This article walks you through creating an Insider search alert step by step. A search alert automatically notifies you when a property matching your customer’s needs is published in Insider, so you do not need to browse listings manually. A search alert is always linked to a single customer, and you can create multiple search alerts for different needs of the same customer or for different customers.
Creating a search alert only takes a short moment. Filling in the basic information (customer details, property location, and price range) takes just a couple of minutes, and more detailed search criteria can be completed in a few additional minutes.
1. Overview
A search alert is a saved search created for a customer that is automatically matched against all properties in Linear, including both public listings and properties published in Insider. When a new matching property comes on the market or an existing property is updated, the search alert generates a match and sends an email and a notification in Linear to the contact person.
Search alerts can be used in Insider to:
- Find suitable properties for customers before they are publicly listed
- Make your customers visible to other agents in connection with properties matching their search criteria, without sharing identifying information such as names or contact details
- Provide ready-made customer data for starting negotiations in Insider
Good to know: A search alert is saved for a single customer, meaning it works as an extension of the customer profile. Customer information always remains anonymous to other agents in Insider.
2. Before creating a search alert
Taking care of these things in advance helps ensure that creating a search alert is smooth and that the matches stay relevant.
2.1 Make sure the customer has been added to Linear
A search alert is always created for an existing customer. If the customer has not yet been added, first create a new customer in the Customers section of Linear, or create the customer while creating the search alert (section 3.1).
2.2 Activate Insider
The search alert works generally in Linear for properties you have access to, but in order to receive matches also for Insider properties, both you and the customer’s contact person must have Insider enabled and the Insider terms of use accepted.
2.3 Consider the customer’s actual search criteria
The more precise the search criteria, the better the matches will be. The search alert sends an email notification only for full matches, meaning when a property meets every criterion defined in the search alert. For this reason, it is useful to consider in advance which criteria are genuinely mandatory for the customer.
Tip: If the customer’s preferences are flexible, leave non-mandatory fields empty. This allows the search alert to find a broader range of matches and prevents good opportunities from being excluded by overly strict criteria.
3. Creating a search alert step by step
3.1 Open the search alert creation view
In Linear, go to the Insider section. At the top of the property listing, you will find the New Search Alert button. Click it to open the search alert creation form.
You can also create a search alert from a customer card in the Customers section of Linear.
The search alert works the same way regardless of where you create it.
3.2 Select a customer
A search alert is always linked to a single customer. Select the customer from the menu, or if you are creating the search alert from a customer card in the Customers section, the customer will already be selected for you.
3.3 Select a contact person
Contact person refers to the Linear user who receives notifications about matches. By default, you are suggested as the contact person, but you can change it if needed (for example, if another agent in your company is responsible for the customer).
Good to know: The contact person must be a Linear user. If you want multiple team members to also receive information about matches, use property and customer access sharing. The search alert contact person will always receive notifications, and in addition, the property agent and users with access rights to the property will receive their own notifications about matches.
3.4 Give the search alert a descriptive name
The name is optional: if you leave it empty, the system will automatically generate a name in the format "Search 1", "Search 2", and so on.
A descriptive name (for example, "Family apartment in the Eira area, budget €700,000") helps you later understand what need each search alert was created for.
4. Selecting search criteria
4.1 Location (required)
Location is the only mandatory search criterion. You can enter one or more areas, such as a district, municipality, or postal code. The search alert also finds matches based on partial area definitions (for example, Eira, Punavuori, Ullanlinna).
Tip: Make sure the location criteria covers all the areas the customer is interested in. Setting the area too narrowly may exclude good listings.
4.2 Price range
You can set the minimum and maximum price separately, or fill in only one of them:
- Both limits: the search alert will match listings priced within the selected range.
- Maximum price only: matches will include all listings below the set price.
- Minimum price only: matches will include all listings above the set price.
Tip: If the customer’s budget is flexible, leave the limits slightly broader. This way the search alert can also catch listings with room for negotiation.
4.3 Other search criteria
All other search criteria are optional. These include:
- Minimum and maximum floor area (in square meters)
- Minimum and maximum year of completion
- Number of rooms (you can select multiple, e.g. 3 rooms, 4 rooms)
- Property type (apartment building, townhouse, detached house, semi-detached house, loft, linked detached house, holiday home)
- Overall condition of the property
- Land ownership (owned, leased, optional)
- Heating system
- New development (yes/no)
- Elevator (yes/no)
- Balcony (yes/no)
- Sauna (yes/no)
- Private shoreline (yes/no)
Good to know: Every completed criterion is included in the match scoring. The more detailed the criteria, the more accurate the matches will be, but there will also be fewer of them. A search alert match is only created from full matches.
4.4 Private and public notes
At the end of the form, you can optionally add:
- Private notes: these are only visible to you and other Linear users who have access to the customer. Notes are suitable for internal information (for example, “the customer’s budget is not flexible”) or other reminders.
- Public notes: these may be visible to the other agent reviewing matches in the Insider context. These are suitable for clarifying the customer’s preferences in a way that supports matching.
4.5 Save the search alert
Once the required information has been completed, save the search alert. The system will immediately begin comparing it against existing listings, and any matches found will appear in the Insider section. Possible email notifications are sent with approximately a 15-minute delay so that multiple matches can be grouped into the same message.
5. Editing and deleting a search alert
5.1 Editing
You can edit the search alert criteria at any time. Editing triggers the search again, and new matches will appear as soon as the system has processed the updated criteria.
5.2 Deleting
A search alert can be deleted when it is no longer needed (for example, when the customer has found a home). Deleting also clears all matches related to that search alert.
Good to know: The system does not have a separate “pause” function. If you want to temporarily pause a search alert, we recommend deleting it and creating it again later.
6. If something goes wrong
6.1 I’m not receiving emails about matches
The most common reasons are:
- The search alert has not received any full matches. Check the Insider section to see whether there are any matches listed.
- Email notifications may be disabled in your user settings. Check your user settings to make sure search alert notifications are enabled.
- If you are expecting matches from Insider listings, make sure that both you and the customer’s contact person have Insider enabled.
6.2 The search alert returns too many matches
Add more specific search criteria. For example, the number of rooms, property type, or a maximum floor area can narrow down the results effectively.
6.3 The search alert returns no matches
Try loosening the search criteria:
- Expand the location by adding nearby areas
- Widen the price range
- Remove individual filtering criteria (for example, year of completion or sauna)
Good to know: The search alert only shows full matches in email notifications, but the match list in the Insider section may also display partial matches.
6.4 I want to change the contact person
Edit the search alert and change the value in the Contact person field. New matches will immediately be sent to the new contact person.
Tip: For example, if you were going on vacation, you could assign the colleague covering for you as the contact person for your search alerts.