--- title: "FMLS IDX: prepare your agent website approval brief" description: "Prepare an FMLS IDX website brief with broker approval, Marketplace product checks, listing display requirements, and tests for inquiries and updates" canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/fmls-idx-agent-website-approval-brief" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # FMLS IDX: prepare your agent website approval brief Before adding FMLS listing search to your website, identify the broker approving the use, the proposed product, and the website receiving the display. Request written confirmation of the specific connection before accepting a build scope. FMLS describes its Data Marketplace as the system used to approve and manage third-party access to its listing content. Start from the marketplace link on the official FMLS website. [FMLS Data Marketplace overview, checked 2026.10.23](https://firstmls.com/). Use this brief to gather the decisions your broker and provider need to answer. It does not establish approval for a particular agent, domain, or product. ## Identify the product and broker approval. Write down the provider and exact product proposed for your website. Ask who will handle the data-access request and which brokerage account must approve it. FMLS's data-distribution guidance says agent access to third-party products using its listing data depends on the principal broker's approval. It also describes vendors submitting products through Marketplace for approval. [FMLS data-distribution guidance, checked 2026.10.23](https://memberfirst.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/articles/all-about-fmls-data-distribution). Ask the provider to identify the current product record and required approval steps. If the product is absent, request the provider's next action. Keep the connection unresolved until the responsible parties confirm the path. Record the intended website address alongside the product. Ask whether a domain change or replacement provider requires another approval step. Do not infer that answer from a working demonstration on someone else's site. ## Separate IDX from other data uses. Define the job as public property search when that is what your website needs. Keep internal business tools and outside listing distribution in separate requirements. FMLS's guidance distinguishes IDX display on broker or agent websites from syndication to consumer portals. The same page describes multiple types of products in Marketplace. A marketplace listing alone does not tell your implementer which use you intend. [FMLS's data-use explanation, checked 2026.10.23](https://memberfirst.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/articles/all-about-fmls-data-distribution). Use the [MLS API access brief](/articles/mls-api-access-for-owned-agent-website) for the general distinction between a connection method and permission to use data. Bring FMLS-specific questions back to the broker and selected provider. ## Confirm the provider's actual FMLS support. IDX Broker publishes an FMLS feed page describing support for adding that feed to member websites. That establishes its published offering. It does not prove your account or domain has approval. [IDX Broker's FMLS page, checked 2026.10.23](https://www.idxbroker.com/mls/first-mls-fmls). If you choose that provider, ask it to confirm the product, website platform, current fees, and requested display. For another provider, request its own current FMLS documentation and product details. Keep prices and update promises out of the scope until the provider supplies current written terms for your setup. Record who pays each recurring service and who maintains the connection. ## Prepare a bounded display specification. Give the implementer a list of pages and functions to demonstrate. Ask the broker to identify the current display rules that apply to those pages. | Requirement | Evidence to request | | --- | --- | | Search page | Working example using the proposed FMLS connection | | Property detail | Approved fields, attribution, photos, and status presentation | | Featured inventory | Documented agent or office selection rule | | Status changes | Supported display behavior and correction owner | | Geographic filters | Actual boundaries and available search fields | | Inquiry | Receiving account and property reference | | Handoff | Account ownership, maintenance contact, and cancellation steps | Treat these as requirements to resolve with the selected product. The worksheet does not claim that every FMLS-connected service supports the same features. ## Test a property from search through inquiry. Choose a permitted sample with the broker. Compare the search result and property page with the approved source. Record missing or inconsistent fields for the provider. Inspect the phone layout, listing attribution, contact action, and return to search. Use controlled details for a clearly marked inquiry test. Verify that the intended recipient receives the question and property reference. Ask how the provider will demonstrate an update or removal without altering a real listing for a test. Record what was demonstrated and what remains unverified. ## Preserve the connection during a website change. Inventory your existing search and detail-page addresses before planning a replacement. Identify pages that remain, pages that move, and external services that continue. Use the [IDX and MLS website checks](/articles/idx-mls) for search access and page inspection. Keep the FMLS approval and provider handoff attached to the same project brief. Include this change in your [real estate website brief](/for/real-estate). Bring the product record, broker's decisions, page inventory, and unresolved terms to [Scope the work](/work). Define the listing display and inquiry acceptance checks before the build begins. - [MLS API access: how to request it for your own agent website](/articles/mls-api-access-for-owned-agent-website) - [Real estate CRM and website: map forms to contact records](/articles/real-estate-crm-and-website) ## Related: Real estate - [MLS API access: how to request it for your own agent website](/articles/mls-api-access-for-owned-agent-website) - [How MLS listings appear on your website, and what search can miss.](/articles/idx-mls) - [Real estate CRM and website: map forms to contact records](/articles/real-estate-crm-and-website) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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