What we did
- AI chat assistant installation and training
- WordPress integration plugin
- Lead routing into the CRM
Where it stands
Visitors get answers immediately and the team receives qualified conversations instead of empty form fills.
Services involved
- AI Assistant
- CRM
- Website Design
About Capital New York Home Advantage
Capital New York Home Advantage is a Malta, NY mortgage brokerage founded in 2012 by Michael Albano, a NYS registered mortgage broker (NMLS 709537). The firm works with a network of lenders to place conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, non-QM, reverse, construction, and refinance loans for Capital Region homebuyers.
Media Pillars serves as the brokerage's website and technical partner, handling development work the client's team cannot do in-house.
Industry: Mortgage brokerage — conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, non-QM, reverse and construction loans · Location: Malta, NY — Saratoga County and the Capital Region · Website: capnyhome.com
The Challenge
Mortgage shoppers ask the same questions at 10 p.m. that they ask at 10 a.m. — and they want an answer before they hand over their phone number. The broker wanted an AI assistant on the site that could answer those questions and capture the lead.
The widget arrived as custom code that needed a server-side proxy to protect the AI API key, a WordPress plugin install on a non-standard theme stack, spend controls, and email lead notifications, and an early version had dumped raw code onto the live site. It had to go in cleanly, stay within budget, and never break the front end again.
What Media Pillars Built & Manages
Media Pillars handled the full deployment and continues to support the assistant.
AI Chat Assistant Deployment
Installed the 'Claire' AI chat widget and its companion WordPress proxy plugin, connected securely to the client's own AI account so usage bills to them, with the front end verified stable.
Secure Configuration
API credentials placed in server configuration via FTP rather than in browser code, plugin uploaded and activated through WordPress admin, and a daily request cap set so costs stay predictable.
Lead Notifications
Conversation and lead details routed to the broker by email through the firm's own Google Workspace account, so no lead sits unseen in a chat log.
Version Upgrades & Testing
New releases of the widget and proxy swapped in and tested on a staging path before going live, after an earlier version broke the page layout.
Non-Standard Stack Support
The site runs on a page-builder theme rather than our usual Avada setup; we work within the client's existing stack rather than forcing a rebuild.
Compliance-Aware Copy Guidance
Chat and page content kept consistent with the firm's NMLS disclosure and fee-transparency positioning.
The Outcome
- A working AI assistant on the site that answers mortgage questions and captures contact details around the clock.
- API keys and usage limits handled server-side, so the broker controls spend and the site never exposes credentials.
- Every lead is emailed to the broker from his own domain the moment the conversation ends.
- A stable front end after a failed earlier install — verified before and after each update.
Services Delivered
Every service on this project is something we offer to any mortgage, real-estate, or financial-services business:
24/7 AI Receptionist CRM & Lead Management Missed-Call Text-Back Website Design & Care Plans Marketing Consulting & Strategy Local SEO & AI Search OptimizationPlatform Stack
WordPress · Elementor · Custom AI chat widget + proxy plugin · Google Workspace · WP Mail SMTP · GA4
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