Mobile App Development for Real Estate in 2021: Full Guide

The real estate industry underwent significant changes in the last decade. Growing customer demand has generated huge competition in the market, with dozens of new agencies stepping into the arena daily. Thus, the industry leaders search for innovative trends to stay on board and attract more clients. Do you know that around 90% of mobile Internet time people spend in apps? Real estate app development can be a brilliant solution for entrepreneurs to show their expertise and take a leading position in the niche.

Nowadays, all reputable real estate agencies or individual brokers have websites. Moreover, it’s even hard to imagine an agency without its own web platform. However, a site is just a beginning. Mobile applications have undeniable benefits both for business owners and customers. Applications help industry frontrunners put their services within reach of clients’ hands and raise brand awareness to trump multiple competitors.

A first-class mobile app is an essential aspect of attracting more customers and improving sales/rent cycles. Of course, the success directly depends on the choice of the real estate app development company. Here comes the most crucial question — how much does it cost to hire an app developer? It is a challenging task because, as a client, you want to know that specialists will hear your preferences and craft an app that will stand out from market alternatives. Besides, you need to calculate the approximate cost to allocate your budget and start planning a project.

At Madappgang, we can construct a state-of-the-art application for all platforms: web, iOS, and Android. Our team will design a project from scratch to satisfy every client’s particular requirements. The Madappgang specialists provide complete assistance on all stages of real estate app development, from design and automated UI tests to security audits and data analysis. We will also help you choose the most suitable application model that meets your specific goal.

When you plan real estate brokers app development, first, you need to decide how you see your future project. On the market, there are several popular models depending on a business idea and a client’s goal. The model choice directly defines how an application will work and make a profit.

It is the most widespread and popular application model among entrepreneurs. These are the platforms where agents and brokers add properties for rent or sale. In their turn, customers and renters may filter available items depending on their needs to find the most suitable variants. Such applications speed up the agents’ work a lot because they enhance communication with potential buyers and renters. 

Nowadays, a dominant share of real estate agents and brokers has accounts on similar portals. It is a win-win strategy for both parties: agents simplify their working routine, and app owners get their commission. If you consider real estate app development for agents, make sure that the platform will include property description, cost, images, and even video tours. You can compare Android and iOS app development costs on the Madappgang site.

This model is suitable for customers who are focused on a house purchase. Nowadays, investors don’t want to spend eternity buying some property. They want to have a clear picture of the most suitable variants in one place, i.e., a handy app. An application will help investors come up with a shortlist and decide what houses they want to see with their own eyes.

The brilliance of such platforms is that potential buyers don’t need to involve third parties at different stages of a house purchase. A customized application will help them find a property to their specific criteria and bankroll. If you aim at creating real estate mapping software for investors, our specialists will provide full project support, from idea to production. 

These platforms are a must-have for people who plan property selling or rental without attracting go-betweens. Owners may control their properties at any time via an application, where they can update costs, monitor due for renters, and many more. 

The most widespread model is an application that features property listings with a short description to attract house hunters. If you latch on to real estate listing app development for sellers and lessors, make sure it will be user-friendly with a clear interface. It is crucial to provide easy navigation even for not tech-savvy clients.

These portals are designed with the main focus on casual customers. In other words, if a person wants to rent an apartment or a house, he/she should make it in a couple of clicks via a top-notch app. Ideally, an application should provide in-detail information about a property. The good thing is when users may apply filters to sort items according to their criteria. Customers should have an opportunity to modify a search by location, house characteristics, and budget.

One of the most popular mobile platforms for property rent and sale worldwide is Zillow. The company has a desktop version as well. Still, when Zillow’s app made its debut on the market, its user base has grown exponentially. Zillow’s success is a combo of the largest real estate database with precise descriptions, high-quality photos, and expert estimates. 

As mentioned above, Zillow is an ideal example of a state-of-the-art app that proves its efficiency for customers, brokers, and agency owners. The platform can boast a million new users monthly. Zillow’s brilliance is that the portal provides in-detail estimates of each available item. It gives customers and brokers a clear vision of the property value to pick out the best deal.

Multiple real estate companies tried to follow Zillow’s example. Some of them failed due to the lack of sufficient expertise. Others managed to succeed in the niche: LoopNet, Realtor, and Trulia. It is because they have something peculiar as opposed to blindly duplicating popular apps. 

Business owners often ask the same question when they consider making a debut on the mobile market — “How to develop my own real estate app that will be no worse than Zillow and other industry giants?” Madappgang has prepared a guide on how to craft an application that will stand out from analogs.

Tips for building a top-notch real estate application:

·        Make it easy to navigate. More and more clients prefer handy mobile apps to desktop sites. Thus, developers need to make their real estate apps handy and convenient for on-the-go use. Don’t make the app overloaded with unnecessary elements and images! Simplicity and convenience are above all!

·        Add VR elements. VR is a powerful tool to engage customers. Keep it in mind while planning real estate app development. When clients can take a virtual tour to explore a property, they are more likely to complete a purchase or a rent deal afterward.

·        Provide all necessary data. A well-worked application should provide all data that clients may need when searching for property: characteristics, cost, environmental friendliness, etc. They will still ask agents about all these things in detail, but the initial data is necessary to help customers to narrow the choice.

·        Integrate filters. Each client has different priorities when he/she considers buying some property. Advanced search filters (geolocation, price calculator, neighboring facilities) allow users to find the variants that suit them most and correspond to their particular preferences.

·        Add some interactive features. Even though the lions’ share of customers chooses apps for searching for property, it doesn’t reduce people’s desire to talk to real agents. A live chat with experts will make users trust your app and select it among numerous competitors. Human interaction between customers and service providers is an integral element of a successful real estate app.

·        Opt for MPA format. Multi-page apps are more beneficial for SEO optimization than SPA alternatives. It is easier to integrate web analytics tools into such platforms due to separate links optimized for search engines. The primary difference between these two categories is the way of the project implementation. A SPA has only one page, meaning that a user can see all information on one screen. In contrast, an MPA compiles multiple pages, and a user is redirected between them while navigating a mobile platform.

And the final tip for building a truly ace application is making it user-friendly. It doesn’t matter how large is the database you offer if users will have to spend ages to figure out how the search process works. If you provide a favorable customer experience, users won’t have to browse app stores for better-crafted analogs.

Pricing is another essential factor while selecting a development company. The fundamental question arises at this point — how to build a real estate application that will be cost-effective and beneficial for business owners and popular among users? For instance, the approximate cost to develop an app like REX real estate may span from $100-150 per hour in the United States market and $30-50 in Eastern Europe.

The cost may vary depending on the following criteria:

·        unique features

·        applied technologies

·        developers’ expertise

·        audit services

·        the company’s hourly rate

It is crucial to make a price comparison when selecting between several companies. When you compare iOS and Android app development costs in advance, it will save you from hurting your budget and help to pick the right developer.

The real estate market keeps growing at an enormous speed. The mobile technologies’ boost hastens the industry development and opens new prospects to business owners. If you plan to enter this highly competitive niche and stay on board, a well-crafted application is a powerful tool to hit your target. A first-class mobile app is an essential aspect of attracting more clients and keeping a leading position on the property market.

If you look for a development company, pay heed to the following aspects:

·        Credibility and reputation. The primary difference between reputable companies and low-ranked alternatives is their attitude to clients. Trusted brands value their clients’ feedback and always provide quality assistance on all stages of running a project and even after its release.

·        Expertise. Developers’ background and experience directly define how great the final product will be. For instance, Madappgang specialists have 10+ years of experience in creating rock-solid apps for all platforms. They test each code change while crafting an application to ensure that your project runs in the right direction.

·        Timeframe for completing a project. Though real estate app development is a challenging and complex process, clients won’t like to wait an eternity to get the final product. Competitors don’t stand still while you spend years stepping in the spotlight with your real estate app. Thus, always agree on a deadline at the negotiation stage. 

·        Security guarantee. As a client, you should be 100% confident that a development company will preserve your confidential data and won’t use your project as a draft for other customers. The Madappgang team applies exclusive Security Ninja tools to protect your app from hackers and server-side attacks.

·        Cost. Understandably, high-quality mobile platforms crafted from scratch just can’t cost a couple of bucks. Experts’ time and efforts deserve proper remuneration. Still, the same-ranked firms may have drastically different pricing policies. To make the right choice, compare the costs of several development companies and pick out the one with great experts and a reasonable hourly rate.

Cooperation with Madappgang is a perfect balance of price and quality. We always focus on our clients’ specific preferences and financial resources. We will help you with real estate app development and make your project stand out from alternatives. Let’s craft your app together!