Trello Integration
Productivity & Task ManagementWhat It Does
Trello is a visual task management tool built around kanban boards where work moves across columns as it progresses. Each board contains lists (columns), and each list contains cards (tasks) that you drag and drop between stages. For real estate professionals, this visual simplicity makes it perfect for tracking deals through stages, managing showing schedules, and coordinating team tasks without the complexity of heavyweight project management software.
Why Real Estate Professionals Use It
Real estate agents resist complex tools. They need something that requires zero training, works on mobile, and doesn't interrupt their flow. Trello succeeds because it's intuitive: deals are cards, stages are columns, done means dragging right. A new agent can look at the board for 10 seconds and understand where every deal stands without reading documentation or watching tutorial videos.
AI Solutions for Productivity
CTO's Guide to AI Implementation
Security, compliance, and vendor evaluation frameworks for AI operations
AI Transaction Coordinator
Automate document collection, deadline tracking, and stakeholder updates
Commission & Pipeline Tracker
Real-time dashboard showing deal progress and expected commissions
Key Features for Real Estate
Discover how Trello powers real estate automation workflows
Drag-and-Drop Kanban Boards
Visual boards with customizable lists (columns) and cards (tasks). Drag cards between lists as work progresses. See your entire pipeline at a glance with color-coded labels and member avatars.
Create a 'Deals' board with lists for each stage: Lead → Qualified → Showing → Offer → Under Contract → Closed. Drag the 'Johnson Family' card from Showing to Offer when they submit. Color-code by priority (red = closing this week, yellow = next 30 days).
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Automation Workflows
Ready-to-deploy workflows powered by Trello + NextAutomation
Auto-Create Deal Cards from CRM Leads
When a new qualified lead is created in your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.), this workflow automatically creates a Trello card in the 'New Lead' list with the contact's name, email, phone, and property interest. It adds a checklist for initial follow-up tasks and assigns the card to the lead's owner.
1CRM webhook fires when lead is marked 'Qualified'
2n8n extracts lead details: name, email, phone, property interest, assigned agent
3n8n creates a new Trello card in 'Buyer Pipeline' board under 'New Lead' list
4Set card title: '[Contact Name] - [Property Interest]'
Leads flow automatically from CRM to Trello so agents never miss follow-ups. The visual board shows which leads are new, in progress, or stalled. Agents check off follow-up tasks as they complete them, and the card history logs all actions for accountability.
Triggers & Actions
Connect Trello to your workflows with powerful triggers and actions
Triggers
Card Created
Fires when a new card is added to a specified board or list.
When agent creates a card in 'New Listings' list, trigger workflow to notify marketing team and schedule photography.
Card Moved to List
Fires when a card is dragged to a specific list (stage).
When deal card moved to 'Under Contract', trigger workflow to add closing checklist and notify transaction coordinator.
Checklist Item Completed
Fires when a checklist item on a card is checked off.
When 'Photography Complete' is checked, trigger workflow to upload photos to MLS and schedule social media posts.
Due Date Approaching
Fires when a card's due date is within a specified time window (e.g., 24 hours).
When closing due date is 3 days away, send Slack alert to agent and coordinator: 'Closing Friday—verify all docs submitted'.
Card Updated
Fires when any card property changes (description, members, labels, custom fields).
When 'Offer Amount' custom field is updated on a deal card, log the change in CRM and notify team of offer activity.
Comment Added
Fires when a comment is posted on a card.
When agent comments on showing card with feedback, parse the comment and update buyer's profile in CRM with property preferences.
Actions
Create Card
Creates a new card in a specified list with defined title, description, labels, members, and due date.
When new lead captured in CRM, create Trello card in 'New Leads' list with contact name, source, and follow-up checklist.
Update Card
Updates properties of an existing card (move to list, change due date, add/remove labels, add members, update custom fields).
When deal closes in CRM, move Trello card to 'Closed Won' list, add green 'Closed' label, and archive card.
Add Checklist to Card
Adds a new checklist with specified items to an existing card.
When listing goes live, add 'Marketing Checklist' to listing card with tasks for social posts, email blast, and open house planning.
Add Comment to Card
Posts a comment on a card, optionally mentioning team members with @username.
After AI analyzes showing feedback sentiment, add comment to deal card: '@agent - Buyer sentiment is positive. Consider following up with offer guidance.'
Add Attachment to Card
Uploads a file or adds a link attachment to a card.
When listing agreement is signed in DocuSign, attach the PDF to the listing card in Trello for easy team access.
Archive Card
Archives a card (removes from active view but preserves for search/history).
When deal falls through or closes, archive the card to keep the board clean while preserving the record for future reference.
Setup Guide
Get started in approximately 10 minutes for basic setup; 30 minutes with first board structure and Butler rules; 1 hour with n8n integration
Prerequisites
- Trello account (free or paid tier)
- Trello API Key and Token (generated from trello.com/power-ups/admin)
- n8n instance with Trello node available
- Basic understanding of kanban boards and lists
Create Trello Account and Set Up First Board
Sign up at trello.com. After email verification, create your first board: click 'Create new board', name it 'Deals Pipeline', and add lists: 'New Lead', 'Qualified', 'Showing', 'Offer', 'Under Contract', 'Closed'. Practice dragging a test card between lists to understand the kanban flow.
Use a simple board structure at first (5-7 lists max). You can always add complexity later. Too many lists overwhelm new users.
Generate Trello API Key and Token
Visit trello.com/power-ups/admin, click 'New' to create a Power-Up (even if not publishing one). You'll get an API Key. Then visit trello.com/1/authorize?key=[YOUR_KEY]&name=n8n&expiration=never&response_type=token&scope=read,write and authorize to get a permanent token. Copy both.
Save the API Key and Token in a password manager. Treat the token like a password—it grants full access to your Trello account.
Connect Trello to n8n
In n8n workflow editor, add a Trello node. Click 'Create New Credentials', paste your API Key and Token. Test by adding a 'Get All Boards' node and executing—it should list your Trello boards.
Name credentials 'Trello - Production' for reuse across workflows. If you have multiple Trello workspaces, create separate credentials for each.
Set Up Board Structure for Real Estate
Create boards for different workflows: 'Buyer Pipeline', 'Listing Pipeline', 'Marketing Projects'. Within each board, create lists representing stages. Add a 'Templates' board with template cards for recurring tasks (new listing checklist, closing checklist, buyer follow-up sequence).
Use board backgrounds and colors to differentiate purposes (e.g., blue background for Buyers, green for Listings). This helps agents find the right board quickly.
Find Board and List IDs for Automation
Open a Trello board, add '.json' to the end of the URL (trello.com/b/BOARD_ID.json) and visit it. You'll see JSON with the board ID and list IDs. Copy these for use in n8n workflows. Alternatively, use n8n's 'Get All Boards' and 'Get All Lists' actions to retrieve IDs.
Keep a document mapping board/list names to IDs: 'Buyer Pipeline Board: abc123', 'New Lead List: def456'. Saves time when building workflows.
Enable Custom Fields Power-Up (If Needed)
Open a board, click 'Power-Ups' in the menu, search for 'Custom Fields', and enable it. Add custom fields relevant to real estate: 'Property Address' (text), 'Commission Amount' (number), 'Closing Date' (date), 'Property Type' (dropdown). These fields enable data-rich workflows.
Free Trello accounts allow 1 Power-Up per board. Paid accounts unlock unlimited. If on free tier, prioritize Custom Fields over other Power-Ups for real estate use.
Configure Butler Automation for Basic Rules
Click 'Automation' (Butler button) in your board menu. Create a simple rule: 'When a card is moved to Under Contract, add the Closing Checklist and set due date to 30 days from now.' Test by dragging a card to that list and verifying the checklist appears.
Butler has generous free limits (50 commands/month on free tier). Start with high-impact rules like 'auto-add checklists when stage changes' before building complex n8n workflows.
Build Your First Workflow: CRM to Trello Card Creation
Create an n8n workflow: CRM Trigger (new qualified lead) → Set Variables (extract name, property interest) → Trello 'Create Card' action (in New Lead list) → Add Follow-Up Checklist → Assign to agent → Slack notification. Test by creating a lead in your CRM.
Start with simple card creation. Once that works reliably, layer in checklists, labels, and custom fields. Incremental complexity prevents debugging nightmares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Trello integration
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