Getting Started

Documentation

Learn how to set up your workspace, manage clients, and leverage powerful features to streamline your commercial real estate workflow.

Quick Start Checklist

Complete these steps to get your workspace ready

Create your first client workspace Upload company & client logos Add team members Import properties Share client portal Master market filtering

Step 1

Create Your First Client Workspace

Set up a dedicated space for each client to track their deals

Navigate to Clients Hub

After signing in, you'll land on your Clients Hub dashboard.

Click "New Client"

Find the button in the top-right corner of the header (white button with indigo text).

Fill in client details

Client Name: Company name (e.g., "Brochu Walker") - required
Description: Optional notes about the project or client
Initial Portal Password: Optional password for client portal (can be set later, must be 6+ characters)

Save and start working

Click "Create Client" and the workspace will be created. Click "Open workspace" to enter it and start adding properties.

Step 2

Customize Logos & Branding

Make the client portal your own with company and client logos

Upload Your Company Logo

Open Branding Settings

In the Clients Hub, click the "Branding" button in the top-right corner (next to "New Client").

Upload Company Logo

Click "Upload" next to "Company Logo" and select your company logo file (PNG, JPG, or SVG recommended).

Choose brand color (optional)

Pick a primary brand color that will be used in client portal headers. This applies to ALL client portals.

Pro Tip: Your company logo and brand color will appear on every client portal header, establishing your professional brand presence.

Step 3

Manage Team Access

Invite teammates from one place, then decide whether they see every workspace or just a curated list.

Invite teammates & grant admin access

Start every invite inside the Team Access dialog so you can set permissions immediately.

Teammate registers once

Ask your colleague to click “Create account” on the login screen so their email exists in Darby.

Open the Team dialog

In the Clients Hub header, click the Team button next to “Branding”.

Invite by email

Use the email form at the top. If the user already has an account they’ll appear instantly; otherwise you’ll be reminded they need to register first.

Set to “All Clients” for admins

In their row, choose All Clients from the access dropdown. They’ll now see every workspace the next time they log in.

Best for: Administrative staff who do data entry across all clients, senior partners who oversee multiple accounts, or anyone who needs blanket access to every workspace.

Limit teammates to specific clients

Keep contractors or junior staff focused by sharing only the clients they need.

Add them in the Team dialog

Use the same email invite flow—everyone starts in this central list.

Switch access to “Assigned Only”

Change their dropdown from All Clients to Assigned Only.

Toggle the client checkboxes

Use the list of clients under their name to choose exactly which workspaces they can see. Changes save immediately.

Review who granted access

Each entry shows “Added by” so you always have an audit trail of who invited them.

Best for: External consultants, junior team members working on specific deals, or anyone who should only access certain clients.

Which Access Type Should I Use?

Scenario	Access Type	Manage From
Admin doing data entry for all clients	All Clients	Team button in Clients Hub
Senior partner overseeing everything	All Clients	Team button in Clients Hub
Junior analyst on specific deals	Assigned Only	Team button in Clients Hub
External consultant for select projects	Assigned Only	Team button in Clients Hub

Note: All team access is managed from the central Team button in the Clients Hub. When a teammate is set to "Assigned Only", you can then check specific client workspaces they should access.

Step 4

Import Properties & Documents

Upload property brochures and attach supporting documents

Upload Property Brochures

Darby automatically extracts property details from PDF brochures using AI.

Navigate to Import tab

In your client workspace, click the "Import Property" tab in the top navigation bar.

Choose your import method

Upload property brochure PDFs, CoStar exports, or paste text/links. The system detects the document type automatically.

AI extracts property data

Darby's AI automatically extracts property name, address, square footage, rent, amenities, photos, and floor plans from documents.

Review and save

Review the extracted data, make any corrections needed, and save to add properties to your workspace.

Add Documents to Properties

After importing properties, you can attach additional supporting documents to each property for client reference.

View property in workspace

From the Map or Excel View tab, click on any property to open its details.

Access Documents section

Look for the Documents tab or section within the property details view.

Upload supporting files

Attach lease abstracts, comp studies, reports, or any supporting documents that clients should see.

What you can attach: PDFs, Excel files, Word docs, images, CAD files — any document type that's relevant to the property. Clients can download these files directly from their portal.

Step 5

Share Client Portal

Give clients secure access to their custom property portal

Add properties to workspace

Import and organize properties in the client workspace. All properties will be visible in the portal.

Open workspace overview or map

Navigate to the Overview or Market Map tab in the workspace. Look for the portal/share icon in the header.

Generate portal

Click the share/portal button and set a secure password (minimum 6 characters, must confirm). This creates a unique portal URL.

Share portal credentials

Copy the portal URL and send it to your client along with the password. The portal link is also visible in the Clients Hub.

Client accesses portal

Clients visit the portal URL, enter the password, and see a branded interface with:

Overview tab with updates, market tiles, and highlights
Interactive map view with property pins
Property comparison table (Excel-style view)
Property details with photos, floor plans, specs, and documents
Ability to leave feedback on properties

Live updates: Changes you make to properties, documents, or workspace content automatically sync to the client portal in real-time. No need to regenerate or resend links!

Step 6

Master Market Filtering

Filter properties by geographic market to focus on specific regions

Darby automatically extracts market information from property addresses to help you organize and filter properties by location.

Market

Geographic markets like NYC, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, etc.

Custom Markets

Properties can also be tagged with custom market designations as needed.

Access Market filters

In the Market Map or Excel View tab, look for the Market filter dropdown near the top of the interface.

Select markets to filter

Click the Market dropdown and check the markets you want to view. You can select multiple markets at once.

Combine with other filters

Market filters work alongside Transaction Stage, Shortlist, and other property filters for targeted search.

Reset filters

Click "Reset" or clear market selections to view all properties again.

Example: To see only shortlisted retail properties in the NYC and Dallas markets, select: Market = "NYC, Dallas" → Enable "Shortlist Only" → Properties will filter automatically.

Advanced Features

Power User Guide

Master powerful tools to streamline your workflow

Customize Property Columns

Tailor the Excel View to show exactly what matters for each client presentation.

Open Excel View

Navigate to the Excel View tab in your client workspace to see the property comparison table.

Click "Customize Columns"

Look for the "Customize Columns" button near the top-right of the table toolbar.

Toggle columns on/off

Check or uncheck columns like Available SF, Asking Rate, Building Class, Year Built, Parking Ratio, and more to create the perfect view.

Pro Tip: Column preferences are saved per-browser, so you can create different views on different devices for different presentation contexts.

Custom Transaction Stages

Create a pipeline that matches your exact deal process beyond the default stages (New Opportunity, Draft LOI, Pass).

Assign properties to stages

In Map or Excel View, click on a property and use the stage dropdown to categorize it (e.g., "New Opportunity", "Draft LOI", "Pass").

Create custom stages

Add your own stages like "Tour Scheduled", "Proposal Stage", "Under Negotiation", or "Closed Won" to match your workflow.

Filter by stage

Use stage filters in Map and Excel View to focus on properties at specific points in your pipeline.

Manage stages

Rename, reorder, or delete stages as your process evolves. Properties automatically reassign to remaining stages.

Best Practice: Align your stages with your team's actual deal progression steps for better tracking and reporting.

Client Feedback System

Capture client opinions and comments directly in the portal, creating a documented feedback trail.

How clients give feedback

In the client portal, each property detail page has a feedback section where clients click thumbs up/down and add comments.

View feedback in workspace

Open any property in your broker workspace and scroll to the "Client Feedback" section to see all opinions and comments.

Feedback appears in real-time

As soon as a client submits feedback, it's immediately visible in your workspace—no refreshing needed.

Passwordless feedback links

Generate single-property feedback links for quick client input without requiring portal login.

Use Case: After property tours, send clients the portal link and ask them to leave feedback. You'll have documented opinions for every property shown.

Export to Excel & PowerPoint

Generate professional presentations and spreadsheets with one click.

Excel Export

Select properties

In Excel View, check the boxes next to properties you want to export.

Export to CSV

Click "Actions" dropdown and select "Export Selected to CSV". Opens in Excel with all property data.

PowerPoint Export

Select properties to present

Check the boxes for properties you want in the deck.

Generate PowerPoint

Click "Actions" > "Export to PowerPoint". Darby generates a professionally formatted deck with property photos, specs, maps, and floor plans.

Automatic formatting

The deck includes cover slide, comparison table, individual property slides with hero images, detailed specs, location maps, and floor plans—all automatically laid out.

Time Saver: What used to take hours of manual PowerPoint work now happens in seconds. Perfect for client presentations and internal reports.

Overview Tab Customization

The Overview tab is a customizable dashboard that appears in both your workspace and the client portal.

Latest Updates section

Post deal updates, market news, or project milestones. Supports rich text formatting and file attachments (PDFs, reports, market data).

Market Snapshot tiles

Showcase featured properties with images and quick stats. Clients can click tiles to jump directly to property details.

Key Highlights

Add executive-level notes, strategy points, or important reminders that stay pinned at the top of the overview.

Drag to reorder sections

Drag section headers to change the order (Updates, Market Snapshot, Highlights) to prioritize what matters most.

Customize section titles

Edit section titles and descriptions to match your client's terminology (e.g., rename "Market Snapshot" to "Featured Opportunities").

Client Experience: The Overview tab is the first thing clients see when they log into their portal, making it perfect for important announcements and featured listings.

Property Document Management

Organize and share all property-related documents with clients in one centralized location.

Document types

Upload lease abstracts, offering memorandums, environmental reports, surveys, comp studies, site plans—any file type.

Display order control

Drag and drop to reorder documents. Most important files appear first in both workspace and client portal.

Client downloads

Clients can download any document directly from the property detail page in their portal—no email attachments needed.

Organization Tip: Name files clearly (e.g., "123-Main-St-Lease-Abstract.pdf") and maintain consistent naming conventions across all properties.

Shortlist & Favorites

Mark top properties for quick access and focused presentations.

Star properties

Click the star icon on any property card in Map or Excel View to add it to the shortlist.

Filter by shortlist

Enable "Shortlist Only" filter to instantly hide non-shortlisted properties and focus on your top picks.

Export shortlisted properties

Combine shortlist filter with export features to create targeted presentations featuring only your best options.

Workflow: Start with a broad search, shortlist the top candidates, then use shortlist filtering when creating final client presentations.

Ready to get started?

Jump into your workspace and start building beautiful client experiences.

Go to Dashboard