CT Automated Home Valuations

Our CT Automated Home Valuation WordPress plugin is a must-have tool for real estate agents and brokers seeking to maximize conversions of home seller leads. This innovative plugin provides instant and personalized home valuations by utilizing up-to-date local market data.

Plugin Install

1. Login to your WordPress Admin
2. Go to Plugins > Add New
3. Upload the zip file you downloaded from your Account Dashboard > Downloads panel
4. Activate the plugin

Plugin License

1. Login to your Account Dashboard
2. Go to License Keys > find CT Automated Home Valuations
3. Copy your License Key
4. Navigate back to your site’s WordPress Admin > Settings > CT Valuations
5. Paste your License Key > Save Changes
6. Click Activate License

Configuring the Settings

The CT Automated Home Valuations plugin includes a few settings that need to be configured.

1. Login to your WordPress Admin
2. Go to Settings > CT Valuations
3. In the General tab > Add your API Key, it’s available in Account Dashboard > License Keys > find CT Automated Home Valuations > API Key
4. Still under General > Add your Google Maps API key, see Google Maps to create one or copy the same one from your Real Estate 7 Options > Google Maps panel
5. Configure your email information and email content
6. Save Changes, and you’re all set to start using the widget in your pages

General Settings

In addition to your API and Google Maps keys, the General tab includes the following options:

• Enable URL Tracking — When enabled in Single Page mode, the widget updates the browser URL with step parameters (e.g., ?ct_hvp_step=ct_hvp_form) as the user progresses through the form. Disable this if you prefer clean URLs without tracking parameters. This setting does not apply to Separate Results Page mode.
• Valuation Pad Amount — Optional. Add a dollar amount to pad all valuation values (current value, historical values, and high/low ranges). Enter the amount in dollars (e.g., 30000 for $30,000). Leave blank or set to 0 for no padding.
• Results Display Mode — Controls how valuation results are shown:
  • • Single Page (Default) — Results appear within the same widget on the same page.
    • Separate Results Page — After form submission, the user is redirected to a dedicated results page. When this mode is selected, a “Results Page” dropdown appears where you choose which page to redirect to. That page must contain the CT Home Valuation Results Elementor widget or the
      shortcode. All widget styling (accent color, fonts, dark mode, button style, CTA, etc.) is automatically carried over to the results page.

Email Template Examples

• New Valuation Notification Email Template
• Lead Email Template

To use the email template examples:

1. Follow the link to copy the HTML code
2. Navigate back to your site’s admin > Settings > CT Valuations
3. Find the corresponding template > click the “Text” tab (screenshot)
4. Paste the HTML code
5. Click the “Visual” tab (screenshot) and edit however you see fit

Email Tags

The following dynamic tags can be used in your email templates to automatically populate specific information. Copy and paste these tags into your email templates as needed.

Recipient Information

{{first_name}}

First name (recommended for emails)

{{full_name}}

Full name

{{name}}

Name (legacy — same as {{full_name}})

{{email}}

Email address

{{phone}}

Phone number

{{interest}}

Interest/message from contact form

Property Information

{{info.property.address1}}

Street address

{{info.property.city}}

City

{{info.property.state}}

State

{{info.property.zip}}

ZIP code

{{info.property.address_full_standardized}}

Full standardized address

Property Assessment Details

{{info.assessment.apn}}

Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN)

{{info.assessment.building_area}}

Building area (formatted with “Sq Ft”)

{{info.assessment.lot_size_or_area}}

Lot size or area (formatted appropriately)

{{info.assessment.number_of_bedrooms}}

Number of bedrooms

{{info.assessment.number_of_baths}}

Number of bathrooms

{{info.assessment.number_of_partial_baths}}

Number of partial bathrooms

{{info.assessment.number_of_stories}}

Number of stories

{{info.assessment.total_number_of_rooms}}

Total number of rooms

{{info.assessment.year_built}}

Year built

Sale History

{{info.assessment.sale_recording_date_latest}}

Latest sale recording date (MM/DD/YYYY)

{{info.assessment.sale_recording_date_previous}}

Previous sale recording date (MM/DD/YYYY)

Tax Information

{{info.assessment.tax_amount}}

Tax amount (formatted as currency)

{{info.assessment.tax_assessment_year}}

Tax assessment year

{{info.assessment.tax_market_value_improvement}}

Tax market value for improvements (currency)

{{info.assessment.tax_market_value_land}}

Tax market value for land (currency)

{{info.assessment.tax_total_market_value}}

Total tax market value (currency)

{{info.assessment.tax_year}}

Tax year

Current Valuation

{{valuations.current_value}}

Current market value (formatted as currency)

{{valuations.current_value_low_range}}

Value low range (formatted as currency)

{{valuations.current_value_high_range}}

Value high range (formatted as currency)

{{valuations.current_value_confidence_score}}

Confidence score

Historical Values

{{valuations.historical_values[0].valuation}}

Last historical valuation value (currency)

{{valuations.historical_values[0].valuation_date}}

Last historical valuation date

Widget Messages

The Widget Messages tab allows you to customize the content displayed to visitors when a valuation cannot be completed, as well as add optional content below the results.

• Error Message (Title & Message) — Displayed when the valuation service encounters an error. By default: “Our apologies… There doesn’t seem to be an automatic way to determine the value of your home.”
• No Data Message (Title & Message) — Displayed when no valuation data is available for the entered address. By default: “Our apologies… We don’t have an automated valuation for this address.”
• Results Custom Content — Optional rich text displayed below the valuation results on every successful valuation. Use this area for calls to action, disclaimers, next-step instructions, or any additional information you want homeowners to see alongside their valuation. Leave empty to hide this section.

All Widget Message fields use a rich text editor. You can format content with bold, italic, links, lists, headings, and more — exactly as you see it in the editor is how it will appear in the widget.

Zapier

To connect the CT Automated Home Valuations plugin to any application supported by Zapier using a Webhook URL and push valuation data, follow these steps.

1. Log into your Zapier account and create a new Zap
2. For the trigger, select “Webhooks by Zapier”
3. For the event, select “Catch Hook”
4. Click continue twice until you get to “Your Webhook URL”, copy it
5. Go to your WordPress Admin > Settings > CT Valuations > General > paste into “Zapier Webhook URL” > Save Settings
6. Go to the page where you have inserted the CT Home Valuations Elementor widget or shortcode, and run a valuation test
7. Go back to Zapier > click Test Trigger, confirm you see the data you just submitted
8. Continue to set up your Action, and finalize your new Zap

Adding the Valuations Widget to Your Page

Two options for adding the CT Automated Home Valuations widget to your page:

Elementor

1. Login to your WordPress Admin
2. Go to Pages
3. Add New or Find the page you’d like to add the widget to
4. Click “Edit with Elementor”
5. In the left side panel > scroll to “Real Estate 7” then find CT Home Valuations or search for “Home Valuation”
6. Drag the widget into your page and configure the settings
7. Publish your page

Elementor Widget Settings

The Elementor widget organizes its settings into the following sections:

Style

• Accent Color — The primary color used for buttons, highlights, and the chart accent. Defaults to your theme’s secondary color.
• Corner Style — Choose Rounded (default, 6px radius) or Square (sharp corners) for inputs, buttons, and the widget container.
• Font Family — Select any font from the full Elementor font library. Defaults to Lato. Elementor automatically loads the selected Google Font on your page.
• Button Style — Choose Filled (solid background) or Outline (transparent background with a border).
• Theme Mode — Choose Light (default) or Dark for a dark-themed widget that uses a polished dark color palette for backgrounds, borders, text, inputs, dropdowns, and the chart.
• Border Color — The color of input borders and dividers within the widget. Defaults to #d5d9dd.

Search

• Placeholder — The placeholder text shown in the address search field. Defaults to “Enter your home address”.

Form Fields

Each field (Name, Email, Phone, Interest) can be set to:

• Required — The field is shown and must be filled in before submission.
• Optional — The field is shown but can be left empty.
• Hidden — The field is not displayed to the visitor.

When the Interest field is visible, you can also customize the dropdown options by entering one option per line in the Interest Options textarea. Leave it empty to use the default options.

Buttons

• Next Button Text — The text shown on the button that advances from the address step to the contact form. Defaults to “Next”.
• Submit Button Text — The text shown on the form submission button. Defaults to “Get Home Value”.

Results

• CTA Button Text — Optional text for a call-to-action button displayed below the valuation results (e.g., “Schedule a Consultation”). Leave empty to hide.
• CTA Button URL — The URL the CTA button links to. Only shown when CTA Button Text is set.
• Show Restart Link — When enabled, a “Check another address” link appears alongside the CTA button, allowing visitors to run another valuation without refreshing the page.
• Restart Link Text — Customize the restart link text. Defaults to “Check another address”.

Shortcode

1. Login to your WordPress Admin
2. Go to Pages
3. Add New or Find the page you’d like to add the shortcode to
4. Paste the following shortcode into the page content

   [ct_hvp search_placeholder="Enter your home address" required_name="1" required_email="1" required_phone="0" accent_color="#03b5c3"]

5. Publish your page

Shortcode Attributes

• search_placeholder — The placeholder text in the address search field. Default: Enter your home address
• accent_color — Hex color code for buttons, highlights, and accents. Default: your theme’s secondary color
• corner_style — rounded (default) or square
• font_family — Set a specific font name if needed (e.g., <code>Lato</code>, <code>Montserrat</code>). The font must already be loaded by your theme or a fonts plugin. Leave this attribute off to use your site’s default font.
• button_style — filled (default) or outline
• theme_mode — light (default) or dark
• border_color — Hex color code for input borders and dividers. Default: #d5d9dd
• button_text_next — Text for the “Next” button. Default: Next
• button_text_submit — Text for the submit button. Default: Get Home Value
• required_name — 1 (required) or 0 (optional). Default: 1
• required_email — 1 (required) or 0 (optional). Default: 1
• required_phone — 1 (required) or 0 (optional). Default: 0
• required_interest — 1 (required) or 0 (optional). Default: 0
• hide_name — 1 (hidden) or 0 (visible). Default: 0
• hide_email — 1 (hidden) or 0 (visible). Default: 0
• hide_phone — 1 (hidden) or 0 (visible). Default: 0
• hide_interest — 1 (hidden) or 0 (visible). Default: 0
• interest_options — Custom dropdown options separated by | (e.g., I need to sell soon|Just curious). Leave empty for defaults.
• cta_text — Text for a call-to-action button shown below results. Leave empty to hide.
• cta_url — URL for the CTA button.
• show_restart_link — 1 (show) or 0 (hide). Default: 0
• restart_link_text — Text for the restart link. Default: Check another address

Full Shortcode Example

[ct_hvp search_placeholder="Enter your home address" required_name="1" required_email="1" required_phone="0" required_interest="0" accent_color="#03b5c3" corner_style="rounded" font_family="lato" button_style="filled" theme_mode="light" border_color="#d5d9dd" button_text_next="Next" button_text_submit="Get Home Value" cta_text="Schedule a Consultation" cta_url="https://example.com/contact" show_restart_link="1" restart_link_text="Check another address"]

Wrapping a Shortcode with a Background Color and Border Radius

To enhance the appearance of your shortcodes, you can wrap them in a div element and style it with a background-color and border-radius. Below is an example of how to do this directly in the WordPress page editor.

Example

Suppose you have the following shortcode from our documentation:

[ct_hvp search_placeholder="Enter your home address" required_name="1" required_email="1" required_phone="0" accent_color="#03b5c3"]

To wrap this shortcode with a white background and rounded corners, use the following HTML under the “Text” tab (screenshot) of your page editor in WordPress:

<div style="background-color: white; border-radius: 10px; padding: 10px;">
    [ct_hvp search_placeholder="Enter your home address" required_name="1" required_email="1" required_phone="0" accent_color="#03b5c3"]
</div>

Explanation

• background-color: white; — Sets the background color of the div to white.
• border-radius: 10px; — Adds rounded corners with a radius of 10px.
• padding: 10px; — Adds padding inside the div to space the content away from the edges.

Feel free to adjust the border-radius, background-color, and padding values to match your site’s design.

Separate Results Page Mode

By default, valuation results are displayed within the same widget on the same page (Single Page mode). For sites that need more control over the results experience, you can redirect users to a dedicated results page after form submission.

Setting Up Separate Results Page Mode

1. Create a new page in WordPress that will serve as your results page (e.g., “Home Valuation Results”)
2. Add the CT Home Valuation Results Elementor widget, or if not using Elementor the
   shortcode to that page.
3. Go to Settings > CT Valuations > General
4. Set “Results Display Mode” to Separate Results Page
5. In the “Results Page” dropdown, select the page you created in step 1
6. Save Settings

When a visitor submits the valuation form, they will be automatically redirected to your results page. All widget styling, accent color, font family, corner style, button style, theme mode, CTA button, and restart link is carried over to the results page so the experience stays consistent.

How It Works

• After form submission, the valuation data and widget styling are temporarily stored and a unique token is generated
• The visitor is redirected to your results page with a short ?hvp= URL parameter
• The results page loads the valuation data using that token and applies the original widget’s styling
• Tokens expire after one hour for security

If using the restart link on a separate results page, clicking it will redirect the visitor back to the original search page rather than resetting in place.

Valuations Dashboard & Tools

Once configured, valuation activity can be managed directly from your WordPress dashboard.

• Valuations Dashboard — View leads, conversion rates, activity trends, and export valuation data
• Send Valuation — Manually generate and send personalized home valuations to clients

These tools are available under WordPress Admin > Valuations and are designed to support both inbound seller leads and proactive outreach.

Best Practices & Strategies

The CT Automated Home Valuations plugin is most effective when it’s treated as a primary seller lead entry point — not just a form buried on a page. The recommendations below outline proven ways real estate agents and brokers implement the tool to maximize visibility, conversions, and lead quality.

1. Create a Dedicated Home Valuation Page

Always place the valuation widget on its own focused page rather than embedding it randomly
throughout the site.

• Recommended URLs: /home-valuation/ or /what-is-my-home-worth/
• Keep the page distraction-free and centered on the valuation form
• Use a clear headline such as “Get Your Instant Home Value” or “What’s My Home Worth?”

A single-purpose page is easier to rank in search engines, easier to link to internally, and consistently
produces higher conversion rates.

2. Make the Valuation Easy to Find Site-Wide

The valuation page should never be hidden. High-performing sites expose it everywhere sellers look.

• Add a “Home Valuation” link to your main navigation
• Include a CTA button on your homepage hero section
• Link to it from seller-focused pages and blog posts
• Add a footer CTA for constant visibility

3. Optimize the Form for Lead Quality

The goal is to capture motivated sellers without creating unnecessary friction.

• Require name and email for serious lead capture
• Make phone optional if you want higher submission volume
• Consider hiding the interest field for a minimal, fast form — or keep it visible to pre-qualify leads
• Match the accent color to your site branding for trust and consistency

4. Customize the Widget to Match Your Brand

The styling options make it easy to create a seamless look between the widget and your website.

• Set the accent color to match your brand’s primary color
• Select your site’s font from the Font Family dropdown to keep typography consistent across the page
• Choose square corners if your site uses a modern, angular design language
• Use dark mode on pages with dark backgrounds for a polished, integrated appearance
• Adjust the border color to complement your page design
• Use the outline button style for a lighter, more understated look

5. Add a CTA and Restart Link to Your Results

After a visitor sees their valuation, guide them toward the next step.

• Add a CTA button with text like “Schedule a Consultation” or “Talk to an Agent” that links to your contact or booking page
• Enable the restart link so visitors can easily check another property — useful for investors or homeowners comparing addresses
• Use the Results Custom Content area in Widget Messages to add a disclaimer, a personal note, or additional calls to action below every valuation

6. Add Trust Signals Near the Valuation Form

Sellers are sharing personal property data — trust matters.

• Short privacy reassurance (e.g., “No obligation” or “Your information is kept private”)
• Brokerage branding, headshot, or logo near the form
• Optional “What happens next?” explanation below the form

7. Configure Email Follow-Up for Best Results

Built-in email notifications are sent after a valuation is completed once email settings and templates have been configured.

• When configured, a valuation email is sent to the homeowner after they view their results
• A separate notification email is sent to the site owner, agent, or broker
• Email content can be customized using the provided templates and dynamic tags

As a best practice, the site owner, agent, or broker should personally follow up with the homeowner after the automated emails are delivered. This helps add context to the valuation, answer questions, and move the conversation forward.

8. Connect Valuations to Your CRM or Workflow

For long-term success, valuation leads should flow directly into your lead management system so they can be tracked, tagged, and followed up with consistently.

• Use the built-in Follow Up Boss integration to automatically send valuation leads into your CRM
• Apply seller-specific tags or stages to distinguish valuation leads from buyer inquiries
• Trigger seller-focused follow-up sequences within your CRM
• Optionally, use Zapier to push valuation data into other CRMs, email platforms, or task managers

Centralizing valuation leads in your CRM helps ensure no opportunities are missed and allows for structured, repeatable follow-up.

9. Track and Improve Performance Over Time

Once live, monitor how sellers interact with your valuation experience using the built-in Valuations Analytics dashboard in your WordPress admin.

• View total valuation leads, conversion rates, and average values over time
• Analyze daily lead activity to spot trends and seasonality
• Review value distribution and top cities to understand seller demand
• Export leads as a CSV for offline review or reporting

Use these insights to refine page placement, adjust messaging, and improve form configuration. Small changes—especially to visibility and calls to action—often result in meaningful gains.

10. Send Personalized Valuations from Your Dashboard

In addition to capturing inbound seller leads, valuations can also be sent directly to clients from
your WordPress dashboard using the Send Valuation feature.

• Manually generate and send a valuation for a specific address
• Customize the recipient and message before sending
• Use this feature for past clients, listing appointments, or proactive outreach
• Maintain consistent valuation formatting and branding

This approach works especially well for agents who want to stay proactive—sending valuations as part of follow-ups, check-ins, or listing conversations rather than waiting for form submissions.

Common Issues & Fixes

If your website fails to display data or encounters other problems, they often stem from several typical issues. Fortunately, these can be quickly identified and resolved. Below, we outline the most frequent problems and their solutions:

1. Invalid Automated Home Valuations License Key: This issue often occurs after moving your website from a development to a live domain, requiring an update of your license key.
   1. Login to your Account Dashboard
   2. Go to License Keys > find CT Automated Home Valuations > click “Manage Sites” (screenshot)
   3. Deactivate your old domain (screenshot) > close the modal
   4. Copy your License Key
   5. Navigate back to your sites admin > Settings > CT Valuations > remove a single character from the License Key > Save Settings
   6. Paste your License Key > Save Settings (again)
   7. Your new domain is now activated
2. API Requests Blocked by Bot Protection: If API requests are being blocked by your hosting provider’s bot protection or firewall, contact your host and ask them to whitelist both IP addresses below, along with the contempothemes.com domain:
   IPv4: 167.99.109.13
   IPv6: 2600:3c02::f03c:93ff:fea4:d2ac
   Some hosting providers only support IPv4 whitelisting, so it’s important that both addresses are allowed.
3. Widget Styles Overridden by Theme: If your theme’s CSS is overriding the widget’s fonts, colors, or spacing, try the following:
   • Set the Font Family to a specific font (e.g., Lato) rather than relying on theme inheritance to enforce consistent widget typography
   • The widget uses !important on all critical styling properties to maintain its appearance, but in rare cases a heavily opinionated theme may still interfere — wrapping the widget in a container with minimal inherited styles can help
4. Separate Results Page Not Redirecting: If the form submits but the user stays on the same page instead of being redirected:
   • Confirm that “Results Display Mode” is set to “Separate Results Page” in Settings > CT Valuations > General
   • Confirm a results page is selected in the “Results Page” dropdown
   • Confirm the selected page contains the
     shortcode or the CT Home Valuation Results Elementor widget
   • Clear any page caching after making changes