Step-By-Step Guide To Build A Real Estate Listing Platform In 2024

Demand from buyers increased, home prices skyrocketed, and mortgage interest rates fell to all-time lows. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the reasons for all of this is the pace of technology. Although it doesn’t make the news, this element has a significant impact on the US home market. Real estate listing platforms, digital closings, and remote mortgage approvals have accelerated the pace of property marketing and sales.

In the current marketplace, a well-designed website serves as both the foundation of your company and a top-selling tool.

We will teach you how to create a user-centered, intuitive online application and guarantee a high-quality data flow in our tech guide on developing a real estate platform, so you can become the industry leader.

• Main components: Property listing platform components
• Features: Recommended real estate website features
• Design: UI/UX web design best practices for real estate
• Technologies: Contemporary technology enabling internet real estate listing platforms
• Bonus: Ways to connect with and involve your audience
• Real estate web application marketing hacks
• Examples of successful Proptech companies
• Appic Softwares experience

Main components: Property listing platform components

Streamlining the development process requires an understanding of the project structure. These are some things that you ought to be aware of.

• Front-end Any real estate website you visit will have pages with features, content, and visual aspects. However, it’s just the front-end—the portion of a website that consumers can view and interact with—that they can see. The user interface (the feel) and graphic design (the look) are combined to form the front-end.
• Rear-end (or logic on the server side) Back-end web development is responsible for everything that takes place behind the scenes and is hidden from your users, such as search algorithms, third-party integrations, and application business logic. This unseen portion of a website serves as an enabler for the server, application, and database that make up the front-end online experience.
• mobile program. Developing a platform using mobile first design principles is critical. In April 2021, mobile phones—not tablets—accounted for 54.8% of all web traffic. Make sure your property listing website can be quickly adjusted to fit any screen size, as mobile visitors prefer not to have to zoom in or scroll horizontally to see your content.
• dashboard for administrators. Another essential part of the e-property websites is the administration system. The control center, or admin panel, is where you may examine reports and analytics, control properties, agents, system settings, and platform visitors, among many other admin-specific tasks.

Let’s start exploring the web building process now.

Features: Recommended real estate website features

Virtually every real estate web has features and resources to assist buyers in finding the ideal house and agents in advertising their businesses.

We created a list of characteristics that we believe are necessary for the majority of real estate listing systems based on our experience developing websites.

1. Property listings

The properties may show up on your platform in a few different ways:

Database

An essential component of a home listing site and the main driver behind its creation are databases containing properties. Website developers can incorporate the database into the back end of the website if you already have it.

A typical set of fields, including address, description, amenities, photos, number of bedrooms, and others, will be included in the database, but they will be customized to meet your needs.

User contribution

Giving consumers the option to list their properties without the use of agents is another method to increase the number of properties you own while maintaining listings current. For example, users have contributed 80 million of the 110 million listings on Zillow. As a result, prospective buyers will primarily obtain information from your property listing website.

Make sure your website has all the features required for sellers, homeowners, and agents to upload listings if you want users to be able to post them.

API integrations

The Multiple Listings Service, or MLS, listing database is the primary source of home listings data for the majority of property search services. But integrating MLS might be difficult because you need to pay money and take time to obtain a real estate license in every state in the union.

As an alternative, you can use API connectors to retrieve databases from external providers like Redfin, Trulia, and Zillow. It’s an affordable method of obtaining up-to-date real estate information. For example, Zillow offers an API, which the firm permits to be integrated into websites, but not into mobile applications.

2. User account

Create a new web application with a quick and simple signup process. Easy-to-use platforms that take little effort to create an account are preferred by modern consumers, and we highly advise adhering to this trend. To assist your prospects and enhance the user experience, provide them the option to sign in using email addresses, phone numbers, or social network profiles.

Real estate professionals, sellers, and buyers are just a few of the various user categories that may visit your website. They will all have unique attributes and equipment. For instance, it would be fantastic if you implemented advanced tools like mortgage calculators, fast support, or saved search results for homebuyers who are looking for properties for sale. Agents must have access to schedules, lists, and potential clients in the interim. You must consider each of these factors when developing a strategy for your platform.

3. Advanced search

The key component of an online listing platform is the search function. By including more filters and search parameters, you can greatly increase the business’s value. Prospective tenants and buyers will have more opportunities to discover the greatest deal if your platform’s search engine has greater influence over its users’ searches.

4. Interactive maps

Customers can use this strong and adaptable tool to identify the finest property offers based on a variety of factors. To display search results, a map is typically connected to the search tool. By providing thorough details on various neighborhoods and other demographic data superimposed on the map, you may draw in more clients. Numerous third-party services and APIs enable the mapping of geographic and local area data, including schools, transit, recreational facilities, and more. To reflect pertinent information for your prospects, think about integrating GeoNames, Census Bureau APIs, Google Places APIs, Great Schools APIs, or Mapbox.

5. Payment processing

You will require a payment provider to integrate on your platform if you choose to increase the value of your real estate website and diversify your revenue streams. There’s no shortage of ways to earn money. Through the creation of different subscription plans, you can range accessibility and rates or offer end customers paid options on premium features and services. Please refer to the Integration paragraph below for a list of the most often used payment processing services.

6. Documentation and e-signature services

Clients anticipate a simple and quick experience at every stage of the real estate process. It was made possible by digital technology and electronic signature systems, which offered unmatched speed and ease of use to all involved parties. Using an electronic signature system such as DocuSign or HelloSign ensures better methods for creating, organizing, and sending the legal documents associated with buying a house. It will enable you to draft and eSign papers from any device swiftly, securely, and with the highest level of legal protection, allowing you to close deals more quickly.

7. Admin dashboard

A system that can handle it all is necessary in a sector as complicated and multidimensional as real estate. An admin panel gives you the ability to oversee all entities, manage actions, and monitor analytics from a single interface. A thorough dashboard that is well-organized should offer:

• User management
• Streamlined property listings
• Report generation
• Application analytics
• Ticketing and user support

8. Platform management and analytics

To maintain their growth, real estate companies need to be able to access their data in real time and make well-informed judgments. You may improve the bottom line by using crucial data from financial and property management systems, as well as sales, tenant, and lease information, by utilizing advanced analytics technologies.

Design: UI/UX web design best practices for real estate

Buyers demand an excellent user experience when searching for a home online, so you need to be ahead of the game. They explore several real estate listing websites. Consumers are becoming more picky than ever. Therefore, it’s critical that your listing page adheres to industry best practices for real estate listing businesses and maximizes the impact of both design and usability.

Prior to delving into our suggestions, allow us to emphasize three essential elements of successful web design that you should always strive for: mobile friendliness, responsiveness, and client-centered design.

1. User-focused web design

In our opinion, the most important factor in real estate web design should be user-centered platform design. This strategy is founded on the idea of building a platform with a clear understanding of end users. 

This is a technique to involve possible users in the process of designing a particular user interface. Stated differently, designing with the user’s emotional fulfillment in mind. You can attain a solution that is focused on the needs of the client by using investigative techniques like user interviews, surveys, and research.

We’ve chosen a few websites so you can learn more about creating and implementing visually appealing user interfaces with powerful user experiences while considering the demands and behavior of your users:

• UX design
• Nielsen Norman Group
• Dribbble
• Behance

2. Pleasing UI

The primary tool used by your property listing platform to attract consumers, advertise your offerings, and succeed is user interface design (UI/UX). 75% of users form their opinions about a website based only on its design.

A skilled designer who keeps up with the newest user interface trends knows which components to employ from their extensive design kit to produce an amazing interface and provide the user an amazing experience. Utilizing animations and motion graphics encourages users to stay on your website longer and focus more intently on the services you provide.

Our UI/UX designers have demonstrated that the Material Design and Ant Design systems may assist you in developing a captivating real estate website that establishes a first impression and encourages visitors to stay longer.

3. Balance between usability and aesthetics

Usability testing is likely to fail a flashy site that is overstuffed with features, trendy animation, and details. Excellent design draws users in without advancing the purpose of the website.

Remember that individuals visit the property platform in search of information even as you search for beautiful aspects. Potential purchasers will choose a more user-friendly website if they have trouble locating the property they’re looking for.

Notably, 88% of users acknowledged that following a negative encounter, they wouldn’t visit a website again.

Consider how visitors will engage with your platform instead of how your website may highlight your skills. Make sure visitors to your website have a good time, and they will come back.

In light of this, our real estate web design and development firm suggests combining your originality with usefulness. Next, transform this combination into an excellent design that satisfies the following criteria:

A visually and emotionally appealing user interface can draw in customers.

• Information structure: Relevant data should be organized in an easy-to-understand manner in an organized manner.
• Accessibility: People with different abilities should have equal access to and opportunities on your website.
• User-friendliness: Accessing a website doesn’t need a lot of mental work.
• Reactivity: When potential customers find your property search service, almost half of them will probably be using a smartphone. Ensure that your website works on all types of devices and operating systems.

4. Intuitive and simple navigation

A property platform usually has so much information on it that navigating through it can become challenging. However, a well-designed user interface suggests that visitors won’t have to waste time navigating your website.

A well-designed sitemap, user-friendly menus, and a well-organized navigation structure are essential components of any real estate marketplace. Maintain a simple, clean layout for your website and place important components, like the navigation buttons, where visitors expect them.

An informal 3-click rule can be used to determine how user-friendly the navigation is. The ideal number of clicks required by a user to locate the required content is three.

UI/UX design is difficult and necessitates a great deal of experience and effort. As experts in this domain, we would be happy to assist you in producing an outstanding design. Visit our special PD service webpage to learn more about Product Design, or get in touch with us directly.

Technologies: Contemporary technology enabling internet real estate listing platforms

For the features and functionalities to be implemented as efficiently as possible, choosing the appropriate tech stack is essential. It is closely related to the scope, intricacy, and functions that your project requires.

We have compiled a list of the reliable technologies and integrations that will guarantee the scalability and excellent performance of your real estate website, all while keeping in mind the fundamental criteria.

Technologies

• Back-end: Our team leverages top technologies like NodeJS, Java, and Python to provide a strong back end for realtor listing websites.
• Front-end: Free web frameworks Angular and React enable the rapid and effective development of dynamic, interactive user interfaces.
• ReactNative, Flutter, and Ionic are mobile applications that make it easier to create hybrid applications. These frameworks enable us to create incredibly smooth, high-performing multiplatform applications that work seamlessly across a range of hardware and operating systems.
• Database: MySQL; MongoDB; Amazon S3 – based on the needs and scope of the project, we establish databases using either MySQL or MongoDB to store and handle enormous volumes of data quickly and securely. Amazon S3’s scalability makes it the ideal choice for property listing portals that have a significant number of high-quality images and videos.
• Infrastructure: Scalability, speed, security, and disaster recovery issues related to image systems are addressed by the reliable hosting servers provided by Amazon, Google Cloud, and Azure. Because cloud servers may scale up or down in response to load, they are also more affordable. The real estate sector is embracing cloud computing, and Appic Softwares assists companies in migrating their systems to cloud-based infrastructure.

Integrations

These crucial third-party integrations and APIs may be helpful for your product, enabling you to offer rich functionality and improve customer experience.

• Work with documents: You can securely work with and manage documents, send, track, and sign all of your contracts online with DocuSign, HelloSign, and AdobeSign e-signature services.
• Payment processing: We suggest using one of the well-known payment processing services that offer speedy and safe online transactions: Stripe, Authorize.net, PayPal, or ApplePay. Find out which payment gateways are most often utilized in the area that your platform targets.
• Maps: Many people are accustomed to using the user-friendly Google Maps API and Google Places API. They will assist you in displaying the address of the property along with information about the surrounding communities.
• Notifications: Twilio is a cloud-based platform for communication that can handle text messages, phone and video conversations, chat rooms, and call centers. By putting your prospects in touch with experienced agents right away, this service increases conversion rates.
• With SendGrid, an email marketing service, you can send large volumes of emails that have incredibly high deliverability rates. SendGrid API integration makes it simple to send large-scale email marketing campaigns.
• Cloudinary: the platform offers a plethora of intuitive editing tools that streamline your media management. It’s a useful cloud-based solution that optimizes videos and graphics automatically to guarantee fast website performance.
• Hubspot and Segment are two solutions that use data analytics to help you better understand and cater to your customers’ interests. They use a platform to gather events and consumer interactions, and then they provide data toolkits for your technical, product, and marketing teams.

Developing a bespoke real estate web application with advanced technology is difficult and calls for a wide range of skills. Therefore, the best location to ask for and get expert opinions, risk assessments, and other information needed for decision-making is from a knowledgeable team of specialists.

Bonus: Ways to connect with and involve your audience

You might now believe that having a sleek, contemporary, and professionally designed property listing website will suffice to accomplish your objectives. However, it’s only half the fight. Getting potential clients to view your advertisements is the second half of the job. Here are some ideas for enhancing your real estate website’s visibility through user engagement techniques and the addition of basic functionality.

Unique features

If a decent property website is built around the suggested basic functions, then advanced and value-added features offer further opportunities to enhance the user experience and elevate the platform to a remarkable level.

A price check enables purchasers to determine how much they really want to spend on a home.

• 360-degree films would look great next to high-quality house photographs. A short film is the preferred method of product education for 69% of consumers. Take a chance to save time and draw in more business by giving users thorough information on the outside and interior modeling.
• local data. Both buyers and tenants typically try to find out as much as they can about the area and specifics of the properties. If you give them thorough search results that include information on public transit, the crime rate, demographics, and more, they will be grateful.
• Favorites let people keep properties that fit their needs and simplify decision-making.
• Through a web application, the calendar facilitates the booking of meetings and property viewings by agents.
• Through in-app chat, buyers and sellers may communicate around-the-clock and immediately discuss specific property details.
• Analytics solutions that show how users engage with your website, pages, listings, and content are a great way to gain useful data for future enhancements and business expansion for agents and sellers.

By integrating the aforementioned characteristics into your real estate listing website, you can attract customers with a smooth and efficient real estate process and satisfy agents with cutting-edge functionality.

Real estate web application marketing hacks

Try these marketing tips to help your new property website stand out from the competition and establish your expertise in a congested market.

• amplify your social media presence. Social media is a vital tool for increasing brand awareness, fostering long-lasting relationships with your clients, and teaching your audience more about you and your industry. Your reach on both platforms is increased when you integrate social media with your website for home listings.Moreover, social sharing buttons let users post items on social media sites to get feedback or draw in prospective customers. Make sure all of your connections are able to be tracked so you can see which social media platforms are generating the most shares and clicks on your real estate listings.
• Introduce the programs for referrals. An effective referral program may be the answer to increasing the number of qualified leads and streamlining your company’s sales cycle. You can increase your return on investment while lowering your actual marketing costs. You must invest time and energy in creating, upholding, and overseeing programs and connections with agents if you want to make yours successful. You will benefit from providing your present clients with an incentive to recommend you to potential clients.
• Launch a blog. A blog is the ideal way to interact with prospective customers and get natural search engine traffic. Building relationships with prospects through the sharing of useful information such as home loan kinds, real estate news, and buying advice strengthens your authority. Additionally, a blog improves your SEO and increases your visibility to the intended audience.
• Start campaigns for email marketing. You may build relationships, expand your clientele, and significantly boost sales using email marketing. Segmenting your contact list and sending out tailored material can be the most efficient strategy for you. Provide your subscribers with the information they want, such as details about forthcoming open houses, new homes that have come up for sale, special offers, or general advice for homeowners who have already purchased a property from you.
• Join forces with nearby companies. Creating alliances with nearby companies is advantageous to both sides. You can refer one another to one another by collaborating with movers, mortgage brokers, or home improvement companies. Additionally, you can combine your services into packages that allow customers to acquire all the help they require.
• Make use of Google My Business. It is a free, yet effective, local marketing tool that gives business owners control over how Google Maps shows their establishment. Making use of this tool to create your profile is essential to any local marketing and SEO plan. Customers may access and review information about your business more easily thanks to it.
• Make PPC and social media advertisements. One of the quickest ways to market any homes you may be providing is to use social media ads and PPC, or pay per click, to bring potential customers to your website. It does, however, come with a price. In essence, you are purchasing visits to your website.
• To reach your prospects, then, double-check that your demographic targeting and keywords are set appropriately.
• Include customer endorsements. One of the most effective ways to gain people’s trust and compel them to contact you while looking for a new place to live is through social proof in the form of testimonials. Get a few of your pleased clients to submit a testimonial outlining your special qualities. To turn infrequent visitors into paying clients, dedicate a part of your homepage to a few client testimonials.

It is no longer necessary to hold out hope that a prospective buyer may stumble upon you. Make your real estate listings stand out by following these committed actions to connect with your audience.

Examples of successful Proptech companies

Five real estate platforms that see high traffic levels have been compiled, and the top websites for finding, purchasing, selling, and renting homes have also been taken into consideration.

Realtor.com

One of the largest US real estate platforms, Realtor.com has about 18 million unique visitors each month. With over 500 regional multiple listing services connected to it and updated on a regular basis, the platform offers the most precise data on real estate listings.

Offering the greatest listing presentation software and premium resources for agents, such as the real-time Market Insight reports, advertising program Market Reach, and lead generation system Connections Plus, is how the company makes money.

Realtor.com dazzles clients with listings and performance data, thanks to its well-known brand, high volume of traffic, and excellent visibility for listing agents.

Foreclosure

If you’re looking to invest in the best foreclosure properties, this website is a great resource. The largest source of distressed real estate in America is foreclosure, which includes actions, preforeclosures, and bankruptcy listings. More than 700,000 entries with photographs and comprehensive details are available on the platform.

The platform is a one-stop shop for these particular sorts of property listings because of its comprehensive search options, filtering, and instructional content about the process of buying a foreclosure.

Trulia

After Zillow, Trulia is the second most popular residential real estate listing website in terms of traffic volume. Trulia distinguishes itself by emphasizing the lifestyle aspects of the local area. A plethora of neighborhood data is displayed on the platform’s map, including information on area schools, shops, cafes, public transportation alternatives, crime rates, and other useful details.

Purchasing tools like an affordability calculator is another area in which Trulia excels. Trulia include additional housing-related expenses including insurance, property taxes, and fees, in contrast to other mortgage calculators.

Zillow

Zillow is the most popular real estate website, with over 30 million users visiting it each month. The company’s primary source of income was charging advertising fees to real estate agents in exchange for giving homebuyers free services.

Zillow’s key advantages are its vast home database of more than 100 million homes, a plethora of free tools for users, strong technological support, and excellent advertising options for real estate brokers, mortgage lenders, property managers, and other business experts.

Millions of dollars have been invested in technology, and a sizable, committed team that works around the clock has produced a hassle-free experience for both buyers and sellers thanks to intelligent listing search and value-added features.

Apartments.com

This platform is among the most extensive rental search engines available. Applicants can easily look for a home with its well-designed map and extensive filter options. For a charge, the website provides access to reviews and ratings in addition to HD videos and virtual 3D tours of listings.

Apartments.com is best suited for experienced property managers and is meant to advertise units in major apartment buildings. The majority of their property management software and sophisticated capabilities are subscription-based.

Appic Softwares experience

The intricacies and difficulties associated with developing online applications for real estate are well-known to Appic Softwares .Based on competitive analysis and advanced industry-specific features, our team has built property listing portals and property management software for a wide range of clients.

Browse some of our real estate projects to get an idea of what we can accomplish.

Real estate listing and bidding platform

The US-based real estate website makes selling easier by facilitating communication between buyers, sellers, and agents.

We have digitalized the offline company of our current client and put in place a PropTech procedure that gives buyers and sellers a comprehensive, safe, and transparent way to communicate.

Whether or whether their agents are involved, buyers are free to register and submit bids on a property. Sellers can sell their houses at the best price more quickly and easily, and they are notified of buyer offers right away.

Smarta

Our website facilitates the renting process for college students by connecting them with property managers and offering a simple and seamless way to lease housing properties.

Our efforts with the customer have resulted in a feature-rich, user-friendly, and responsive web application:

• Robust search engine with filtering algorithms
• Online application submission
• Live chat
• Property management system
• Online payments
• Intuitive navigation
• Pleasant UI/UX designs
• E-signing service
• Interactive map

Wrapping up

Buying and selling houses got easier than ever as the real estate sector entered the digital sphere and realized the limitless potential of an online presence.

Make the necessary time and financial commitments to thrive, whether your business is a local business or a worldwide industry.

Moreover, if you are looking for a real estate app development company that can help you build a real estate listing platform, then you should check out Appic Softwares. We have an experienced team of developers who have previously created several real estate platforms, such as Roccabox with the same functionality.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start the development now!