Here in this blog, we’ll discuss
- the availability of real estate apps in 2021
- the increase in real estate app development in these recent years.
Increase in mobile app development.
The availability of an app for every work has made our daily lives much more accessible. Routines like booking a dental appointment to checking our calorie check, everything is possible with just one click. We’ve made sure to invest our time and energy into something that works faster and wiser.
With around 2.8 million apps available at our disposal, we have a lot to explore. Daily reminders, visiting your dream house through a real estate app, virtual tours, music, we are surrounded by technology.
Every business, every startup is looking for a way to incorporate the developing technology in their work. For instance, the ongoing pandemic has put a stop to a lot of current business. Due to the social distancing rule and, more importantly, the safety issue has urged people to not go out of their houses until necessary.
So how are the businesses like real estate, restaurants, shopping stores, grocery stores going to work?
Don’t worry; we have an app for that!
The incorporation of digital methods into various businesses has proven to be a plus point in some cases.
Launching virtual, augmented reality in real estate app development, shopping stores, etc., has taken up the bar up a notch.
Just with a click of a button, you can view your dream property with a life-like experience. You can choose your favorite garment and try them through the feature of a digital avatar. So much more is possible through this platform of applications.
Let us know more about how the incoming of technology has changed the face of real estate app development.
What is a real estate app?
Introduction
Choosing a property and building a home out of it isn’t a one-day job. Buying a house is likely to be one of the most important and expensive purchases you make.
If you wish to spend six figures on a single transaction, it is best to finalize the property with the best knowledge and information.
To get the best deal possible, the decision can’t be made in a single visit. It requires a lot of time and effort.
Through the emergence of Real estate appl development, your work can be done a little faster.
Furthermore, real estate apps help you gain a greater insight into the desired market. it also provides a pathway to better and a calculative purchase in the future.
The intervention of technology in this arena, visiting a site, booking an appointment, etc., has become more accessible.
With a change in the real estate process’s traditional way, people are now dependent on the upcoming apps to fetch.
The solution is to work with the trend rather than against it.
As old sea captains knew, it is impossible to sail against the tide.
What can you learn from real estate app development?
The real estate domain has made a prominent place on the web and app stores like google play store and Apple App Store.
Today, there’s a lot of ongoing speculation that real estate websites and mobile apps will replace agents and brokers completely.
Well, the hype around apps like Zillow, xome has increased at an increasing rate in recent years.
More than 80 percent of real estate companies have websites with home listings covering significant locations.
The average buyer now resorts to a real estate app or website to help them find properties.
Users look through real estate aggregators and focus on
- Photos
- property listing apps
- Details about the buying process.
- Prices available for each filtered listing
- And can make a wise decision by having different options available online.
Buyers then get in touch with an agent and visit several homes before finalizing one.
The need for a real estate application in 2021.
Radical technological advancements are being incorporated into our lives.
As everything becomes digital, businesses are facing an increasing amount of competition.
It’s not only about the number of real estate agencies that are found online that is adding to corporate pressures; the growing demand among users has also urged the developers to dive deeper into the world of real estate application development.
The constant updates on search algorithms add to the mix of elements required to maintain a robust online presence.
But real estate agencies realize that mobile apps can immensely boost trade to a new level.
People are often confused and clueless when it comes to the sale and purchase of a property.
However, many smartphone users are now inclined towards on-demand real estate apps to search, choose, and buy their dream home, keeping in mind the:
- Budget
- Location
- Price
Real estate mobile app development is an attractive option.
If you feel the need for on-spot assistance regarding buying or selling properties, sans risk or uncertainty.
How is real estate app development helping the real estate industry?
Convincing a potential customer to purchase real estate property is a somewhat difficult task to complete.
You have to move around town with each potential customer to show the property site, provide the necessary details as to why your offer is the best. And lastly, to get into mandatory price negotiation discussion in the end decision stage.
Yet, somehow we might end up losing that individual customer to a different broker. Your loss is a direct advantage to your competitors.
But recently, through the various updates in mobile app development, sectors like real estate have also seen a new beginning.
Real estate app development has helped the agents to reach out to potential customers more effectively.
As we see around, everyone is either on their smartphone or laptop. We are surrounded by applications that play an essential role in our daily lives.
We like to use our mobile phone for everything, from grocery shopping to booking appointments.
How does a real estate app work?
Being a customer, the audience accesses real estate applications to garner information regarding the ongoing market property rates.
Additionally, guidance from reliable brokers and real estate experts is also among the key points that a user looks forward to in an app.
The Users might not know to consider various factors while finalizing any property or renting it.
One of the primary things is that many such applications enable users to rectify available properties depending on their preferences.
Here are few ways a real estate application development works :
- It provides an overview of the location.
- A thorough string of filtered results
- Option wise selection for property
- Cost and other related search option available
- Well-defined and correct profile of property dealers and their customers
- GPS integration available to search out nearby homes for rent or purchases
- 3D view of properties along with the authentic visuals
- Option for query and assistance for user grievances
- Users can also visit the property through virtual reality and have a life-like feel while visiting the property.
The use of virtual reality in real estate app development.
With the increasing demand for virtual reality in various sectors, users are looking for advanced technology to make their work much more accurate.
Virtual reality has brought a significant change in how we look at real estate. Going by the name virtual real estate, the users are brought one step closer to choosing their dream property.
What is virtual real estate?
Virtual reality allows real estate companies to display the finished project before construction completion as well.
The technology allows agents to showcase both the interior and exterior of properties.
Mostly they indulge in properties that aren’t built yet. It also allows buyers to experience space from the comfort of their homes.
Since the virtual world is not constricted to the real one, the possibilities of real estate application development on a virtual land are endless.
One can describe Virtual Real Estate as a platform that gives you the freedom to develop and experience anything.
It can range from a building, an entertainment destination, an experience, an environment, an institution, or a game.
What benefits, a platform of virtual land can bring you?
The first benefit of using virtual reality is that it allows real estate professionals to visualize or understand a project accurately.
It means that a brief visualization of the construction takes place before the actual construction. The technology helps the brokers to present spaces with planned or contemplated adjustments.
Secondly, virtual reality technology saves time.
Through virtual tours and virtual stagings, the search and review of a property take less time than traditional search. It is done on a much quicker basis.
Buyers and renters are no longer needed to travel all the way to a property’s actual site to look minutely across the property.
Next, VR technology breaks down on costly project marketing work for both parties included.
By combining technology with the existing procedure, Virtual reality gains a strong potential. It gives rise to significant savings for both landlords and other various real estate investors.
Throughout the development stage, virtual real estate can bolster operational efficiency.
It also simulates training for onsite jobs and increases construction workers’ precision and accuracy.
Furthermore, virtual estate technology offers the ability to see and refer to the final project’s visual image.
According to a Goldman Sachs report, the virtual reality market will be worth an estimated $80 billion by 2025, with $2.6 billion of that stemming from real estate.
Difference between traditional real estate version and virtual real estate app development.
Traditional real estate
Traditional real estate has been a part of our lives for ages.
We usually used to look for known, legit property agents and companies to guide us through.
The steps entailed contacting a real estate company, which then filters out a variety of properties according to our budget, standard of living, location, and so on.
We are then assigned one property agent that helps us to go through each property.
They provide a detailed review of the property and help the customers be aware of the supporting factors.
Once you finalize the property through multiple visits, on-call reviews, changes, and constructions, the user confirms the space accordingly.
The real estate company then takes over the work ahead and delivers the desired project plan to the customer in a stipulated time.
All these steps are now delivered through the availability of an application.
Real estate app development takes care of all the necessary steps like
- Location wise property listing
- Budget-friendly apartments
- Children friendly parks around
- Other prerequisites that a family/bachelors/pair needs
Real estate apps like Zillow provide a plethora of options that come under its jurisdiction.
With three bedrooms, spacious balcony to a bachelor-friendly apartment. Everything is available and at the disposal of the user.
Ongoing trends in real estate app development
Through this specific technology of virtual reality in real estate, a list of problems can be solved.
It allows a million people to visit properties without leaving their comfort zones virtually.
You have to Simply put on a VR headset and experience immersive, three-dimensional walkthroughs of properties.
In a matter of minutes, potential buyers or renters can virtually go tough a series of locations and decide which are worth visiting and finalizing.
Forty percent of buyers agents said home staging affected most buyers’ view of a home, and 83% of buyer’s agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer.
Virtual reality has helped a great deal in home staging and virtual tours to visualize the property.
An increase in the adoption of smart glasses in the healthcare sector is the major factor driving traffic to the augmented reality market.
Augmented reality technology is ready to bring more quality interest, especially as people minimize gathering together.
And promote smarter ways to lead their lives and surroundings.
How do you create a real estate app?
Being in a business that caters to users and their needs and requirements as a primary basis is a tough job. With the necessary trends, developments require constant change and updates in your work and business model.
Ever wondered, “how to be a part of the real estate app development?” or “what is the cost for developing an app?”
Here, we have compiled few steps to guide you through creating your real estate app similar to Trulia or Zillow.
Let us begin:
Step 1. Focus and validate your real estate app idea :
To stand out and make a brand value of your own, you need to focus on all primary and secondary features of building your app.
Your real estate app should cover the following steps to garner traffic to your app.
- Easy accessibility
- Ability to filter
- Location-specific
- Instant notifications on your smartphones (better connectivity)
- Seamless customer support
Step 2. Decide the type of app you want to launch
Usually, when it comes to mobile app development for real estate, there are two types of apps depending on how they operate.
The first one happens to be an agency based app,
and
the second one is known as a third-party app.
How do these apps work?
An agency based app :
The agency app, just like its name, adheres to a specific real estate agency.
Functioning as the business’s digital face, the agency app lists all the houses under their listing. It also includes the list of all the agents and brokers available for seamless communication.
through the agency app, the agency can keep track of
- their significant business improvements,
- how many clients are engaging with their agency,
- what their demands are.
It is an improved tool for business management and improvement.
Third-party model:
The third party or the aggregator model operates as the bridge between the buyers and the agents.
The workings of the third-party model are slightly different than the agency app.
- The users have an option to sign up either as buyers/sellers or freelancer agents.
- Users, on the other hand, can meet up with the agents nearby.Surf through their listings, look for houses they are interested in.
- The sellers can log in and contact the agents about the property they want to sell. The third-party app becomes a platform for the agents and the buyers/sellers to easily and instantly communicate.
Step 3 Enlist all necessary features:
Features like the following should provide the user a wholesome experience while they surf through the app.
- Log in/Sign up
- Profile building/edit
- Search and filter
- Location wise properties
- Offers
- Property details and features
- Ratings and reviews
- Gallery and photos
- Sharing among different platforms.
Step 4: choose your UI/UX
The UI /UX of an estate app is the one thing that brings more traffic to your real estate app development.
It keeps the users engaged and interested.
If the users seem to be struggling while using your app, it will lower user interaction with your site.
Here are few ways through which you can improve your app’s UI/UX design
- Clear images, audio, and videos
- Use of heatmaps to elevate the user’s experience.
- A 3D walkthrough and floor plans should be available.
- Easy navigation.
Step 5: Choose your platform :
Few applications operate entirely on a single platform like the google play store, and few are functional on both platforms, including the Apple app store. It entirely depends on the budget allocation and the resources available.
If you have a constricted budget available, here are few ways to decide on a better, likable option.
- Look at the demographics, how the existing applications are working on each platform.
- Focus on the no. of download, reviews, and usage and what features attract the user to their app.
- Mainly, the user’s location, data availability, population, and requirements demonstrate an app’s success.
Once you have figured out the necessary features required to choose the platform, build your app accordingly.
Step 6: Monetization strategies:
If your real estate app development has all the necessary features, idea validation, and topmost content to offer but somehow fails to reach the users, your idea is bound to fail.
To make your ship sail, you need to focus on a few monetization techniques to help both you and your users ahead.
Here are three topmost monetization strategies that can help you build a stronger foundation.
- Advertising
Advertising through social media, SEO-friendly content, and guest posts on top sites can help you develop a niche in this field. Promotion a big area to discover.
Choose your advertising platforms where you see most interaction.
It can be an offline promotion or online, depending on your needs and the audience you wish to cover. - Subscription
The feature of subscription enables the users to use the app to its full extent.You can provide a free trial of all the features on the app for a limited period. After that stipulated period, the user can either keep using the app’s limited version or an upgrade. - Various Fees
You can impose various fee structures on each application. Ranging from listing fee when a user wishes to get their property listed. Or an extra amount from the agents on the platform to increase their profile and help them get more clients.
Here is a list of the best real estate apps in 2021
We have come across various apps that help in the actual real estate app development throughout these years.
Here are a list of the top 4 real estate apps that can help you get a perfect listing.
Zillow
The real estate Zillow app wins the best overall real estate app development because of its massive hold on the market.
It enlists the most extensive property inventory, owned homes under its brand Zillow, and a filtered list.
Apart from these features, it also includes significant features like fixing a prospective property with your partner, roommate rental, buying, etc., to begin the application process quickly.
The app also covers virtual real estate options to every user as per the requirement.
The app is free of cost for buyers and sellers.
The primary revenue source for Zillow phone apps comes from advertising or lead generation covered from realtors subscribed.
Moreover, Zillow mobile app for android is also available for all android users and the iOS version for other smartphone users.
Zillow real estate trends the most among the apps like Trulia and xome.
Xome
Xome Auctions is among the best apps for buying a property through a platform of the auction and comprehensive bid listings.
Like other apps like Zillow Trulia xome also provide,
- Property details,
- Photos,
- Map locations
but Xome Auctions is among the best because it also mentions whether the property is available through financing options or paid for in cash.
The Xome Auctions app is accessible on both Android and Apple app stores. The analysis enlists that on Google Play, it has a rating of four stars, while the Apple Store rates it 4.8 stars.
The app is usually free and provides a safe, user-friendly platform.
Trulia
Trulia is launched in 2005 and was acquired by Zillow Group in 2015.
It has high reviews in the two major app stores.
Trulia market analysis contains Google Play’s 4.6 out of five stars(zomato app for android) with over 200,000 reviews.
And On the Apple Store, Trulia iOS is rated at 4.8 stars with 800,000 reviews.
Considering the demographics, the app can show you a variety of deals.
Ranging from
- the number of bachelors who have graduated from college.
- Working bachelors living around the neighborhood,
Trulia’s API gives the best home valuations because they use a variety of factors.
Including
- city and county assessments, comparative sales of similar kinds of houses,
- historical trends in prices, etc., to build their final estimate.
80% of the time, they are within a 20% range of the actual sales price.
Why choose Idea Usher to help you in your real estate app development?
Choosing the proper real estate app development to display your idea and business in front of the audience takes many efforts and time.
Keeping in mind the features and the design of the application, the process has to be taken over by a professional at some point or time. As you have many things on your plate, ranging from app development, promotion, design, marketing, and so on, we at Idea Usher help you fuel your idea to fruition.
We provide a seamless and economical solution to your real estate app needs with our budget-friendly package. They are curated just for you.
Conclusion
As we see, the whole business landscape is transitioning towards the new era of technology and applications. Users are adapting to this environment at an increasing rate. Lifting a finger and pressing the “go” button seems like the way to success now.
From food delivery to real estate, every business on the go has adapted to its technological aspect.
Being a real estate company, your sales can boost if you know the advantages of real estate app development. Putting behind the limitations as a company, you can quickly adapt to the new normal.
The trend of releasing an app is building a whole new environment. And your real estate company can be a part of the trend as well.
If you wish to create your own real estate app to boost your company’s presence. Idea Usher is here to help. Contact us!