As a WordPress guy and a Tulsa REALTOR®, I’m happy to introduce you to wpCasa. The wpCasa WordPress theme framework has been in development for several years, created by the ThemeShift team (featured on last year’s Niche Showcase: WordPress Themes for Real Estate). wpCasa is flexible enough to handle the unique needs of a demanding real estate website. (FYI: I, Clifford, am not from ThemeShift. I’m just introducing you to the new wpCasa real estate theme framework.)
Distinguishing Features
If you’re looking for a dynamic, all-around great WordPress real estate theme framework, you’ve got to consider wpCasa. It’s got so much to offer.
Style
- Responsive design
- MultiSite-capable (see back-end demo link later in this post)
- 4 archive layout choices (2 with right or left sidebar, 2 without a sidebar), able to choose different layout for blog archives vs property archives
- 18 pre-made widgets and 12 widget areas
- Threaded comments
- Customizable header logo, favicon, and background
- Pre-built shortcodes for buttons, boxes, sliders, galleries, and more
- Multiple child themes available and more to come (or make your own)
International
- Fully localized (translatable) with English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German Language Packs already available
- Support for square meters, square feet, square yards, or acre(s) measurement units
- Support for USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, and 5 other currency symbols (also a customizable “Other” option), including support for decimal vs comma and placing currency symbol before or after the amount
Built for Real Estate Professionals
- Supports multiple listing statuses: For Sale, For Rent, and any others you enter
- Visitors can bookmark (favorite) listings and click for a print-friendly version
- Mapping of your input listings
- Multiple “Contact us” options and a customizable email template for when someone contacts you about a listing (i.e. the email notification that you receive)
- Custom dsIDX integrations (Diverse Solutions IDX), including option to search IDX or just the site’s (i.e. your) input listings, with customizable search settings (enable/disable each search field, advanced search, and filter options)
- Customizable author/agent and single listing slugs (URL rewriting)
- Sample content available to get you started (.xml import file)
Pricing and Terms
wpCasa is a theme framework (i.e. parent theme). By itself, it’s 59 Euros (USD conversion). If you add a child theme at the time of purchase, it’s an additional 10 Euros (USD). If you purchase a child theme in a separate transaction, each child theme is 19 Euros (USD). All purchases include unlimited use (including your agent or client sites), forever updates (guaranteed to work with the latest stable version of WordPress), and unlimited forum support for the purchaser. Additional terms can be viewed here.
Get Started with wpCasa
If you want to try out wpCasa for yourself, get started with the front-end demo (framework and child themes) and then get detailed with your own back-end demo (which runs on WP MultiSite so you know it’s compatible). Once familiar with it, you can purchase wpCasa or post in the pre-sales forum to ask any questions you may have prior to purchasing. If interested, they also have a wpCasa affiliate program.
wpCasa Launch Promotion
wpCasa launched in July 2012, and it’s already been enhanced with several keen features since then. To celebrate, wpCasa is offering WPMU.org readers a chance to get it free!
The Prize
5 framework + 1 child theme packages will be given away on November 10, 2012.
To Enter
Share your pain and how wpCasa can be your gain.
Option 1: Tweet this (fill in the blank):
I want to win the new @wpcasa WordPress real estate theme framework from @wpmuorg because ___
Option 2: Comment below, sharing why you’d benefit from a real estate theme framework like wpCasa. Are you a tech-savvy real estate broker or agent? Have you tried others and they just weren’t flexible enough to meet your needs? Or maybe you have real estate website clients and are looking for a platform to create child themes on?
We’ll semi-randomly draw names on November 10, 2012. There’s no extra benefit to having an extremely long or short comment – but content counts – and you can both Tweet and comment if you wish. We’ll comment below on November 10 to let you know who won.
WINNERS!
Thanks to all the entrants for expressing their appreciation for wpCasa and for being patient…. Drum roll please… The winners are:
- @Giuliog
- Shawn K. Hall
- Scott Yearton
- Arlen Nagata
- @Gunn4r
You’ll be getting a contact from Simon at wpCasa.
We had 13 contestants between Twitter and WPMU.org comments; thanks to all that entered. I hope you consider purchasing wpCasa even if you didn’t win. Special thanks to wpCasa for coming to me with the giveaway idea. Simon’s a good guy.
Connect with wpCasa
Check out wpCasa on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. Read their blog/announcements at wpCasa News.
Nice theme and framework, but I’d like some of the mandatory fields to be flexible. There are property types that do not match up to the exact list provided. Since we deal in real estate preview packages, I can’t modify the property to show the package contents as well. But nice job for conventional real estate.
Hi Marc, I’m Simon the developer of wpCasa. These fields are flexible. You can change the wording on the theme settings page. If you’re a WordPress black belt, you can also fully customize them via filter and action hooks.
These are very beautiful and exactly what I was looking into last week. I’d love to use this framework for my real estate sites.
:)
See above for the winners. Thanks for your entry!
How hard is it to integrate this with an existing MLS/IDX system like FlexMLS?
Hi Gunnar, we recently added support for the dsIDXpress plugin (http://wpcasa.com/dsidxpress) as it seemed to be the most popular one. In the future we’ll definitely checking more solutions.
That’s excellent. My father is a Realtor and has always had such a crappy website. I’ve looked around in the past for a decent WP framework that wouldn’t require a ton of work to implement for him to really no avail. wpCasa seems like a fantastic fit!
Winners listed above. Thanks!
This would be useful to my MS real estate site. I’ve hand-coded so much of the functionality and still haven’t launched it, but this would be a huge step in the right direction.
Winners posted. Thanks!
Finally a decent package that i could use for prospective clients, one of the main drawbacks where i live is the lack of multi lingual capable real estate packages, where i am we have a lot of expats, workers for the likes of ibm etc on fixed contract style positions and foreign students. Their biggest complaint has been trying to find detailed property rental sites in their own languages.
Just a quick question is this wmpl compatible or are you using the classic .po .mo files for translation?
Cheers
Tom
Hi Tom, wpCasa is not WPML compatible by default. However, we’re thinking about adding full support in a future version. At the moment our users get great results with Multilingual Press or qTranslate. Apart from the English, Spanish and German version French, Polish, Portuguese and Italian language packs will be added in the next version wpCasa 1.1
Winners listed at the end of the post. Thanks for your entry!
I have join ^^!
Thanks for your entry. Winners posted above.
It’s amazing how much this would benefit some of my prospective real estate clients!
Winners posted. Thanks for your entry!
I’m a newly developing service provider with some real estate professionals in my network. I know this theme will give me an edge when I now approach them. Finally, something to help me grow my business services to include real estate websites/services.
Winners have been posted. Thanks!
I need this framework. I was recently approached by a long time acquaintance who is a Realtor about developing 2-3 different websites for her real estate agency, and possibly expanding into a network of sites for other agents and agencies affiliated with her. It’d be awesome to have a tool like this to build on.
See the end of the post. Thanks for your entry!
Finally a Real Estate package that takes into account localisation. I cannot wait to try this out and convert my existing sites to this framework!
Winners have been posted. Thanks for your entry!
Darn! Just finished a site for a real estated agent in Arizona. In looking around for the perfect theme I’m surprised I didn’t come across wpCasa. Darn again! The IDX integration feature is key to automating a site like this. With the construction and real estate market starting to heat up again I look forward to using the wpCasa theme on our next real estate agent project!
Winners have been listed at the end of the post. Thanks!
I have spent the last several weeks researching frameworks and themes for my mom whose just become a real estate agent. As an experienced web and graphic designer I couldn’t believe how frustratingly awful the websites that other agents are using, including some cms systems they pay over $50 a month for! Then I came across WpCasa, which has so many of my must-have features: Beautiful Design, Responsive Layout, MLS Integration, Excellent WordPress integration… and did I mention how beautiful it is?
In a market that is hyper competitive and very hard to differentiate oneself in, using WPCasa sets us apart from 99% of the amateurs; with a polished, professional and highly functional introduction to new clients.
Can’t wait to use it!
I totally agree. Just purchasing this theme today for a client.
so….when are the winners being announced? it’s already november 11th…
Winners have been listed at the end of the post. Thanks for your entry!