FilterWise

Setting up your first filter

A filter is a complete filter in FilterWise. It defines how listings come in, how they're filtered, and where matches are sent. This guide walks you through creating your first filter from scratch.

Choosing Your Filter Type

FilterWise supports two types of filters:

Email Filter

Best if you already receive property alert emails from real estate portals. You redirect those emails to a unique FilterWise address, and the AI analyzes each listing automatically.

Supported portals (non-exhaustive): Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, Idealista, SeLoger, Immobilienscout24, Immoweb, and virtually any portal that sends HTML email alerts. See Supported portals for a comprehensive list.

Website Monitoring Filter

Best if you browse websites directly. You add search result page URLs, and FilterWise scans them daily for new listings.

Note: Some heavily protected sites (e.g., LeBonCoin) may block automated scanning. For those, use the email filter instead.

Creating the Filter

  1. In the sidebar, next to Filters, click the + button (on your very first visit, the guide offers the filter-type cards instead)
  2. Choose Email or Website monitoring
  3. Give your filter a name (e.g., "London flat search" or "Investment properties Manchester")

The Filter Checklist

Each filter page includes a setup checklist in the top-right corner. This checklist tracks your configuration progress:

  1. ✏️ Write your filter instructions — Add your AI filter criteria
  2. 📥 Add a source — Set up email forwarding or add websites
  3. 🧪 Test with a real listing — Run the AI filter on an actual listing
  4. 📧 Set your output email — Configure where matches are sent

The checklist disappears once all steps are completed. It's a handy way to make sure your filter is fully configured before relying on it.

Configuring an Email Filter

Step 1: Your FilterWise email address

Each email filter gets a unique email address like surname.name+token@filterwise.io. This is where you redirect your portal alerts.

How to set it up:

  • Go to your portal (e.g., SeLoger, Idealista)
  • Find your email alert settings
  • Change the alert recipient email to your FilterWise address
  • Or, forward individual listing emails manually for testing

Quick test: Before changing all your alerts, forward a single listing email from your regular inbox to the FilterWise address. It will appear in your dashboard within seconds.

Step 2: Write your filter instructions

Describe what you're looking for in plain language. Be as specific as you like:

"Forward listings that meet ALL of the following:

  • Price under €400,000
  • At least 3 rooms (2 bedrooms minimum)
  • Located in Paris (75) or near suburbs
  • Not ground floor
  • Quiet street preferred
  • Price per m² under €7,000"

You can also include calculations:

"Forward if positive monthly cash flow > €300, where:

  • Revenue = (rooms - 1) × €600/month
  • Loan = PMT(3.3%/12, 25×12, price × 1.08)
  • Cash flow = Revenue - Loan"

The AI has access to all listing data including the scanned property page, so you can reference any detail that appears in the listing.

Step 3: Set your output email

Enter the email address where matching listings should be forwarded. This is typically your personal email — the one you check daily.

Step 4: Save your filter

Click Save filter. Your process is now active. Every email sent to your FilterWise address will be automatically analyzed and filtered.

Configuring a Website Monitoring Filter

The setup is similar, but Step 1 is different:

Step 1: Add websites

Add URLs of search result pages from real estate portals. Important:

  • The URL must be a search results page showing multiple listings (not a homepage or single listing)
  • Apply basic geographic filters on the portal first, so FilterWise only processes listings in your target area
  • Test the URL in an incognito/private browser window to make sure it loads correctly

Example good URLs:

  • https://www.seloger.com/list.htm?tri=initial&enterprise=0&natures=1,2&places=[{ci:750056}]
  • https://www.idealista.com/en/venta-viviendas/madrid-madrid/

Sources are scanned automatically once per day. You can also trigger manual scans.

Steps 2-4: Same as email filter (filter instructions, output email, save).

Testing Your Filter

FilterWise includes a built-in testing panel on each filter page:

  1. Test email fetch (email filters): Fetches recent emails to verify they're arriving
  2. Extract listings: Parses listing URLs from an email
  3. Test AI filter: Runs your instructions against a selected listing and shows the AI's reasoning
  4. Test forwarding: Sends a matching listing to your output email

Always test your filter before relying on it. The test panel shows exactly how the AI evaluates each criterion, so you can refine your instructions.

Notification Modes

Each filter has a how to receive matches:

  • Immediately: Matching listings are emailed immediately
  • Daily recap: A summary of all matches is sent once per day at 10 PM
  • None: Matches appear in the dashboard only (no emails)

Multiple Filters

You can create multiple filters for different search strategies — one per city, one per investment type, one for personal use and another for clients. See Using multiple filters for strategies and tips.

Tips for Better Results

  1. Start broad, then narrow: Begin with fewer criteria and see what the AI catches. Add more constraints once you're confident.
  2. Use the test panel: Before committing to instructions, test it against several real listings.
  3. Enable "include when unsure": If a criterion can't be assessed (e.g., noise level not mentioned), forward the listing anyway rather than missing it.
  4. Check your dashboard: Even rejected listings are stored with the AI's reasoning. Review them to fine-tune your instructions.

Related articles: Writing effective AI filter instructionss · Redirecting property alert emails · Adding websites · Using multiple filters