Real Estate Mobile App Development: Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

The real estate market is like a tank with sharks - everyone has teeth and can bite off your head.

Staying ahead of competitors is the only way to survive and even hope to flourish in this overcrowded market.

The first step you can take is to build a website.

A NAR report states that 95% of real estate agencies have a website with property listings. However, this can only take you so far.

Real estate app development has become one of the most effective ways for agencies to stay afloat.

In the first quarter of 2021, there were more than 23 million real estate app installations in the USA alone.

Real estate apps do a lot of work; they help agencies generate leads, manage listings, track expenses, streamline closing deals, and make transactions.

In this article, we’ve covered all the aspects of real estate mobile application development:

• Challenges that mobile apps resolve
• Existing state of the real estate market
• Reasons to invest in mobile app development for real estate
• Top real estate apps & what you can learn from them
• 5-step process of real estate app development
• Real estate app features (must-have & advanced)
• Tech stack used for real estate mobile application development
• Innovations to use during development
• Real estate app development cost breakdown

Continue reading the article for more tips on real estate mobile application development.

7 Key Challenges that Real Estate Apps Help to Cover

Our lives have already moved into the digital world. We use mobile apps to do everything from entertainment to shopping and finding new homes. Real estate app development can help you both meet customer expectations and streamline business operations.

Let’s review some of the real estate mobile app development's benefits.

1. Improve your clients’ experiences

Buying a new home is a big deal and is influenced by many factors.

Buyers' primary challenge is a lack of time for visits and home checks. Aside from this, they need to remember all the details about each property they’ve viewed, compare them, and make a decision that falls within their personal preferences and budget.

In turn, agencies get a tool that simplifies clients' decision-making process, helps schedule property viewings, provides access to data on the go, and even allows them to have virtual tours.

2. Leverage data

Real estate applications can become a data source for information about listed properties.

The number of customers who find properties online is growing by the year. According to Statista, around 80% of Millennials, 78% of Generation X, and 68% of younger Boomers use mobile devices to find their homes in the USA.

Buyers and Sellers of Real Estate by Generation

Mobile app development for real estate can make it possible to provide potential clients with personalized deals, display properties that are more relevant to their preferences, and assist them at every stage of their customer journey, and craft more efficient marketing strategies.

3. Organize your team of realtors

Aside from a client-facing application, you can also create an app for realtors. These apps can combine various features, such as scheduling property viewings, exchanging messages with clients and other agents, setting reminders for team members, view analytics, and so much more.

Realtor mobile apps bring clarity to all processes and allow businesses to organize their team of realtors and consolidate their efforts in the lead nurturing and conversion.

4. Increase market share

As more and more clients search for properties with mobile devices, real estate mobile application development has become a means to increase market presence. Mobile applications bring services to the fingertips of potential clients.

A real estate business with an app could better meet clients' demands and provide for them via the platform of their choice.

5. Increased property sales and lead retention

Real estate app development provides you with many tools designed to attract, convert, and retain leads.

You can use in-app chat, notifications, emails, and other features to stay in touch with clients and inform them about updates, new properties on the market, personalized special deals, and so on.

6. Routine task automation

Automation of routine tasks is the critical goal of real estate mobile applications development. For example, agents will no longer need to check their schedules, find free spots and book them for clients.

Customers can go into the app, find the property they like, and book a viewing right then and there by selecting a free time and date from the responsible real estate agent’s calendar.

Thus, there are a few reasons why real estate app development has been gaining momentum for the past few years. Here are a few reasons to create a real estate application:

• Better customer experience
• Access to all the data your business generates
• Insight into customer behavior for better data-driven decisions
• The ability to increase market share and reach new audiences
• Automation of routine tasks

When talking about real estate mobile application development, there are a few options you can choose from. One option is to create an app using an app builder. This option seems cost-effective initially, but you may face considerable problems in the future. App builders allow for the creation of simple applications and provide an extremely low level of customization.

Custom real estate mobile application development, is a more expensive option but doesn’t limit what features you can add to your application to meet all your business needs. You can also hire a dedicated development team or work with an outsourcing company. Opt for IT staff augmentation if you want a full-time remote employee to strengthen your in-house team.

Shape of the Existing Real Estate Market & Trends

In spite of all the predictions, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic ignited new growth in the real estate market.

Latest Insights on the Property Market

Let’s review some of the statistics showcasing the current state of the market and what to expect in the future:

• Gen X (born between 1965 and 1979) is the most significant proportion of homebuyers in America, at 24% of the market. Older millennials (1980 to 1989) are the second-largest group of homebuyers, at 23%.
• In 2021, home buying power increased by 21%.
• So far in 2022, over six million houses have been sold in the USA.
• Houses don’t stay on the market for long. The average availability is around 38 days, but they usually sell even faster than that.
• At the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, first-time homebuyers made up 31% of the market. Around 82% of buyers were aged 22 to 30 years old, and 22% of them were between 40 and 54 years old. The median household income of homebuyers stayed at around $96,500.
• 43% of home buyers search online before contacting an agent. Only 18% contact an agent right away. Around 97% of buyers searched for homes online at some point in the shopping process.
• For 53% of homebuyers, finding the right property is the hardest part of buying a new home.

Real Estate Market Trends You Should Know

9 Real Estate App Types & Potential Ideas

Real estate apps can serve different business purposes. When planning mobile app development for real estate, you need to have a complete picture of all available app types, features, and purposes.

Types of Real Estate Software

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of apps for real estate.

1. Mobile solutions for real estate agents

Apps for real estate agents serve the purpose of simplifying the work done by agents and reducing paperwork. These applications can have various features – from built-in tools for direct communication between agents, 3D tours around apartments, access to documents, and property management.

Examples: Redfin, Lovely, Dotloop, Calendly, Trafft, Quickbooks, Yaza

2. Property listing apps

This is a client-facing type of real estate application. These apps provide information about the apartments and houses available on the market. Usually, they allow users to filter listings based on location, budget, and personal preferences.

Examples: Zillow, Xome, Realtor.com, Trulia, Nomad

3. Property management apps

Real estate mobile app development can solve one of the most challenging tasks – property management. These apps simplify the work done by property managers by notifying them about when the rent is due, and maintenance requests, and providing a full understanding of what’s happening with their properties.

Examples: OnCite, Buildium, Rent Manager.

4. Smart home access apps

Smart homes are the latest trend in the real estate market. You can create an app that works exclusively with this type of property.

Examples: Google Home, Apple Home

5. House hunting or renting apps

These applications allow users to search property listings to find homes and apartments to rent or purchase. Usually, apps of this type allow users to filter listings based on location, budget, personal preferences, and other characteristics.

Examples: Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Nomad

6. Home valuation

This type of mobile app for real estate agents helps evaluate the actual market value of a particular property. These apps use public and private data to analyze housing trends and past sales to forecast future home value based on a specific prediction algorithm.

Example: Trulia

7. Virtual tour software

Virtual tours benefit sellers, real estate agents, and home-hunters. Instead of visiting each property, clients can take an online tour through the property to better understand how it matches their expectations.

Example: Realtor.com

8. Real estate marketing apps

The main goal of marketing apps for real estate is to allow homeowners and agents to use a unique and creative approach to selling property.

Example: Propertybase

9. Real estate investment software

Real estate is a great way to invest money. These applications allow agents and investors to search and monitor properties for sale based on their specific criteria.

Examples: LoopNet, Xome, DiversyFund, ArrivedHomes, EquityMultiple

Top 4 Real Estate App Market Players to Learn From

The Most Popular Real Estate Apps (by a percentage of visits)

There are hundreds of real estate apps out there, each aiming at specific tasks. Let’s get a powerful dose of inspiration for real estate mobile application development from the market leaders.

Zillow

Zillow App Details and Screens

Zillow is one of the USA's most prominent real estate applications.

Around 80% of US homes have been viewed on Zillow.com. The app’s users view 420 million homes per month on their mobile devices. Zillow focuses on the entire lifecycle from shopping for a home to living in it.

This application covers all the aspects of real estate – buying, selling, renting, remodeling, financing, etc. The solution makes it easy for clients to hunt for property and for agents to list their offerings on the platform.

Users get access to different filters and can hide properties that don’t match their search, view tax histories, forecast value details, see foreclosure property listings, and even search through bank-owned properties.

Aside from property search, Zillow also provides apps that allow you to look up lease properties, calculate mortgage rates, find help with acquiring loans, find a real estate agent, or even get inspiration for remodeling and design.

Trulia

Trulia App Details and Screens

Trulia is an app concentrated on the home search process.

To help users make the best choice, the app allows them to explore neighborhoods on a full-feature map by browsing through photos, viewing drone footage, and reading resident reviews.

Trulia provides users with several filters to simplify the search process and find the best properties based on specific characteristics.

This app's unique feature is the ability to use GPS to identify homes for rent or sale nearby. When users are driving through a neighborhood they like, they can easily explore its infrastructure within the app, get an overview of local crime, and find available properties.

Realtor

Realtor.com Page

Realtor.com is an official search portal for the National Association of Realtors.

The solution has integration with the Multiple Listing System (MLS), which allows users to get more comprehensive data on listings.

Users can view property listings, tailor their search with various filters, schedule tours, view home values, and environmental risks, explore nearby home values, study the neighborhood, and much more.

Redfin

Redfin App Details and Screens

Redfin is a real estate search engine designed to help customers find homes for sale or rent.

The app allows users to refine search results with filters, schedule tours, access street view, get in touch with agents, etc. This solution updates listings every 15 to 30 minutes, ensuring that users always get up-to-date information.

Real Estate App Development: Feature-Sets

There are hundreds of features that you can add to your app during real estate mobile app development.

The final set of features will depend on the type of app you want to create, your target audience, and your business objectives.

Main Features for Real Estate App Creation

Let’s review some of the most popular real estate app features.

Must-Have Features

• User onboarding (Signup/Login)

Onboarding is one of the most basic features and should provide users with a simple way to create an account and login into the app.

There are three options that you can choose from:

• Social media authorization
• Signup and login via email
• Phone verification

By choosing any of the above-mentioned options, users won’t need to type in a lot of data every time they log into the app, simplifying and speeding up the process.

• User Profiles (User, Sellers, & Agents)

Personal profiles should be different for users, sellers, and agents. Users should be able to create a profile, access home listings, save favorites, make inquiries, etc. Agents should be able to view their properties, manage schedules, and see potential buyers they are in contact with. Also, sellers should be able to create listings and monitor how many views their listings get.

• Database and listings

Property listings are one of the most essential features of mobile app development for real estate. These listings usually include all the information about the property for rent or sale. Users should be able to view listings and add their own listings.

As the number of listings will grow over time, real estate mobile application development should concentrate on making a highly scalable application that will be able to support a rapidly growing business.

• Categories and filters

The ability to filter listings can make or break the user experience of a real estate app. Advanced filters simplify the search process. Combined with categories, you can create extensive listing catalogs so that users won’t have any problems searching through them to find the property they want to buy or rent.

• Map integration

These days, it’s almost impossible to imagine a real estate app without this feature. The map can show property locations, the neighborhood, and other location-specific information like infrastructure, crime rates, nearby schools and stores, the risk of natural disasters, and other statistics. All this information helps users to make the best decisions, so it is highly advisable to create a location-based application.

Map Integration in Zillow App

• Property profiles

A property profile is one of the must-have features for real estate mobile application development. These profiles provide all the information about a property, including descriptions, photos and videos, neighborhood information, the price, etc.

The profile can also include additional details, such as contact details for the property owner or the agent. You can also allow users to take a 3D tour of the property to check it out before booking a viewing.

• Save search and favorite listings

This is one of the features that can help with customer retention. By saving properties and searches for later, they will be able to get back to your applications to review their favorites. Aside from adding a property to the list, you can also add the ability to create different favorite lists and sort favorites by multiple parameters, such as property type, price, and so on.

• Calendar

Home hunting is a tedious process, and it usually takes a few property viewings before the decision is made. A calendar is a great idea for agent- and client-facings apps. Customers can easily check available spots on an agent’s calendar and schedule an appointment. Push notifications can remind both clients and agents of upcoming property viewings, reducing the number of missed appointments.

• Property cost and mortgage calculators

You might want to think about adding a calculator to your real estate app development plan. A calculator would help users to get estimated costs such as down payments, taxes, interest, insurance, etc.

• Feedback system

Reviews make any app more trustworthy in the eyes of users, and real estate applications are no exception. This is why a feedback system is one of the features you should consider for real estate mobile application development. You can approach this feature from different angles, allowing users to rate agents and landlords, and provide feedback regarding the neighborhood or homes they’ve rented.

• Push notifications

Push notifications have long moved from the list of additional features to the list of must-have functionality. They can be used for multiple purposes – to remind users about upcoming property viewings, a new property that matches their requirements being added to the app, price changes, and so on.

However, ensure that you’re not too pushy with notifications and that users can configure the preferences to their liking or even turn them off completely.

• Administrative panel

An administrative panel is also something you should take care of during real estate mobile app development. Admins for the app can decide who’ll be able to add new listings, edit or delete new ones, change the status of listed properties, receive reports, and so on.

Property Management Admin Panel

Advanced Real Estate Functionality

Aside from the must-have real estate search app features mentioned above, you can also add some additional features. The main goal of these features during mobile app development for real estate is to make your app stand out from the competition.

Let’s find out how you can make your app more exciting for users.

• Navigation and street view

If you’ve ever used Google Maps, you’re already familiar with this feature. Thanks to Google Maps API, you can easily integrate it into your application, allowing users to better comprehend the surrounding area and neighborhood. This feature will save a lot of time for users and increase the chances that they will actually book a viewing if they like what they see on the map.

• Real-time messaging

Real-time messaging between homebuyers, agents, and agencies is not something you want to overlook during real estate mobile application development. Instant messaging will help users communicate efficiently within the app, and even exchange files such as photos, PDF documents, etc.

• Advanced search functionality

Search functionality is not something you should underestimate, as has the power to bring more sales and increase the retention rate. Aside from basic search functionality, consider adding various filters such as location, property type, price, square footage, amenities, neighborhood, the year of construction, listing, time, and so on.

• 3D virtual tours

While photos provide the most basic information about a property, virtual tours allow you to get a real sense of the atmosphere and understand whether the property matches your criteria or not.

• Chatbot

There are a lot of questions users ask frequently and a chatbot is a great solution that reduces the amount of manual work and time needed to answer those questions. Additionally, users can get all the information they need without spending too much time searching.

• Comparison feature

Buying or renting a property is not something you can do in a minute, and having too many options available doesn’t make the task easier. You can assist users by adding a comparison feature that would allow users to compare the property to make the best decision.

Tech Stack & Integrations for Real Estate App Development

There are thousands of technologies, APIs, solutions, and integrations that you can use for real estate mobile application development. This section of the article will help you get a grasp of all the technologies available.

The table below represents an approximate technology stack for real estate app development.

5 Innovations to Use in Real Estate Apps to Stand Out

The creation of an app is not the final goal of real estate mobile application development. First of all, the app should help the company standing behind it to stand out among the competition and provide users with the best experience while house hunting.

In addition to must-have solutions, you can also use some innovative technologies to reach the goals of real estate app development.

Let’s review some of the innovations to consider for your application.

1. AI/ML

Artificial Intelligence in combination with Machine Learning makes it possible for an app to study user behavior and preferences and use the data collected to provide accurate and personalized recommendations and suggestions. These technologies can help you create an unprecedented personalized experience within your application.

AI can also help with risk management and property management by processing maintenance requests, tracking changes in prices, listings, and so on.

2. AR & VR

Augmented and Virtual Reality are technologies with the power to increase sales. If you decide to add them to your real estate app development, users will be able to take remote, virtual tours around the property.

This feature is beneficial for users, as they don’t have to personally visit every property, and for real estate agents, as they can take only buyers who are really interested in the property on a tour.

If you want to integrate these technologies into your project, check out the guide: How Much Does Augmented Reality App Development Cost?

3. IoT

The Internet of Things is another technology that you should consider for real estate app development, and possible implementations are limitless.

You can set up beacons throughout the property to allow users to interact with their surroundings in real-time. These beacons can also tell users which properties are for sale or rent nearby.

Smart locks are also a useful solution for real estate agencies, as agents can open and close doors with the help of the app. IoT can also be used for predictive maintenance, energy infrastructure monitoring, and for QR codes to guide agents or users to and through the property.

4. Big Data

Big Data allows you to store and process huge amounts of information, usually collected with the help of Artificial Intelligence. The technologies can be used in real estate app development to predict user behavior and decisions and to provide a personalized experience.

5. Blockchain

Blockchain is a true life-saver in the retail industry and is used to prevent fraud in real estate. Blockchain can store all the information about a property and allow you to double-check all the documents. At the same time, blockchain provides transparency and guarantees that no documents can be forged.

5-Step Process for Real Estate Mobile App Development

Real estate app development comprises different stages and processes. Usually, it can be distributed into five main steps:

The Process of Real Estate App Development

1. Market analysis
2. Defining strategy and USP
3. Collecting listings
4. Choosing IT partner and tech stack
5. Real estate app development

It’s time to take a close look at every stage and what each is dedicated to.

1. Analyze the market

Before you move on to mobile app development for real estate, you first need to understand for whom you’re going to develop the app. Otherwise, your product will be destined to become a failure.

Thorough market analysis will help you avoid costly mistakes and ensure that you create an app that has a chance for success.

Here are a few steps that you’ll need to take care of:

• Identify your target market
• Choose your target audience
• Explore the market, user pains, and competitors

The information you collect during the research stage will help you run the real estate mobile application development process smoothly and make the right decisions from the start.

2. Define strategy and how to stand out

After you’ve done the research and have identified and explored your competitors, you can move to the next stage – identifying how you can stand out. What will be your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and what functionality will you need to develop?

Functionality is not a single USP that can help you be different. Sometimes, you can stand out thanks to the availability of the best offers on the market or thanks to an unprecedented level of services provided.

Think about this before moving on to the next stages of real estate mobile app development.

3. Collect the listings

Property listings are the basis of mobile app development for real estate. For the markets where MLS (multiple listing service - stands for connecting brokers and receiving data about selling properties) is available, you can integrate your app with these listings and save a lot of time.

However, MLS is available not in all markets. In these cases, you’ll need to contact brokers, real estate agencies, and individual agents to collect listings of apartments, houses, and other properties.

4. Choose an IT partner and tech stack

Real estate app development is not something you can do yourself as a pet project - it requires a whole team of professionals who’ll be working on your application.

You can collect an in-house development team, hire a software development company, or opt for a dedicated development team. Usually, the real estate app development team consists of the following professionals:

• UX/UI designer
• Software architect
• iOS developer
• Android developer
• Back-end developer
• DevOps engineer
• QA engineer

There are a lot of companies that provide software development services, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding your perfect IT partner.

5. Develop Real Estate App Ver.1.0

Finally, you can move to the last stage of real estate mobile application development – the creation of the first version of your application. You can start by developing an app with a basic set of features in order to test and validate your idea in real life.

After you’ve successfully launched this version and have gathered user feedback, you can move on to the development of a full-fledged application. This is why, when choosing a software development company, you need to find the one that provides ongoing development and support services.

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Real Estate Business?

We’ve finally moved on to the most important question – how much does it cost to build an app like Zillow, Trulia, or Redfin?

Real estate app development costs range from $60,000 to $250,000 depending on the complexity of features, the number of integrations, and supported platforms. Please note that this cost is calculated based on the average developer rate of $40 per hour in Eastern Europe (Ukraine).

The simplest real estate app with the support of one operating system (iOS or Android) will cost $60,000, and its development timeline will be 3-6 months.

A complex real estate app with more advanced features will cost up to $250,000 and its development can take 9+ months.

Factors Influencing Real Estate App Development Cost

You might be surprised by the cost differences, but, in fact, a number of factors influence the final cost:

1. Size and location of the IT vendor – you may decide to hire an in-house development team or outsource development to a local vendor, freelancer, or search for offshore software development services. The last option might be the most cost-efficient, especially if you decide to work with a company from a region with favorable development prices.
2. Complexity of functionality – the more features you add to your app, the higher the cost will be. This is why many companies decide to start with an MVP development and add more features later on to cut the initial financial investment and mitigate risks.
3. Back-end infrastructure and connected APIs – the back-end infrastructure should be designed to withstand high loads, be able to process a lot of data (listings, maps, user preferences, in-app messaging, etc.), and be highly scalable.
4. UX/UI design – the number of screens, unique elements, custom illustrations, and animations all impact the final development cost.
5. Branded visuals – this is another factor that influences the final cost significantly, especially if you decide to create a highly customized design with your own logo, icons, and other elements.
6. Number of platforms – the decision to release an app for both iOS and Android will double the final price of the app.

Frequently Asked Questions