Procedure for Mass Uploading Properties to LuxuryRealEstate.com

What you need to do:

1. Create a data file named listings.txt containing information on the properties you wish to upload.
2. Optional: Create a zip archive file named supportFiles.zip containing all images, brochures and other resource files. Please keep image sizes under 100KB. Be aware our server is case sensitive. This archive file is not required if images, brochures and other resource files are already hosted on another site. The zip archive must not contain any folders.  Filenames must not contain spaces or characters other than numbers, letters, period, underscore and dash ( regex [a-zA-Z0-9-_.]). If you change to or from using supportFiles.zip, you must notify us. Please note using supportFiles.zip is not our preferred method for providing images, brochures and other resource files.
3. Provide us with an email address to send load reports to. Each time we load one of your data files an email will be sent to this address with details of the load.
4. E-mail initial listings.txt file to websupport@luxuryrealestate.com. 
After reviewing the file, we will create an FTP account and send you the login information.
5. FTP listings.txt and supportFiles.zip (if necessary) or upload listings.txt to the lounge whenever updates are needed.

Requirements for listings.txt

1. listings.txt must be either a tab delimited or CSV text file. Tab delimited is strongly recommended and may eventually be required.
2. The first line must be a list of field names for which you intend to provide data. This line determines how many field separators are expected on subsequent lines, and must conform to the CSV or tab delimited format.  Fields must be spelled and capitalized correctly.
   
3. All subsequent lines specify data (in the correct order) for the fields specified on the first line. One line per property. As our server is running Linux please note that the character required to end each line is a linefeed (ASCII value of 10 in Decimals). Please ensure data does not contain any line splitting characters. Any lines containing the wrong number of field separators will be ignored (i.e. the property will not be loaded).
4. Please maintain the correct number of field separators on each line - even for properties that provide incomplete data (i.e. contain no value for one or more fields).
5. For Tab delimited files, \n must be used in fields such as Description instead of newline and carriage return characters.
   

Changes to Procedure

• The price_comment field now only shows if the price_override field is set to 1.

• The listed_by_override field has been deprecated.

• New optional field hide_mortgage_calculator added. Passing '1' as data will hide the mortgage calculator feature on listings. '0' is the default and will display the mortgage calculator.

• The contact field has been deprecated and thus is no longer required.  

• Floorplan, Brochure and Map fields have been deprecated in favor of Document fields.  Document fields are not available in conjunction with supportFiles.zip.
• Max length for some fields shortened.
  

• destinations has been removed.  Destination is now automatically determined by looking at Country/State.
  

• type has been renamed to kind
  

• Addresses are now shown on luxuryrealestate.com, if you do not want your addresses shown, use the new field hide_street_address.
  
• We have a new FTP server - mdt.luxuryrealestate.com.  The old servers are still operational, but using the new ftp server allows you the option of uploading your listings.txt file in the lounge.  We will be shutting down the old FTP servers once we have everyone moved to the new server.
• agent_mls_ids has been renamed to agent_ids, office_mls_ids is now office_id
  

• On March 5, we deprecated mls_region.  Your mls value is now checked for uniqueness in Country/State (ISO3166).  So far, the only ISO3166 Country/State combination that we have found that has more than one multiple listing service, and those services have overlapping ids is the Virgin Islands.  In rare cases like Virgin Islands, the best way to ensure that your mls values are unique is to concatenate the mls id and the mls.  For example, instead of 09-123 for the mls, use 09-123:vir or 09-123:stj.
• Added images_updated.  This field is useful if you update your images without changing their URLs.  Just put the last time any of your images were updated, any ISO or common date/time format should work.
  

• On September 23, we changed office_mls_ids to office_mls_id.  You are only be able to specify one Office MLS id per listing, instead of a pipe delimited list (you can still specify multiple Agent MLS ids).  If you do send more than one office MLS id, only one will be used.  The old field name of office_mls_ids will still work until at least September 2010.
  

• renamed details to additional_details
  

• Added reports in the Lounge.
• lot_size split into lot_size and lot_size_unit
  
• Changed all CamelCasedFieldNames to underscored_field_names.  The old field names will still work, but you will receive messages in the reports about the preferred new field name.
  

• Added optional foreclosure_status field

• Bedrooms changed from text to integer
• Bathrooms deprecated, please use bathrooms_full and bathrooms_partial. We will attempt to parse the deprecated Bathrooms field, and if we are unable to do so, will place the data in details.
• Removed optional Borough field
• Country deprecated, please use country_code instead. We will attempt to determine the correct country_code if you send Country
• Continent deprecated, please use Destination instead.
• Added AssociateFees
• ImageTitle1..12 and ImageDesc1..12 are now deprecated in favor of ImageCaption1..12
• Added details field
• SquareFeet deprecated in favor of living_area and living_area_unit. We will attempt to parse the deprecated SquareFeet field, and if we are unable to do so, will place the data in "details".
• SalesStatus deprecated in favor of status. We will attempt to parse the deprecated SalesStatus field, and if we are unable to do so, will set the status to 'active'.
• LotSize is much stricter on input. If we cannot parse LotSize, it will be put into additional_details.
• Stricter parsing of CSV files. CSV files must conform to RFC 4180. Please only use CSV files if you cannot generate Tab delimited files. This may require changes to your MDT file, if it does not conform to the RFC.
• Stricter parsing of URLs, which must conform to RFC 2396.
  

January 2008

currency_code field added, uses ISO 4217 currency codes.

September 2007

AgentMLSIDs and OfficeMLSIDs fields added.

Sample File

List of Required Fields

The following table lists the fields for which we require data for every single property.

List of Suggested Fields

List of Optional Fields