Everything you need to launch EstateAI

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing EstateAI! Everything below is organised in the order you'll actually need it — start at Installation, follow the Quick Setup, and use the reference sections as you go.

Requirements

• WordPress 5.8+ and PHP 7.4+
• Optional: an OpenAI API key — only for the AI features. Everything else works without it, and each AI feature has a non-AI fallback.
• Optional: a Meta WhatsApp Cloud API account — only for automatic sending. Click-to-chat needs just a phone number.

Installation

1. UploadIn WordPress admin go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
2. Install & activateChoose estateai.zip, click Install Now, then Activate.
3. DoneA new EstateAI CRM menu appears. Activation creates the CRM tables, the EstateAI Agent role and background schedules automatically.

Quick Setup — recommended order

1. General settingsSettings → General: company info, currency symbol & format, area unit, listings per page.
2. Brand colorsSettings → Colors: pick accent + highlight; EstateAI generates the full shade palette for admin and front-end.
3. Add taxonomiesProperty Types, Locations, Amenities, Statuses. The AI search learns its vocabulary from these.
4. Add propertiesWith photos, price, details and a gallery.
5. Create agentsAgents → Add, then assign properties to them.
6. Create pagesHome (AI search + featured), Properties ([estateai_properties]), Compare ([estateai_compare]).
7. Enable AIAdd your OpenAI key under Settings → AI, switch on Search, Chatbot and Compare.
8. Set visit availabilitySite Visits → Availability: days, hours, slot length, notice period.
9. Connect WhatsAppStart with click-to-chat; upgrade to the Cloud API later. Enable the triggers you want.
10. Test the journeySearch → shortlist → compare → chat → book a visit → check the lead in the CRM.

Properties

Properties are a custom post type with an archive at /properties and a purpose-built single template — gallery, facts, amenities, map, visit booking, inquiry form and an agent sidebar.

Detail fields

Property ID, price (with prefix/suffix), address, postal code, latitude/longitude, bedrooms, bathrooms, rooms, garages, area (+ unit), land area, year built, video URL and virtual tour URL.

Gallery

Pick any number of images in the Property Gallery box. The single template renders a hero image with a thumbnail switcher and responsive srcset.

Maps — no API key needed

Paste any of the following into the map field and EstateAI normalises it into a safe embed:

• A Google Maps iframe embed code
• A Google Maps link or short link (expanded automatically)
• Plain coordinates like 25.2048, 55.2708

Latitude/longitude auto-fill, zoom is configurable, and visitors get an "open in maps" link.

Featured & agent assignment

Tick Featured Property to surface a listing in [estateai_properties featured="1"]. Assign an agent from the sidebar — they get author-equivalent rights on that property, appear on its agent card, and receive its lead notifications.

Agents

Agents are WordPress users with the EstateAI Agent role, managed under EstateAI CRM → Agents:

• Profile — phone, WhatsApp number, agency, license number, experience, status
• Assigned Properties & Leads — everything belonging to the agent in one view
• Performance — listings, leads and conversion counts

Agents see only their own properties and CRM screens, controlled by Permissions.

Leads CRM

Every inquiry, chat capture, visit booking and AI-search callback becomes a lead under EstateAI CRM → Leads.

Pipeline

• Statuses — new, contacted, qualified, hot, converted, lost (fully editable)
• Sources — editable list (website, WhatsApp, referral, …)
• Score — 0–100; above the hot threshold a lead is flagged 🔥 hot
• Follow-ups — per-lead date/time; due follow-ups surface on the dashboard and can trigger WhatsApp reminders
• Activity timeline — every action on a lead is logged

Automation (Settings → CRM)

• Auto-assign — none, round-robin across agents, or a specific agent
• Duplicate check — match by phone, email or both, and merge instead of duplicating
• Defaults — default status, source and priority for new leads

Email notifications (Settings → Email)

Admin and agent notifications with editable subject/body templates, 13 placeholders and a test-send button.

Site Visit Booking

Visitors book viewings from the single property page or via [estateai_book_visit].

Availability engine

• Open days, start/end times, slot length (15–240 min)
• Capacity per slot, minimum notice hours, max days ahead, blackout dates
• Auto-confirm toggle and an optional video walkthrough mode

What happens on a booking

1. Lead createdOr merged by the duplicate rules.
2. Notifications sentAdmin + assigned agent emailed; WhatsApp queued if enabled.
3. Cancel linkThe visitor receives a tokenised cancel link.

Manage bookings from the Calendar or All Bookings: confirm, complete, cancel, no-show, reschedule or delete — the lead and its timeline update automatically.

Inquiry Form

Rendered automatically on single properties (content and/or sidebar position) or anywhere via [estateai_inquiry_form].

Built-in spam protection

• Honeypot field + minimum-seconds timing check
• Blocked-words list and a maximum-links rule
• Per-IP hourly throttle with one-click admin reset
• Optional required email and GDPR consent text

AI Setup AI

Go to Settings → AI and add your OpenAI API key. Choose a model (gpt-4.1-mini default — fast and inexpensive) and a token limit.

AI Property Search AI

Shortcode: [estateai_ai_search]. Visitors type a sentence — "3 bedroom villa in Marina under 2M with a pool" — and it becomes structured filters (type, location, status, amenities, price, beds, baths, area, parking).

• Understood filters appear as removable chips; visitors add, drop or widen filters conversationally
• Shortlist ♥ — favourites collect in a tray, then compare or request a callback (creates a CRM lead with the full requirement attached)
• Works without JavaScript; shareable result links (?estateai_q=…)
• Settings: title, intro, placeholder, example queries, results, columns, rate limit

AI Chatbot AI

Shortcode: [estateai_ai_chat], plus an optional site-wide floating launcher. The chatbot is grounded: it can only reference real listings — hallucinated properties are filtered server-side.

• Multi-turn memory shared with the AI search (the "concierge") — budget, location and preferences persist across the session
• Shows property cards inline, asks clarifying questions, widens thin results
• Lead capture — after a configurable number of messages it asks for contact details; transcript + requirement brief are saved on the lead

AI Compare AI

Shortcode: [estateai_compare]. A side-by-side table (2–4 properties) of price, beds, baths, garages, area, type, location, status and amenities with per-row winners highlighted.

• AI verdict — a short judgement with pros/cons per property, weighed against the visitor's stated needs
• Auto-filled from the shortlist tray; shareable via ?estateai_compare=…

AI Assistant (Admin) AI

Under EstateAI CRM → AI Assistant, plus an inline panel on the property edit screen:

• Property description writer — from the fields on the edit screen (even unsaved), with tone instructions and Replace / Add-below buttons
• Lead scoring — 0–100 with reasoning, written back to the lead
• Lead summary — a one-paragraph brief of history and intent
• Property matching — ranks your inventory against a lead's requirements
• Follow-up & email generators — ready-to-send drafts
• WhatsApp message generator — friendly / professional / persuasive / concise

WhatsApp — Two Modes WA

Agent routing: enable "use agent number" so property buttons open a chat with the assigned agent instead of the company number.

Cloud API Setup WA

1. Create a Meta appAdd the WhatsApp product at developers.facebook.com; note your Access Token and Phone Number ID.
2. ValidateEnter both under WhatsApp → API Setup and click Validate — EstateAI confirms the connection and shows your display number, verified name and quality rating.
3. TestSend a live test message from the same screen.

Automatic Notifications WA

Seven triggers, each with its own toggle, Meta template mapping and message body (WhatsApp → Notifications):

All triggers ship disabled — enable the ones you want. ~22 placeholders are available across property, lead and general groups.

Message Templates WA

Five reusable local templates ship with the plugin (property inquiry, property details, lead follow-up, visit reminder, general enquiry). Create your own under WhatsApp → Message Templates — typed as property / lead / general, with the full placeholder reference on-screen. The AI message generator can also write one for you.

Queue & Logs WA

• Cloud API messages are queued and sent by a background worker every 2 minutes — batches of 50, up to 3 retries; permanent Meta errors fail fast with plain-English explanations
• WhatsApp → Message Log shows every message with status, error details, retry / delete / clear actions and a "process queue now" button
• The cron self-heals if a schedule is lost

Shortcodes Reference

[estateai_properties] — listing grid/list

[estateai_properties featured="1" columns="3" count="6" orderby="price" order="DESC"]

All shortcodes

Settings Reference

Roles & Permissions

Activation creates the EstateAI Agent role: agents can create and manage their own properties, see their assigned leads and the visit calendar, but cannot touch other agents' listings or global settings. Administrators get every capability. Fine-tune per role under Settings → Permissions.

FAQ / Troubleshooting

The AI features don't respond

Check Settings → AI: is the API key saved and the feature's own toggle on? Rate limits may apply — logged-in admins bypass them.

WhatsApp messages stay "queued"

The queue runs on WP-Cron every 2 minutes. On low-traffic sites use Process queue now, or add a real cron job calling wp-cron.php. The schedule self-heals if lost.

Template message fails with error #132000

The variable count in your mapping doesn't match the approved Meta template. WhatsApp → Notifications shows a warning with the expected count for known templates.

The map doesn't show

Paste a Google Maps link, embed code or plain lat, lng into the property's map field, and check Show property map in Settings → General. No API key is required.

Inquiry form says "try again later"

The visitor hit the hourly throttle — adjust or reset it under Settings → Enquiry Form.

My styles look different from the demo

Set your brand colors under Settings → Colors. The front-end inherits your theme's fonts by design, so listings always match your site.

Changelog