The recent Drupal 7 release has me excited about the direction of core and some of the new opportunities for developers in the real estate space. One of the strong points for me is the implementation of fields and how streamlined it has made certain aspects of development. There are challenges however and Drupal 7 seems to have lost a step in speed.
I would like to know if there is interest in developing a framework(module or series of modules) by some community members. Last year I had asked the same question but stopped once Pirets and Drealty were released. Both are excellent modules but they don't work for a number of MLS implementations because the RETS protocol is not being followed by the MLS organizations not a fault of the modules or developers who wrote them.
My thoughts are...
1) Create a module as the framework/API for taking data and storing it appropriately. The module will leverage drush on the initial setups of the feeds. The module will take multiple mls feeds from the onset which means the initial data import could be huge and without drush it just won't work.
2) Create sub modules for the specific MLS's and their individual implementations of the RETS protocols. When setting up a RETS feed you would choose the appropriate sub-module from a widget and the module would do all of the work.
3) Create a client/user interface that allows for saved searches and email updates of new listings that meet their criteria.
With the right approach and clear plan I think this complex project can be wrestled into submission.
Drupal 7 is still in it's infancy and if we can get ahead of the curve I think D7 can own the real estate industry.
I look forward to your thoughts.
Will