Updated: August 3, 2022 
There are multiple real estate mobile applications in the marketplace, and Zillow and Trulia are the current leaders in the real estate industry, with over 10,000,000 downloads each on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
And, it’s the right time for you to launch your real estate mobile app like zillow. But remember, look for something unique that both these market leaders offer, keeping your target audiences in mind.
Let’s discuss in detail how to create a real estate mobile app from the very start.
Market research
Market research should be your initial move to ensure that a real estate mobile app lives up to your expectations, even though you have years of experience in this field and believe you are an expert. However, do not allow your preconceived notions to trigger the premature death of your project.
Initial market research can give you current, occasionally unexpected, insights into:
A real estate mobile app’s capacity to generate income in line with your expectations
Market share you can rely on Recent updates from competitors and the expense of luring customers from them
Real estate technology advances and trends
Reports and statistics about the industry, as well as other information
For example, as per Statista real estate market size in 2017 amounted to 134.3 billion U.S. dollars and is forecast to increase to almost 200 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2022.
Advantages of developing a real estate mobile app
You must take your target consumers’ needs and wishes into consideration while building a real estate mobile application that will be profitable.
For example, there are typically three sorts of users in the real estate industry: buyers, sellers, and realtors. Your real estate mobile app will help each in their unique way.
1. Advantages for consumers
Let’s outline your app’s advantages to homebuyers based on what the best real estate mobile applications offer.
2. Availability of current information at all times
Most of the time, purchasers narrow their search for potential properties to buy based on particular criteria like region, price range, kind, etc.
They may quickly browse through thousands, if not millions, of listings using your real estate app filters and locate the suitable properties by simply touching a few buttons.
Think about allowing your app to receive up-to-the-minute updates on the status of your listings.
3. Saving time by comparing properties without having to get there
Homebuyers used to have to visit several properties before deciding on the appropriate one, which may take months.
Homebuyers can now compare properties while still inside their premises in five to ten minutes, thanks to apps for real estate photographs.
Add high-definition photographs, extensive property descriptions, and 360-degree virtual tours to your real estate app to improve the user experience.
4. Searching for properties with a range of filters
According to the NAR research, finding the ideal property is the hardest element of the home-buying process for more than half of purchasers (53 percent).
As Trulia does, you can make it easier for people to find houses by providing comprehensive information about homes with a range of search and filter choices through a mobile app.
Investopedia recognized Trulia as the app with the best searchability a few weeks ago.
It gives consumers comprehensive information about the property and the neighborhood, including details about nearby restaurants, businesses, commuting times, crime rates, and user reviews.
5. Easy way to contact an agent round the clock
It’s also crucial for homebuyers to have 24/7 access to a dedicated professional who will help them navigate the purchasing process to make it less challenging.
In addition, homebuyers can connect with an agent who understands everything there is to know about the property they are interested in by using the find-an-agent option in your real estate app.
For instance, Trulia offers a link in each property listing that customers can utilize to get in touch with an agent directly.
6. Advice on purchasing and signing documents
Homebuyers will welcome services that can help them through the contract signing procedure because paperwork is the second most challenging step in the home purchasing process. You can beat out your rivals by providing a simple in-app e-signing capability.
Benefits for sellers
1. An excellent technique to confirm pricing.
Setting the right price for a property for sale can be challenging for sellers since they want to make a profit but don’t want to charge too much.
In this situation, including big data analytics in your app can assist sellers in obtaining estimates for residences similar to their own and selecting the optimal price.
2. More comprehensive market reach
Over 186 houses are seen by Zillow customers using their smartphones each second.
Each listing receives tens of thousands of views, given that Zillow has over 200 million active monthly visitors.
Is a more effective way for sellers to expand their market than a reputable real estate mobile app?
3. Display Properties
Using a real estate mobile app, sellers can add drone-taken property images, property films, 3D home tours, and street views from profitable angles.
Additionally, the app’s built-in mortgage, tax, and insurance calculators enable sellers to give prospective purchasers extensive information about the properties they are listing for sale.
4. Accelerates real estate sales
Your real estate mobile app gives sellers access to AI-powered features that can send targeted push notifications, personalize in-app alerts, and save and recall buyer preferences.
Larger sales are the result of all these operations. For instance, by using AI technology, Trulia increased client demand for its listings.
5. Advice on selling and signing documents
You can include step-by-step instructions on the selling procedure and paperwork made easier by the e-signing capability in your app to make sales sweet and simple for sellers.
Additionally, you may provide sellers the option to contact your support team directly or ask questions through an in-app chatbot.
Benefits for realtors
1. Comprehensive property information
Realtors now have access to a wealth of reliable property listings, thanks to a smartphone app. In addition, realtors can get real-time agent-only data from multiple listing services.
2. Automating everyday activities
Deal with properties that best meet your client’s criteria, coordinate showings based on your clients’ and your agents’ calendars, and produce reports.
This is an exhaustive list of the duties your real estate agents must carry out daily.
A well-designed real estate mobile app for realtors can accomplish many of these activities.
3. Expanded market reach and improved ability to keep leads
Using a mobile app, your agents may create client records, review them wherever they are during the day, email links to clients with listings, and post listings on social media.
Additionally, in-app AI-based algorithms can assist your agents in delivering relevant messages to clients at the appropriate time and location.
This, in turn, helps with sales while enhancing the standing of your agents.
4. Extra source of income
For instance, Zillow provides top-tier services to real estate agents to boost agent income growth.
Thus, consider including an in-app premium service while learning how to create a house-buying app if you want to assist your agents in generating more income effectively.
5. Brand awareness
A customized real estate mobile app may simultaneously establish your company’s identity and raise brand recognition by offering agents a broad range of advantages in a single tool.
As you can see, the best real estate applications cater to specific customer demands while offering various capabilities.
Determine the requirements of your agents, sellers, and house purchasers if you want to design a successful real estate app.
Top Features You Must Consider While Real Estate App Development!
Undoubtedly, your app needs to handle the real estate sector very differently.
However, your app must have specific functions to guarantee a rich user experience and customer satisfaction with offered services.
The following characteristics guarantee your app’s seamless, secure, and practical user experience. So look at it!
1. Profile
Users can create personal profiles that include their age, name, address, and other information. Additionally, agents must be able to write property descriptions, submit photographs, and catalog properties.
2. Virtual Tour
It’s a beautiful idea to give potential buyers a sense of the house they want to buy in real time via a virtual tour or 3D walkthrough.
3. Authentication
This functionality is essential since clients and brokers can communicate. A person will receive an OTP (one-time password) if they add their phone number, verifying their identification. Any program must have this security feature.
4. Filter
Enhanced search capabilities will save time for both the client and the agent by eliminating properties that do not meet the customer’s requirements. Any program user should find searching to be as straightforward as feasible.
5. Messaging
Using direct calls, texts, live chat, callback options, or other contact channels, users can reach realtors or agents to acquire the required assistance. This is made possible by the appropriate communication choices provided inside the program.
6. Favorites
Users can save their preferred properties to their accounts for subsequent access. The “favorites” feature’s drawback is that a client must register for an account to store a piece of property. Nevertheless, this is an excellent strategy for real estate brokers and agents to gather leads and follow up with suitable bids.
7. Sending push notifications
Push notifications are a very powerful marketing tool. Your software needs to possess these qualities to be effective over the long term. Push notifications aid in keeping and retaining your clients’ attention. Furthermore, it helps to advertise marketing services.
Apart from the above, below are some additional features you can consider in your custom real estate app!
– Filter Properties
– Search and sort properties
– 3D property
– ViewShare property
– Maps Integration
– List Property
– Fix appointment
– Loan/EMI calculator
– 360 Degree Tour
– Import/Export Data
– Budgeting and analysis
– Live chat
– Chatbot
– Login/Signup
– eContracts (Agreement)
– Verify Properties
How to Develop a Real Estate App from Scratch?
An extensive analysis of the project’s core comprises the first stage of the real estate mobile app development process.
Thus, it is advised not to go with app development blindly, do your research and accordingly look into the competitors for your app concept.
Before development, you must select the app development platform and tech stack example, Swift/Objective C, Mac OS, iPhone SDK for iOS development, and Java, SQLite for Android.
The following steps go with UX and UI designing and development. As your app’s development progresses, you will be able to use it and see how it works.
Don’t leave everything up to your developers, though. Utilize the knowledge of your mobile app development specialists because communication is crucial to the development process.
Before launching an app, testing comes; although testing procedures can lengthen the development process, they can significantly reduce the overall time and cost associated with delivery and upgrades.
You’ll need a team to turn your idea into reality to the tech stack
Business analyst
QA engineers
UI/UX designer
Backend developer
Project manager
Frontend developer
Select the best monetization strategies.
1. Premium Model
It’s a great idea to offer additional, paid premium services that cater to specific people’s needs. For instance, real estate brokers might have access to a wealth of data on consumer behavior and demographics, as well as tools for competitive market analysis and e-signature options.
2. Advertisement
Nowadays, advertising is the most popular method for any program to monetize itself. A real estate mobile app should have relevant adverts for mortgages, furnishings, property insurance, interior design services, bank home loans, and other services.
3. Commission
Your business may collect commissions for successful closings on properties listed on your real estate app, including brokerage fees.
How much does it cost to develop a real estate app?
The complexity of the real estate app depends upon innovative features, which will affect how much it costs to design a real estate mobile app.
However, designing a real estate app can cost you between $30,000 and $35,000; if the app has advanced functionality, the price would be closer to $55,000.
Moreover, it will depend upon the development company’s location.
Thus, remember that this is only a rough estimate; if you need a more precise cost for your proposal, contact the development team.
Conclusion
Real estate applications will be the best choice for assisting individuals in streamlining their search processes and raising awareness and income in the housing sector.
A real estate application should consider innovations, customer needs, and best practices to draw in more clients.
You can engage a company that develops real estate apps or a mobile app developer with the know-how to apply features and technologies appropriately and provide you with the best results.
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