New Home Developments API

Access your developments through our XML export API.

Introduction

With our export API you can programmatically access your developments, styles and plots for publishing on your own website or App. The developments API provides a single, HTTP based query method for accessing all or some of the new home property data stored within your EAF account. Using a set of query parameters your data can also be filtered down to more specific sets of development or style information. In simple terms it's a bulk data feed you can leverage in order to publish your property data within your own systems at the same time as website portals, which can dramatically save you valuable time when managing your listings across multiple platforms. API responses are provided in a bulk XML format - bulk meaning it may contain 1 or more records. XML is a widely recognised format for data transmission that web and software developers can access and start pulling data from in as little as 10 mins.

Accessing the API

Access to the export API is done using the GET HTTP method while callng the below fixed URL end-point.

End-point: https://estateagentfeeds.com/api/developments

When calling the URL it's important to note that there are some mandatory and optional parameters that are used in order to both authenticate the account being accessed as well as provide some basic filtering options of the data returned.

Your API key

To get your account or individual branch API key, please contact account support.

Query parameters

By default the API only returns developments within your account and nothing else. In order to include styles and their plots found within those developments, you can use one of two additonal values with the include parameter as part of your GET query.

key: [string] - required your API key which is unique to your account or to the individual branch within your account. include: [string] [styles, styles_plots] - the development data plus style information only, styles_plots includes style info and all related plots. unpublished: [string] [yes, no] - whether to include unpublished developments and style records in the results. By default this is yes. ref: [string] - limit results to the development or the style by its reference. style_type: [string] [apartment, detached_house, mews etc.] - if styles are included, filter them by their type. style_max_price: [number] - if styles are included, filter them by the maximum style price. style_flagged: [string] [yes] - if styles are included, only display those flagged as favourite. plot_status: [string] [available, reserved, sold] - if plots are included, filter them by their availability status. plot_qualifier: [string] [from, poa, shared_ownership, shared_equity, equity_loan, coming_soon] - if plots are included, filter them by their qualifier type. plot_max_beds: [number] - if plots are included, filter them by the number of bedrooms entered. plot_max_price: [number] - if plots are included, filter them by the maximum sales price entered.

Note: the export API will not include records that have been deleted regardless of which parameters are used.

Caching

Although you are free to access the API as frequently as your system may require, be aware that your feed is cached for at least 2 hours after it is generated and will only be refreshed when something on a development or style level has been modified or if a parameter forces a new results set that hasn't previously been cached, to be returned. While your property data remains the same, the API will return the previously generated feed. You can easily confirm when the feed was last generated by vewing the feed_updated tag at the top of the feed.

Feed format

The export API generates an XML feed of your developments and new homes data in a close to 1 to 1 mirror as seen within your account. In short, the feed will contain whatever values, images or attachments you've assigned to records within your dashboard with no material alterations, in human readable form using self explainatory XML tags. As such, the best way to start working with the API is to first create a development, a style and some plots, then query your feed to see what is presented.

Sample feed: eaf_new_homes_export_sample.xml

The feed structure

Below is a breakdown and summary of the basic feed structure. Please see the sample feed above for a complete example.

<root> <estate_agent_feeds> <feed_type>new_homes</feed_type> <feed_version>1.0</feed_version> <feed_updated><!-- the date and time the feed was last generated --></feed_updated> </estate_agent_feeds> <customer><!-- contains tags related to the account the feed relates --></customer> <development> <!-- contains all the sub tags related to the development including the styles and plots --> <development_address><!-- contains tags related to the development address which is shared by all styles in the development --></development_address> <developer><!-- contains tags related to the property developer involved in the development --></developer> <development_pricing><!-- contains tags related to the global pricing of the development --></development_pricing> <development_marketing><!-- contains tags related to all global marketing information about the development such as descriptions and specification --></development_marketing> <development_media><!-- contains media tags applied at the development level, such as photos, site plans or a brochure --></development_media> <development_styles> <!-- contains one or more property styles if either styles or styles_plots has been used --> <style> <style_pricing><!-- contains tags related to the styles pricing --></style_pricing> <style_material_information><!-- contains material information about the style such as council tax band or the maximum service charge --></style_material_information> <style_marketing> <style_features><!-- contains up to 10 key features of the style --></style_features> <style_features_outside><!-- contains details of the outside space available across the style --></style_features_outside> <style_floors> <!-- contains details of one or more floors and rooms found within the style --> <floor> <room><!-- contains tags related to the room on the related floor --></room> </floor> </style_floors> </style_marketing> <style_media><!-- contains any images and attachments related to this style --></style_media> <style_plots> <!-- if styles_plots has been set, this contains all tags related to plots within the style --> <plot><!-- contains tags related to the plot --></plot> </style_plots> </style> </development_styles> </development> </root>

Error responses

If you've accessed the API with invalid parameters or an invalid value of a parameter, an XML error response is returned such as the following:

<root> <estate_agent_feeds> <error_message>One of more invalid or missing parameters.</error_message> </estate_agent_feeds> </root>

Best practices

Querying: We recommend querying the API once or twice a day or no more than every 2 hours. Save data: When accessing the API, save the data returned to your own local database. Media files: Download all media files if these need to be displayed anywhere, Never publish any URL's directly. Updating records: Use the development or styles reference codes in combination with their updated dates to refresh your database. Publishing: Use the development or styles publish status to decide whether the property should be removed from your software.

Help and support

Please email support@estateagentfeeds.com if you require help with our developments API.

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