From: The Desk of Ken Franklin, Chief Technology Officer

Subject: Transforming Data Access with RAPI

As Chief Technology Officer of Realcomp, I am excited to announce a significant leap forward in how Realcomp delivers real estate data. Realcomp has developed a cutting-edge OData API (application programming interface) that we are calling RAPI, the Realcomp API.

How does this concern Realcomp Subscribers?

You may be unaware of the intricate technicalities involved in the process of how MLS data reaches websites, back-office applications, or even the major portal websites. Over the past two decades, the transport method for getting MLS data, each in its own proprietary MLS data format, to IDX and VOW vendors, to back-office system vendors, to national portals, and even to MLS data share partners has been the Real Estate Transaction Standard, or RETS.

RETS is a transport method; it is a defined way to move data from a source to a destination. Also with RETS, every data source had its own, proprietary list of fields and features, its own, unique data layout, or “data dictionary”. This reality has always made it challenging for data recipients, applications, portals, and websites to work with multiple data sources. Therefore, the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) worked for many years to develop both a standard data dictionary for our industry and a more efficient, API-based transport method for delivering data.

Why the Switch from RETS to API?

This release of RAPI is not just an upgrade; it’s a transformation in the way we deliver real estate data, providing significant progress forward in efficiency and reliability. Our legacy system for delivering data, based on the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS), has served us well. However, as technology evolves, so must we.

RAPI supersedes RETS in numerous ways, the most notable being its adherence to the RESO Data Dictionary format. The Real Estate Standards Organization provides the foundation for streamlined data across North America, and increasingly across the globe. We adopted this data dictionary format for our listing input system back in June 2022 with the roll-out of Remine Add/Edit. The standardization of our data ensures a more streamlined and consistent display across the Realcomp provided applications, our data sharing partner MLS applications, on IDX and VOW websites, in broker back office and franchise systems. RAPI can deliver this standardized data exactly how it is input by our subscribers in the Add/Edit system, so nothing is lost in translation, unlike RETS which still delivers data in a proprietary format and method.

Another benefit of RAPI is its use of OData and international standards for APIs (application programming interface). In a nontechnical sense, you can think of an API as the panel on the back of a TV with ports and jacks to input and output media. It’s a set of standardized ways for technology systems to interact with each other. It’s an interface for access and delivery of data. RETS was proprietary to the real estate industry, is based on twenty-year-old technology, and is difficult to integrate with. On the other hand, RAPI is based on current standards and technology and can be easily integrated into new applications. RAPI is also far more secure, conforms to the RESO Data Dictionary 1.7 format, and is compliant withRESO’s Web API Server Core 2.0.0 standard. RAPI is certified to the highest level currently offered by RESO.

Benefits of Switching to RAPI:
1. Enhanced Performance: Experience data transactions that are 15% faster than the industry standard, boosting your efficiency and response time.
2. Standardized Data: The RESO Data Dictionary 1.7 format ensures uniformity in data representation, making it easier for you to interpret, analyze, and utilize the information.
3. Improved Data Quality and Accuracy: With standardized data comes improved accuracy and quality, reducing discrepancies and errors.
4. Future-Proof Technology: As the industry moves towards more modern data standards, RAPI keeps you ahead of the curve.
5. Easier Integration and Scalability: The new API simplifies integration with your existing systems and scales to meet growing data demands.
6. Enhanced Security: We employ the latest OAuth 2.0 security protocols, ensuring your data is protected and compliant with industry standards for security.
7. Cost-Effective: Minimize your operational costs with a more efficient data retrieval process, and less mapping overhead to translate data from our legacy format.

Embrace the Future:

The real estate industry is rapidly evolving, and technology plays a pivotal role in this transformation. By switching to RAPI, you are not just keeping up; you are staying ahead. You are choosing a tool that empowers you with faster, more reliable, and more accurate data.

Data Access via RAPI

Realcomp will be contacting all existing IDX, VOW, and Back-Office Software vendors over the coming weeks and months inviting them to transition to RAPI. We want to do this in a controlled way so that we can monitor RAPI server utilization and scale up server resources as needed. Brand new vendors looking to get an MLS data feed to support a Realcomp-Subscribing REALTOR or brokerage will get set up with RAPI. If you or your vendor have any questions about this transition from RETS to RAPI, about IDX, or about MLS data access in general, please contact IDXSupport@realcomp.com. You can find out more information about Realcomp MLS data access and RAPI on our website at https://Realcomp.MoveInMichigan.com . You can also find more information about RESO Web APIs at https://www.reso.org/reso-web-api/ and about the RESO Data Dictionary at https://www.reso.org/data-dictionary/ .