Understanding Repliers' Duplicate Listings Feature

What Are Duplicate Listings?

When you subscribe to Repliers with access to multiple MLS (Multiple Listing Service) boards, you may encounter the same property listed in more than one MLS. This commonly occurs when a brokerage belongs to multiple MLSs in close proximity and lists a property on both systems to maximize exposure.

For example, a property in a border area between two MLS territories might be listed in both systems with different MLS numbers but representing the same physical property.

How Repliers Identifies Duplicates

Repliers provides information about duplicate listings through the duplicatesDetails array in the listing response. This array identifies other MLSs where the same property appears, along with the corresponding MLS numbers.

Here's an example of the duplicatesDetails array:

"duplicatesDetails": [
  { "mlsNumber": "X12050450", "boardId": 90 },
  { "mlsNumber": "X12050450", "boardId": 2 },
  { "mlsNumber": "40710425", "boardId": 88 },
  { "mlsNumber": "40710425", "boardId": 17 },
  { "mlsNumber": "40710425", "boardId": 86 },
  { "mlsNumber": "40710425", "boardId": 16 }
]

In this example, the same property appears with MLS number "X12050450" in board IDs 90 and 2, and with MLS number "40710425" in board IDs 88, 17, 86, and 16.

Why This Matters

Understanding duplicate listings is primarily important for data replication scenarios:

Data Replication Considerations

If you're building a system that replicates data from Repliers to your own database:

You'll want to avoid storing and displaying the same property multiple times
The duplicatesDetails array is essential for identifying and handling duplicates during your data import process
Without proper deduplication, your users might see the same property listed multiple times in search results
Understanding this feature might lead you to reconsider whether a replication approach is optimal for your needs

Types of Duplicates

It's important to note that duplicates can occur in two ways:

Cross-MLS Duplicates: The same property listed in multiple MLS boards (as shown in the example above)
Same-MLS Duplicates: The same property existing in different datafeed types within the same MLS (for example, in both IDX and VOW feeds)

Both types of duplicates need to be considered in your deduplication strategy.

Using the Duplicates Information

For Data Replication

When replicating data to your own system, you can use the duplicatesDetails array to:

Identify all instances of the same property across different MLS boards
Implement rules to determine which version of the listing to keep (such as the most recently updated)
Prevent duplicate properties from appearing in search results

Automatic Deduplication Feature for Real-Time API Usage

If you're using Repliers' APIs in real-time (sending requests directly to Repliers as users interact with your application), you don't need to worry about implementing deduplication yourself:

Repliers automatically handles deduplication for real-time API requests
The system identifies duplicate listings across both multiple MLS boards and different datafeed types
Only one version of each property is returned in search results
Your users see a clean, deduplicated set of listings without any additional work on your part

This built-in deduplication is one of the key advantages of using Repliers' APIs in real-time versus implementing a data replication approach. When evaluating your integration strategy, consider whether the complexity of handling duplicates in a replication scenario outweighs the benefits.

Understanding boardIds

BoardIds are numerical identifiers that represent different MLS systems in the Repliers platform. To effectively use the duplicate listings feature, it's important to understand which boards you have access to and what areas they cover.

For more information about boardIds, please visit our detailed guide: Understanding and Using BoardIDs in the Repliers API

Need Additional Help?

If you need assistance implementing deduplication for your specific use case, please contact Repliers support. Our team is ready to help you develop the best strategy for your application.

Updated on: 02/04/2025