FW Real Estate – Documentation

What Compare Properties Does

The Compare Properties add-on lets a visitor place up to four properties side by side in a table — every field as a row, one column per property — with the best value in each numeric row highlighted. Choosing between similar properties is the hardest part of a property search, and it is the part a listing page does worst: without a comparison tool, visitors end up juggling browser tabs and a notepad. This add-on moves that job onto your site, done properly.

Use Cases

• The final shortlist. Three or four properties that survived a search, compared field by field in one place.
• Deciding with somebody else. The comparison is a shareable link — send it to a partner or client and they open exactly the same table.
• An agent's tool. Build a comparison for a client and send it, rather than writing the differences out by hand.

What the Visitor Sees

A compare control appears on every listing card and on the individual property page. Selecting it adds that property to the comparison. Once properties are added, the comparison table is available as a section of the account area, reached through a User Section menu item.

The maximum is four properties. Four is a limit rather than a setting: a five-column table is unreadable on a laptop and impossible on a phone.

No Account Required — and the Link Is Shareable

Unlike favourites, comparing does not require the visitor to be signed in. It is a decision being made now, not a list kept for later. The compared properties travel in the URL, so the comparison can be bookmarked or sent to someone else and will open the same table for them.

What the Table Shows

Every field the properties have appears as a row, including custom fields. Numeric rows — price, area, and similar values — highlight the best value automatically, so the differences are visible without reading every cell. Fields restricted by access level obey those restrictions inside the table exactly as they do elsewhere on the site.

The table reflects the fields you publish. Anything unpublished on the Fields screen does not appear as a row, so the table can be tightened by hiding fields that never differ between your listings.

Email Lead Capture

The add-on includes an optional email lead-capture step. Configure it under Configuration → Add-ons → Compare.

• Offer "email me this comparison" — adds a button that emails the comparison to the visitor.
• Subject, body, and per-property templates — control the content of that email.

The visitor's address is recorded as a lead in FW Real Estate → Messages with the compared properties attached. This is the most valuable lead the site produces: someone who has narrowed the entire catalogue down to three properties and asked for them in writing is at the end of their search, not the start.

Notes

• Disabling the add-on removes the compare controls and the comparison table. Nothing else on the site is affected.
• The four-property maximum is fixed. It is what fits on a screen and is not configurable.
• Hiding unused fields on the Fields screen keeps the comparison table focused and easier to read.

To install this addon, open the Add-ons panel inside FW Real Estate. See Getting Started → Add-ons for details on free addons, paid addons, and site verification.