2.2 Forms: Building Your Lead Capture Tools (Valuation, Contact, Buyer Forms)

Purpose:

Forms are your primary tool within Close Master for creating customizable online forms to capture lead information directly from your digital properties. You don't need any coding knowledge; you can build various forms tailored specifically to your real estate needs using a simple drag-and-drop interface. These are fundamental for converting website traffic into actionable leads.

Common Real Estate Form Examples:

  • Contact Us Form: Collects basic inquiries with fields like Name, Email, Phone, and Message.
  • Free Home Valuation Request: Gathers essential details for a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), such as Property Address, owner Contact Info, basic property details (Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Condition).
  • Buyer Inquiry Form: Captures key criteria from potential buyers, like Property Type Interest, Desired Location(s), Price Range, Timeline to Purchase, Pre-Approval Status.
  • Listing Inquiry Form: Designed for specific property landing pages, asking questions relevant to that particular listing.
  • Open House Sign-In Form: Use a tablet at your open house to capture visitor information digitally, replacing paper sign-in sheets.
  • Referral Submission Form: A simple form for partners or clients to submit referral details.

Once created, you can easily embed these forms onto your website/landing pages (built in Close Master or external platforms like WordPress) or share direct links to the form itself. Every submission automatically creates or updates a Contact record in your CRM and can be set up to trigger automated follow-up Workflows (Chapter 10).

Creating a New Form:

  1. Navigate to Sites: Click the Sites icon (looks like a globe or browser window) in the main left-hand menu.
  2. Select the Forms tab: At the top of the Sites section, click on the Forms tab, then choose Builder.
  3. Start a New Form: Click the + Add Form button.
  4. Choose a Starting Point: You'll typically have two options:
    • Start From Scratch: Provides a blank canvas where you build the form entirely yourself.
    • Templates: Browse a library of pre-built form templates, which may include real estate specific examples provided by Close Master or The Close Agency. Remember: If you use a template, you MUST customize it heavily to fit your needs, branding, and required fields.

Using the Form Builder Interface:

The form builder provides a visual canvas where you drag elements to create your form.

  1. Rename Your Form (CRUCIAL): Immediately click on the default Untitled Form text (usually at the top left of the builder). Give your form a specific, descriptive name that clearly identifies its purpose (e.g., "Seller Lead - Website Home Valuation Request V1", "Buyer Inquiry - 123 Main St Listing Page"). This internal name is vital for identifying the form later when linking it to pages or triggering workflows. Click Save after renaming.
  2. Add Fields (Drag & Drop): On the left side (or sometimes right, depending on builder version), you'll find the Fields panel containing standard and custom fields. Drag the desired fields from the panel onto the central form canvas in the order you want them to appear.
    • Standard Fields: These are common fields available by default. Drag elements like First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Address, City, State, Postal Code, Country. You might also use Website (e.g., for capturing FSBO seller websites) or Organization (e.g., for capturing a cooperating agent's brokerage). Use the standard Address field for capturing a property address.
    • Custom Fields (Essential for Real Estate!): This is where you tailor the form to gather specific real estate information. First, ensure you have already created the necessary Custom Fields in Settings → Custom Fields (See Chapter 22.9). Examples you'll definitely want to add to relevant forms:
      • Property Type Interest (Dropdown: Single Family, Condo, Townhouse, Land, Multi-Family)
      • Buyer Timeline (Dropdown: ASAP, 1-3 Months, 3-6 Months, 6+ Months)
      • Seller Timeline (Dropdown: Same options)
      • Price Range Min (Monetary or Number field)
      • Price Range Max (Monetary or Number field)
      • Number of Bedrooms Required (Number or Dropdown field)
      • Number of Bathrooms Required (Number or Dropdown field)
      • Pre-Approved Lender? (Radio Button: Yes, No, In Process)
      • Reason for Selling (Text Area field for open-ended response)
      • Lead Source (Could be a Dropdown or a Hidden Field - see below)
      • Agent Preference (Dropdown listing your agents, if applicable for routing)
      • Consent Agreement (Checkbox - See step 5 below, highly recommended for compliance!)
      Drag these relevant Custom Fields onto your form canvas.
    • Button: Every form needs a submit button. Drag the Button element onto the canvas, typically placing it at the very bottom.
  3. Reorder Fields: Simply click and drag fields up or down on the canvas to change their sequence.
  4. Configure Each Field (Using the Right Sidebar): Click on any field you've added to the canvas. The configuration options for that specific field will appear in a panel (usually on the right side). Adjust the following settings as needed:
    • Field Label: Change the text displayed above the input box (e.g., change the default Phone label to "Best Contact Number"). You can also hide the label via the Styles tab if you only want to use placeholder text.
    • Placeholder: Edit the hint text that appears inside the input box before the user types (e.g., "Enter property address you want valued", "e.g., 3+").
    • Required Toggle: Turn this toggle ON for information that is absolutely essential (e.g., Name, Email, Phone for follow-up; Property Address for a valuation request; Consent Agreement). A red asterisk (*) will appear next to the label for required fields, and the form cannot be submitted unless they are filled.
    • (Options Fields - Dropdown, Radio Button, Checkbox): For these field types, you'll see options to Add, Edit, or Reorder the choices presented to the user. You can also enable an "Add 'Other' option" if needed for dropdowns.
    • (File Upload Field): If you want users to upload documents (e.g., sellers uploading property photos, buyers uploading pre-approval letters), configure allowed file types (.pdf, .jpg, etc.) and maximum file size.
    • (Signature Field): Allows capturing a simple electronic signature directly on the form, useful for basic acknowledgements (though use Payments > Documents for formal contracts).
    • (Hidden Fields): These fields are not visible to the user filling out the form but capture data behind the scenes. Useful for tracking. For example, add a hidden Lead Source custom field and set its Default Value to "Website Valuation Form" so you know where leads from this specific form originated. Hidden fields can also be pre-filled dynamically using URL parameters (e.g., yourformurl.com?source=FacebookAd_XYZ).
  5. Add a Consent Checkbox (CRUCIAL for Compliance): To comply with regulations like TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) and general best practices for getting consent to contact leads via text/email:
    • Ensure you have a Custom Field created specifically for consent (Type: Checkbox, Name: e.g., Contact Consent). Managed in Settings → Custom Fields.
    • Drag this Consent Agreement Checkbox field onto your form, placing it directly above the Submit button.
    • Click the Checkbox field to open its settings.
    • In the Placeholder text area (or sometimes Label, depending on styling), enter clear and explicit consent language. Example: I agree that [Your Agency Name] and its agents may contact me via email, phone call, and SMS text message regarding my real estate interests or inquiries at the email address and phone number provided. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of texts at any time. View our [Link to Privacy Policy] and [Link to Terms of Service].. IMPORTANT: Consult with legal counsel to ensure your specific consent language meets all regulatory requirements in your jurisdiction. Make sure to link to your actual Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages on your website.
    • Turn the Required toggle ON for the consent checkbox. This forces users to actively agree before submitting.
  6. Configure the Submit Button: Click on the Button element.
    • Edit the Button Text to be action-oriented (e.g., "Get My Free Valuation!", "Contact An Agent Now", "Request Showing").
    • Use the style options to customize the button's Background Color, Text Color, Font, Padding, Border Radius (for rounded corners), and add a Shadow if desired.
  7. Configure Form-Wide Styles (Styles Tab): Click the Styles tab (usually near the top or alongside the Fields tab). Here you can set global appearance options for the entire form:
    • Form Background Color
    • Default Field Styles (background, borders, fonts)
    • Label visibility and styling
    • Layout (e.g., 1 Column vs. 2 Columns, Inline Form for horizontal layout)
    • Optionally add Custom CSS for advanced styling.
  8. Configure Form Submission Options (Options Tab): Click the Options tab.
    • Form Name: Double-check the internal name you set earlier.
    • On Submit Action: Choose what happens immediately after a user successfully submits the form:
      • Message: Display a simple thank-you message directly on the same page where the form was embedded. Enter your message text here (e.g., "Thank you for your inquiry! We'll be in touch shortly.").
      • URL / Redirect URL: Recommended for better tracking and user experience. Redirect the user to a specific "Thank You" page on your website or funnel (e.g., a page confirming submission and suggesting next steps, like booking a call via an embedded calendar). Paste the full URL (e.g., https://youragency.com/thank-you-valuation) of the destination page here.
    • (Optional) Notifications: You can set up basic internal email notifications here to alert specific team members when this form is submitted, and potentially a simple auto-responder email to the person who submitted the form. However, using Workflows triggered by the form submission offers much more powerful and customizable notification and auto-responder capabilities (See Chapter 10).
    • Other options might include enabling Sticky Contact (pre-filling for returning users), adding Facebook Pixel ID or Google Analytics ID for tracking (though often better handled at the page level), or setting timezone capture.
  9. Save and Test Thoroughly: Click the Save Form button frequently as you build. Once you think the form is complete:
    • Click the Preview button (often an eye icon).
    • Fill out the form completely yourself, acting as a test lead. Use unique test information.
    • Test Required Fields: Try submitting without filling required fields to ensure validation works.
    • Test Submission: Submit the form successfully. Verify the On Submit action (message display or redirect to URL) works correctly.
    • Verify Lead Capture: Go to the Contacts section in Close Master. Check if your test contact was created or updated correctly with all the information you entered.
    • Check Conversations: See if the form submission details appear in the Conversations inbox for your test contact.
    • (If Applicable) Check Workflow: If you have a Workflow set up to trigger from this form submission, go to Automations → Workflows → select the workflow → Execution Logs to verify it triggered correctly for your test contact and performed the expected actions (e.g., sent SMS/email, added tags).
  10. Integrate the Form (Get it Live on Your Website/Landing Page): Once tested and ready:
    • Click the Integrate Form button within the form builder.
    • You'll see several options:
      • Embed Code (Inline Embed): Copy the provided HTML code snippet. Paste this code directly into the content area (e.g., within a text block or code block) of your external website page (like WordPress, Squarespace, etc.) where you want the form to appear directly within the page layout. You might also see options for Popup Embed, Sticky Sidebar Embed, or Slide-In Embed which involve pasting code site-wide (usually in the footer scripts area) and configuring display triggers.
      • Link (Form Link): Copy the direct URL provided. This link leads to a standalone page hosted by Close Master displaying just your form. You can share this link directly in emails, social media posts, or link buttons on your website to it.
      • Using within Close Master Sites/Funnels: If you are building your website or landing page using the Close Master Sites builder (Chapter 9), simply add the Form element to your page layout. In the element's settings (right sidebar), select your saved form from the dropdown list. The form will automatically appear on the page.