Why Am I Seeing Properties from Other Countries?

If you're noticing properties from other countries appearing in your API responses, this is actually normal behavior. MLS® Systems don't have built-in geographic restrictions, which means agents can and often do list properties "out of area." This practice is quite common in the real estate industry.

The Solution: Geographic Boundary Filtering

The most effective way to keep your search results local and confined to your desired geography is to create a boundary using our map parameter with GeoJSON boundary support.

How It Works

When you define a geographic boundary in addition to your other search filters, our system will automatically exclude any properties that fall outside that boundary from your search results. This ensures that only properties within your specified area are returned.

Implementation

To implement geographic filtering:

1. Define your boundary using GeoJSON format
2. Include the map parameter in your API requests
3. Combine with other filters as needed for your specific search criteria

Benefits of Using Geographic Boundaries

• Keeps results local to your target market
• Eliminates irrelevant listings from other countries or regions
• Improves user experience by showing only relevant properties

Getting Started

For detailed instructions on implementing the map parameter and GeoJSON boundary support, please refer to our comprehensive guide:

Filtering Listings Geo-Spatially Using the Map Parameter

This resource provides step-by-step instructions, code examples, and best practices for setting up geographic boundaries in your API requests.

What questions does this article answer?

• Why am I seeing listings from other countries in my search results?
• How can I restrict results to a specific country or region using geographic boundaries?
• How do I combine my normal filters with a boundary using the map parameter?
• How does geographic boundary filtering interact with MLS® behavior where agents can list out-of-area properties?

Updated on: 05/12/2025