is live, with real cards and working lead capture.
Adjust a widget in the Live Editor
Every widget opens in the Live Editor, a visual editor with settings on the left and an instant preview on the right. No code is involved. You adjust the layout, fields, colors and behavior, and the preview updates as you click. If you want a decision maker or a client to see a widget before launch, you can also send them a PIN-protected public preview link.
Add a widget to your website
Widgets work on every website platform, and we have a ready guide for each of the popular ones: WordPress, Elementor, Gutenberg, Wix, Squarespace and Webflow. If your platform is not on the list, the universal guide covers any website that accepts an embed.
Then the pages your search leads to
The widgets cover your own pages. The search results, the single property page and the supporting IDX pages are generated by IDX Broker, and they come with a default layout. Activating our templates on them is what turns the whole path into one consistent design, and it takes a few minutes. You can see the whole thing live on our demo site: run a search and follow it through to a property page.
What to read next
- Test IDX Plugin with just your API key, what the free 30-day test covers.
- Global Styles, set your brand once and every widget and page follows.
- IDX Broker Templates, modern search, results and listing pages for your account.
- Assign us as your developer partner, one email that keeps everything running.
- Search forms, every layout and when to use it.
- Listing widgets, showcase and carousel widgets with modern cards.
- What our support covers, if you would rather have us do the setup.
- Your platform guide, exact steps for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and more.
No IDX Broker account yet?
Create a free IDX Plugin account and we take it from there. We help you get IDX Broker set up, connect it to the website you already have, or launch a complete new one for you.
Get Started, it's free → You only pay IDX Broker. The $100 setup fee is waived through us.