FAQ for Data Distribution Facility

The answer is simple: to keep costs low. Annual billing reduces overhead due to bookkeeping, transaction fees, and reduces the risk of account errors. All of these combined mean that one bill annually saves you time and money.

The DDF® is allows you to show any or all of the National Listing Pool. Agent iFrame® service is limited to the province in which you are licensed to trade real property.

You can also choose to show only your listings and/or your office listings.

We like to use the Avada theme because it’s the #1 theme for WordPress and very well supported. Avada include a set of 60+ stock layouts and designs so a site can be 100% custom or off-the-shelf.

Email deliverability from website forms should be a major concern for Realtors®. Our research indicates that the vast majority of Realtors® have experienced a call from a client like, “I used the form on your website but didn’t hear back you.” When every customer contact counts, receiving leads from web forms is crucial to the success of your business. That’s why we use “transactional email”. It is the same system that e-commerce giants use to acheive maxiumum deliverability for receipts, password resets, and other critical email. It’s also the same system that is built-into and included free of charge with every Agent iFrame® account so you can be assured that your customers can reach you.

The DDF® is a listing distribution system developed by CREA. It allows you to have automated listings on your website and show listings from other brokerages who have opted into the National Listing Pool. It’s like a national handshake system among CREA members. Benefit to your business? Visitors can see listings from across Canada on your site, regardless of brokerage, which makes them more likely to return. (Brokers must opt-in to DDF® to participate.) You receive the inquiries that originate from your sites. And that means more business.

An iframe is the same technology used by Youtube.com that allows people to share the videos on their personal websites and blogs. It’s an embeddable code that loads simultaneously with the content on your webpage.

Agent iFrame® Map Search can be used on multiple sites at the same time. Simply create and paste an iframe into the pages where you want to see the listings.

The first step is to sign-up for the service on this site. Next, your client’s DDF® filters need to be set-up at realtorlink.ca to send us the data. The full instructions on how to do this are in the purchase receipt. Within 48 hours, we’ll receive the data from CREA/Realtor.ca and send the Agent iFrame® Map Search codes.

We are here to help at each step of the way. Our aim is to make you look good, too. Consider us your virtual tech support for setting up real estate websites. Contact us if you have questions.

This is a common support question. Use this helpful checklist to self-serve. Of course, please call our office at 877-556-4233 if need assistance.

  • A possible configuration error at CREA:
    • The data filter is not configured correctly
    • The data provider is not selected to show Agent iFrame® by TRES Labs
    • The filter has been disabled for a variety of issues such as changing offices (Call CREA helpdesk)
  • Listings don’t show:
    • Data has not been released to provider account yet
    • There is a copy-paste error in the iframe codes
    • Your account has been disabled by TRES Labs for non-payment (this is the default error message)
  • Missing listings
    • Listing has expired
    • Listing is marked “do not include in DDF®” at board level
    • Listing is missing the postal code or other information
    • Brokerage that owns the listing doesn’t participate in DDF®

Yes, of course! You’ve come to the right place. We love helping new webmasters and designers get started in the real estate industry. You probably have 100 questions and we’re happy to answer all of them for you. Send us an email or call us toll-free for assistance (877-556-4233) to get started.

Beginning September 1, 2018, all listings inquiry forms will include text messaging as a standard feature. When a visitor completes a form on the listing details page you will also receive an instant text message. This will allow you to call or text them back right away to improve the “qualification rate”. An instant reply from a website form is up to 21x more effective compare to a mere 30 minutes later. It’s the ace your business needs to succeed. More information here.

These suggestions assume that you have already opened an account and have received codes from us for your website.

There are three basic reasons why listings will not show:

  1. Your data filter at realtorlink.ca needs to specify Agent iFrame® by TRES Labs so your data can flow to our servers.
  2. You may have copy-pasted the code incorrectly, or incompletely. Try again or call our office for assistance.
  3. There may be a page-builder conflict. Use only the iframe part of the code. Click here for the solution.
  4. Your account may be past-due and was suspended.

Yes, WordPress allows you to change the theme at any time with just a few clicks. The new theme will have different layout settings and you may need to hire someone to help you achieve the look you want. We can help you change the theme or your webmaster can do it. Either way, you get exactly what you want.

It’s okay to choose Jumpstart and then use your theme over the framework. The new theme will need to be configured so your content is where you expect it to be. Your own webmaster can do this or we can do it for you for a small fee.

Generally speaking, most national companies use a page builder system that isn’t portable. Their sites are not designed to be exported for use on other servers. You can’t reuse your existing website if it’s from one of these companies unless it was made with WordPress.

We believe that if you find a good thing, stay with it. Let your webmaster know that we’re here for them if they need assistance or have questions. You can count on us to give your webmaster full support, at no extra charge.

If you have a prepaid account, and want to switch, we’ll credit your new account with the amount of the prepayment. This way, you can get started using the DDF® or updating your website right away at no cost to you. No need to send proof. Just email us a declaration of your out-of-pocket expense after you sign up and your account will be credited with a prorated renewal date. (Please note that we reserve the right to request proof of pre-payment.)

This is a common question and concern. We can take care of this for you and have everything ready to go in a couple of hours.

With your new account, you’ll receive about 60 minutes of free training by phone and screen-share. For some agents, this will provide a good foundation to maintain your new site. Others may need more training or may wish to increase their knowledge through tutorials and videos. Of course, you’re welcome to call our toll-free help line any time you have a question or need assistance.

We only accept pre-authorized credit card payments. This allows us to keep costs low and improve customer service and accuracy. All payments are processed by Bambora.com and receipts are issued directly from Quickbooks. We don’t keep any credit card information in our systems. The transaction is between you and Bambora.com.

We’ll do it for you with your account set-up if you choose to host with us. We’ll move your WordPress or pure HTML site for free but there might be a small charge to move your PHP site. That’s because a PHP site needs a little extra attention.

The first step is to create your data feeds in www.realtorlink.ca (look for the DDF® Control Panel). Next, sign-up for Agent iFrame® or Agent Jumpstart. After the sign-up process is complete, you’ll receive further instructions and our toll-free support number. Don’t worry about trying to figure it out on your own, just call us if you have any questions.

Not all boards publish a link to the DDF® Dashboard in the realtorlink.ca portal. If you cannot find the link, login to realtorlink.ca and in the same browser address bar, paste http://member.realtor.ca/Distribution. Look for a link to the DDF® Dashboard.

Check out the support site where you can see a demo and get some ideas on how to use Agent iFrame® for your projects.

There is a side-by-side comparison of features on the price list page.

Questions? Give us a call M-F, 9-5, EST at 877-556-4233.

Yes, it will work on any website where you can paste HTML.

Yes, Agent iFrame® is fully compliant with all websites that require an SSL certificate assigned to iframe and third-party content.

Agent iFrame works in any website that accepts HTML. Here are just a few of the places where you can paste Agent iFrame® to showing listings:

  • Wix.com
  • WordPress (host anywhere or with us if you need on-going support)
  • Point2Agent
  • Plesk/CPanel website builder
  • Squarespace
  • Pure HTML
  • Pure PHP
  • PHP/mySQL
  • And many, many other types of websites and social media!

We use pre-authorized credit card transactions to keep our prices low. Our system will automatically send you an invoice each billing period. If there is a problem with your card, Bambora, our processing partner, will notify you directly. They’ll also email you when your card is about to expire so that you can contact us to update your info. If you forget, we’ll send you an email before your expiry date.

Agent iFrame® Map Search works with any website that accepts copy-paste HTML so you can keep your existing hosting, webmaster, and website.

Your company credit card may be used to maintain an account when you have permission from our accounts receivable department. Otherwise, you will need to use your client’s credit card to enroll in the service. This provides the highest level of accountability to the REALTOR® from you and us.

All listings include high resolution photos and multimedia provided by Realtor.ca.

We are asked this question a lot! To help you and your client visualize how the service will look and feel on their new website, you can experiment with codes found here. The menus will show different ways of using Agent iFrame® Map Search.

You can break out the iframe to experiment with menu linking. Or, you may want to view the page source and copy the iframe code for your own ideas.

Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance.

Yes, WordPress is designed for non-techies to do everything themselves. WordPress is used by 1 in 4 websites on the Internet. Almost everyone knows how to use it, from after-school assistants to professional website companies. We’re happy to help with maintenance tasks for a small fee.