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Installing and Updating the WPResidence CRM

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The WPResidence real estate CRM ships as a companion plugin to the WPResidence theme. This article walks through installing it for the first time, what the plugin does on activation, and how to update it safely.

Requirements

  • WordPress 6.0 or later.
  • PHP 7.4 or later (PHP 8.x recommended).
  • WPResidence theme installed and active.
  • At least 64 MB of PHP memory (256 MB recommended for busy sites).

First-Time Installation

  1. Download the CRM plugin zip from your WPResidence account area.
  2. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload the zip and click Install Now.
  4. Click Activate.

What Happens on Activation

The plugin runs a first-time setup routine:

  1. Creates 9 custom database tables for contacts, leads, enquiries, deals, tasks, activities, notes, viewed listings, and automations.
  2. Seeds default settings — picklists, colors, stages.
  3. Migrates any existing legacy CRM data (from the older CPT-based system).
  4. Adds the manage_crm capability to the administrator role.
  5. Seeds the role-based permissions matrix.
  6. Seeds 27 default automation rules, all in paused state.
  7. Schedules three WP-Cron events: hourly automations, daily notifications, weekly digest.
  8. Auto-creates 9 WordPress pages for the dashboard (CRM home, Contacts, Leads, Enquiries, Deals, Tasks, Activity, Stats, Automations) — each using the matching page template.

Everything happens in seconds. You will see the nine new pages appear under Pages, and the CRM entry appears in the frontend dashboard sidebar when you log in.

Post-Install Configuration

  1. Open WPEstate CRM → Settings and customize picklists.
  2. Configure integrations: HubSpot, Twilio, webhooks.
  3. Review CRM → Automations and activate the rules you want.
  4. Train your team — have each agent log in and tour their dashboard.

Updating the CRM

Updates arrive through your WPResidence account. Two supported methods:

Method 1: Envato Market / WPResidence Updater (recommended)

If you use the WPResidence updater, click Update Now when a new version is announced. Safe, automatic, and runs migrations if needed.

Method 2: Manual Upload

  1. Download the latest zip.
  2. Deactivate the current CRM plugin.
  3. Delete the plugin directory (your data stays — it lives in the database).
  4. Upload the new zip via the Plugins screen.
  5. Activate.

Version Migrations

The CRM tracks its own database version in a WordPress option. When a new plugin version loads:

  • If the version differs, the plugin re-runs its activation routine — safe, because table creation uses dbDelta (which updates schemas idempotently) and all seeders skip existing non-empty values.
  • Schema migrations run automatically (for example, the legacy-to-new column name copy).
  • HubSpot and other integration settings are migrated from old storage locations to new ones on first run.

You do not need to do anything for these migrations — they run in the background.

Backing Up Before Updates

Always back up before updating. Two things to back up:

  1. The WordPress database (every plugin’s data lives in the DB).
  2. The wp-content directory (for any customizations).

Your hosting provider likely has automated backups — double-check they are running.

Deactivation

Deactivating the plugin clears the three WP-Cron events (automations, notifications, digest) so the site doesn’t keep running background work. Your data is preserved. Reactivating re-schedules the cron and re-seeds any missing defaults.

Uninstall

Uninstalling the plugin deletes all its data. The uninstall.php routine:

  • Drops all 9 custom tables.
  • Deletes all CRM options.
  • Removes the manage_crm capability.
  • Deletes the 9 auto-created dashboard pages.
  • Removes the /uploads/wpestate-crm/ directory (CSV uploads, etc.).
  • Clears all CRM cron events.

Do not uninstall unless you are certain you no longer want the data.

Troubleshooting

  • CRM menu doesn’t appear in the dashboard: check that the theme is WPResidence and pages were auto-created. Look under Pages for “WpEstate CRM” entries.
  • Cron events not running: check that WP-Cron is enabled on your hosting. Some hosts disable it and use a real cron instead — ask your host.
  • Activity timeline empty: activities are recorded from CRM events. If your site is new, the timeline will be empty until activity starts flowing.
  • Features missing: check that you have the correct CRM plugin version. See the sidebar on the Plugins page for version info.