Visitors can save listings by clicking the heart on a card or on a property page. The saved list works for anyone, with no account needed, and logging in moves that list onto the account so it follows the person between devices.
Nothing needs enabling. The hearts are on the cards already, and the only thing to build is the page that lists what someone saved.
How saving works for a visitor who is not logged in
The list lives in that person’s own browser. Nothing is sent to your site, so it works on a fully cached page and it costs your server nothing.
The consequence is that the list is tied to that browser. Clearing browsing data loses it, and opening the site on a phone shows an empty list even though the same person saved five listings on their laptop.
How it works for a logged in user
The list is stored on their WordPress account, and every save writes to the site. It is the same list on every device they log in on.
The two stores are joined on login: what the browser was holding is merged into the account, duplicates are removed, and the browser copy is cleared. Nothing is lost in the transition, and there is only ever one authoritative list.
A saved listing is remembered by its MLS identity, not by its WordPress ID. A listing removed and reimported comes back as a new post, and a visitor’s shortlist still points at it correctly, which an ID based list could not do.
Showing someone their saved list
- Create a page, for example one called Saved Properties.
- Add the Saved Properties block, or the shortcode
[mlsimport_saved]. - Publish, then link to it from your menu.
Expected result: each visitor opening that page sees their own saved listings, and someone with nothing saved sees a short message telling them so.
Listings that go away
A saved listing that has since left your site is dropped from the list rather than shown as a broken card. Shortlists tidy themselves, and a visitor never clicks through to a missing page.
Nobody is notified when this happens. There is no watch this property or alert me feature behind the heart.
Saving is not a lead. No email is sent to you and no contact details are captured, because there is no visitor to identify. Turning interest into a lead means a contact form or a Schedule a Tour form on the property page.
If it does not work
- No heart on the cards. Those cards are not being rendered by the plugin. A theme widget querying the property post type directly produces its own markup and gets none of this.
- The heart does not fill when clicked. A JavaScript error on the page. Check the browser console, usually a conflicting script from another plugin.
- Saves are lost between visits. Expected for a visitor who is not logged in and cleared their browsing data. Offering accounts is the only durable fix.
- The saved page hangs on loading. The request is not completing. Check the console, and check any optimisation plugin is not deferring the script past the point it is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see what visitors have saved?
Only for logged in users, whose list is stored on their account, and there is no report for it in the admin. For anonymous visitors the list never reaches your site at all.
Does this need a login or membership plugin?
No. Saving works without accounts. Accounts only make the list follow someone between devices, and any registration method WordPress supports is enough.
Does it work with a page cache?
Yes. The page is identical for everyone and the saved listings load afterwards, so full page caching is safe.
Can visitors compare their saved properties side by side?
No. The saved list is a grid of cards. There is no comparison table.
Related
- The Saved Properties block
- Property card styles V1, V2 and V3
- Property page building blocks
- Standalone mode: run MLSImport on any theme
Send us the page where the heart is not working and we will check what is intercepting it.