This article walks you through how to upload a list of clients or prospects to your Homebot account using the bulk import tool. You'll find step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and tips for fixing common errors along the way.
🚨If you're a loan officer on an enterprise account, please reference this article or reach out to your Customer Success Manager for bulk import instructions.
Before You Upload
Make sure your file is ready to go:
File format is CSV or Excel (.xlsx)
Every row has a First Name, Last Name, and Email
Addresses are split into separate columns (Street Address, City, State, Zip) — not combined into one field
Your file has a header row with recognizable column names
Buyer/prospect files don't include homeowner-only fields (loan amount, home address)
💡 Not sure what fields you can include? Download the Client or Prospect reference template from the import screen to see all available fields. Templates are a field guide — you don't have to use them for your upload. If your file is already in your own format, you can skip the template entirely.
Step 1 — Open the Bulk Import tab
From your account, navigate to the Clients tab on the left and then select the Add Clients tab. You'll see two options:
Single Entry — Add one client manually
Bulk Import — Upload a list
Select Bulk Import to continue.
Step 2 — Review required data for import
This step displays required and recommended fields. Download templates to use as a reference — there is no required template format. If you already have a file in your own format, you can skip straight to step 3.
Step 3 — Choose your file(s)
Before uploading, confirm that your list contains only your clients, prospects, and contacts. Then choose:
Upload Clients — existing homeowners and past clients
Upload Prospects — buyer leads and in-progress contacts
This selection determines which fields are required. The system will then guide you through column matching, error correction, and final review.
Heads up: If you're uploading prospects or buyers, don't include homeowner-only fields like loan amount or home address — those records may fail silently.
Step 4 — Upload your file
Click the "+" icon and select your CSV or Excel file. Once loaded, you'll land in the guided upload experience.
When the tool loads, you'll see:
A Required Columns checklist on the left — these are the fields you must map before you can proceed. Each gets a green checkmark once mapped.
Column tooltips for trickier fields — for example, the Subject Property Address field has a reminder not to include city or state in that column.
A question mark (?) icon in the top right that opens a helper tooltip.
A support callout if you need help at any point.
Step 5 — Confirm the header row
The tool will auto-detect which row contains your column headers. In most cases, no action is needed. You may be prompted to select the header row manually if:
Your file has multiple tabs
There are empty rows above the headers
The header row is missing entirely
Once complete, click Next at the bottom right corner.
Step 6 — Map your columns
This is where you match your file's columns to Homebot's fields. The tool will attempt to auto-match based on column name similarity — for example, if your column is titled "Client One Middle," the system might auto-map to "Borrower First Middle Name."
On this screen you can:
Accept an auto-mapping — a green checkmark confirms the match on the Required Columns checklist
Change a mapping — use the dropdown to select a different field (see screenshot above)
Search the dropdown — type to filter (e.g., typing "credit" surfaces Borrower Credit Score, Co-Borrower Credit Score, etc.). Useful when your column name is non-standard, like "FICO"
Remove a column — click the trash icon to exclude a column from the import entirely (see screenshot above)
You can't move to the next step until every required column has a green checkmark. Keep an eye on the Required Columns checklist on the left to track your progress.
Once complete, click Next at the bottom right corner.
Common issue: The Subject Property Address field should contain the street address only — don't include city or state in that column. Each has its own separate field.
Step 7 — Review and fix errors
After mapping, your rows are split into two groups:
Clean rows — passed all validations, ready to import
Rows with issues — need attention before they can be imported
Use the three tabs at the top to navigate: All Rows, Clean Rows, and Rows with Issues.
Fix All — the fastest option
When the tool detects formatting errors it's confident about — dates in the wrong format, malformed phone numbers, zip codes with extra characters — you'll see a Fix all button at the top, plus individual Fix formatting errors prompts on each affected column. One click applies every safe correction at once.
Fix All handles things like: dates in DMY format converted to MDY, phone numbers normalized, zip codes cleaned up, and ALL CAPS names converted to proper case. It won't change the actual content of a field — only the format.
Fix Using AI — for content errors
For errors that aren't simple formatting fixes, use Fix using AI. Describe in plain language what needs to change, and the tool will apply it across the column.
Example: If every address in your Subject Property Address column ends with ", Denver, Colorado" from your CRM export, you can type: "Remove ', Denver, Colorado' from each cell in the Subject Property Address column." The tool will clean all affected rows in seconds.
⚠️ Use specific prompts. Broad instructions (like "remove city and state") can produce false positives — for example, stripping "Colorado" from a street called Colorado Boulevard. Always preview the suggested changes before accepting, and go column by column rather than trying to fix everything in one prompt.
Find and Replace
For simple, deterministic swaps — like replacing "N/A" with blank cells, or standardizing a value that appears incorrectly across many rows — use Find and Replace. Click the button, enter the exact text to find and what to replace it with, optionally scope to a specific column, and apply.
Inline Editing
For one-off errors, click directly into any cell and type the correct value. Best when only a handful of rows need attention, or when the fix requires information only you would know (like a client's correct date of birth).
Export to Excel
If errors are too complex or numerous to fix inside the tool, click Export to download the error rows as a CSV. Fix them in Excel or Google Sheets, then re-upload. You can also delete the error rows from the current import and continue with your clean rows — then come back and upload the corrected rows separately.
You don't have to fix every error to proceed. Export the problem rows, delete them from the import, and continue with your clean rows. This is the right move when you need clients in your account today and the errors represent a small portion of your file.
Quick reference — which tool to use
Error type | Try first | If that doesn't work |
Bad date format (MM/DD vs DD/MM) | Fix All | Fix Using AI |
Malformed phone numbers or zip codes | Fix All | Fix Using AI |
Extra text in a field (e.g., city/state in the address column) | Fix Using AI | Find and Replace, or export to Excel |
Known bad value appearing across many rows | Find and Replace | Fix Using AI |
One or two typos | Inline edit (click the cell) | — |
Large volume of errors or data that needs research | Export to Excel | Delete error rows and continue with clean ones |
Step 8 — Import
Once your remaining rows are clean, click Import. A confirmation pop-up will appear, and your clients will begin processing. Successful records will appear on your Your Clients tab shortly after.
Step 9 — Check your confirmation email
When the import completes, you'll receive an email that includes:
Confirmation the import is complete
The file name you uploaded
A link to review your imported clients
A short "what's next" section covering digest timing, how to review the welcome email, and how to check digest settings
A note that replying routes to [email protected]
What can still go wrong (and why)
Even though the import tool catches most errors up front, back-end validation still runs after you submit. Some checks can only happen against third-party providers — for example, SmartyStreets for address validation and CoreLogic for property data — and can't be tested in the front-end preview.
What this means:
Most uploads will fully succeed.
Some rows may fail on the back-end even after passing the front-end review. You won't see these failures directly — support will reach out with a failures file and next steps.
Some imports complete as "Complete with errors" (partial success): the client record was created, but some associated data (like the home or loan) didn't import cleanly. Support reviews these case by case.
If your confirmation email says the import is complete but support follows up with a failures file — that's normal. It means a small number of records passed the front-end review but were flagged during back-end processing. Reply to the support message and the team will help you get those records in.
Common mistakes to avoid
Mistake | What happens | How to avoid it |
Full address in one column ("123 Main St, Denver, CO 80202") | Property matching fails — can affect the whole file | Split into Street, City, State, and Zip columns |
Invalid date of birth | The entire client record is dropped | Leave DOB blank if you're unsure — it's optional |
Prospect file includes homeowner fields (loan amount, home address) | Records may fail silently | Prospect files only need first name, last name, and email |
City or state included in the Subject Property Address field | Flagged as a warning by the tool | Address goes in Address; city, state, and zip each have their own columns |
Swapped column data (e.g., home price in the pre-qual field) | Bad data imports and is hard to detect or undo | Double-check that headers match the data beneath them |
DMY date format when the tool defaults to MDY | Flagged as formatting errors | Use MDY if possible, or use Fix All to auto-reformat |
Skipping required columns during mapping | Can't proceed — green checkmarks won't complete | Check the Required Columns checklist on the left |
Multi-tab Excel file with the wrong tab selected | The tool maps against the wrong columns | Confirm the correct tab is selected at the header row step |
Excel formulas that don't export cleanly to CSV | Values appear as errors or blanks | Save as CSV and spot-check values before uploading |
What's next?
Still need help?
If you get stuck at any point, click the pink icon located at the bottom right corner of your account, or reply to your import confirmation email — both go directly to the Homebot support team.
Common reasons to loop in support:
An error message you don't recognize and can't resolve with the tools above
Addresses that look correct but keep getting flagged (may be a back-end validation issue)
Bulk errors that seem to point to a systemic issue with your file
You received a failures file from support and aren't sure how to fix it