In this case study, we extend the functionality of an existing WordPress website with a custom WordPress real estate plugin. Our custom property plugin automatically captures lead information collected during open house visits, provides users with a personalized experience, and helps realtors close sales.
The Challenge
Open houses have traditionally used a sign-in sheet to log visitors. Realtors would use this sheet to follow up with potential buyers following an open house or viewing. This process resulted in lost or incorrectly logged information and added extra steps in what should be a very simple process.
COVID-19 created additional challenges. Pens needed to be regularly sanitized, or thrown away following use. Surfaces and handled needed to be routinely cleaned. During busy open houses, this process required an additional staff member to log information and sanitize/replace equipment between each visit.
The challenge of this project was to simplify the check-in process with a simple sanitary solution and consolidate property visitor data into a single digital list via the existing WordPress website. We decided the best way to do this was to create a custom WordPress real estate plugin.
Open House Check-in Web App
A QR code allows visitors to quickly pull up the web app on their smartphone. This permits contactless check-in for the open house.
The application is also designed to run on an iPad. iPads were chosen for this project because they could be quickly sanitized between scheduled open-house viewings.
Buyer & Agent Check-In
Prospective buyers & agents are directed to check in when they visit the open house. A QR code takes the user to the Open House check-in screen where the user logs in and creates a “check-in”. This record creates an account and is used to communicate with the prospective buyer, create notes and assign an interest score.
Administrator View
Users are created in real-time. This permits Pospischil’s real estate agents to add notes and create an interest score for each visitor while conducting the open house.
When an administrator views the property, they are able to see all of the Buyers and Agents that visited the property during the open house. The functionality permits administrators to quickly send an email or SMS text message or even download a CSV to update their CRM. Administrators can also view property stats and share property documents with the Buyers and Agents that visited the open house.
The Check-In table is filterable and sortable. This custom functionality allows administrators to quickly locate and send a direct message to a specific open house visitor or send an update to all visitors with an interest level of 3 or higher.
Property Stats and Property Documents provide administrators with an update on the property at a glance.
WordPress Customizations
The beauty of this system is that it extends the functionality of the Inspiry Themes RealHome WordPress theme website. This allows the Pospischil team to view and maintain a single system, rather than supporting multiple systems.
User Types
We created two new user types (Buyer, Agent) for this project. This allows us to manage data inputs separately from WordPress built-in user types. The system permits user-generated information and provides custom functionality for these users.
Property Access & Document Sharing
We also created a membership layer on the client’s existing WordPress website to password protect each individual property. This permits us to display additional content to users that have access. This functionality allows administrators to share property documents to all open house visitors with a single upload. This functionality also permits direct sharing of password-protected via a unique link, which is not indexable by search engines.
Buyer & Agent View
Non-Logged In User
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