How to Build A Real Estate App: Complete Guide 2024

Here’s a detailed guide on the cost of creating a real estate app, including market analysis, benefits, features to include, tech stack, and whatnot. Our company shares here how investors and merchants run and monetize their applications. In short, we will explain the step-by-step process for creating a real estate app accurately. So that you can build a real estate app that keeps you ahead of the competition.

Who hasn’t faced the struggles of shifting to a new city and finding accommodation? Finding the right accommodation can make people feel at home away from home. The search process is quite difficult and time-consuming. They are asking every “to let” marked apartments about the availability and other details and being stuck. The cycle is endless. One can never be sure of the property that they may take for rent.

To save your customers time visiting these properties physically, invest in building a real estate app and let them find the right place to stay.

Today, more than one-fifth of people are using real estate mobile apps to buy, sell, and research properties. No surprise that property searching on mobile apps has escalated by 120%.

What Are Real Estate Applications?

Before we discuss real estate mobile app features and cost, let’s understand what is real estate app is. We no longer live in times when people used to head from one broker to another or from one house to another on their hunt for property. Today, all it needs is a swipe or a click on a commercial real estate app on their smartphones. Thus, easily shopping for a dream property or house is no longer a challenge.

The easy deal, isn’t it?

So, if you want to enter the market and expand your customer base, building your own real estate app is the right idea.

Creating a real estate mobile app is complicated and needs expertise and experience. Thus, you need to hire a mobile application developer for a highly rewarding and interesting mobile app.

Why Invest in Building Real Estate App – Market Size & Stats

• In the Indian market, real estate has its wider prominence, not today but for a decent amount of time. In the real estate market, the revenue share in this niche has converted at a 13% rate with a cost of $ 1 trillion by 2030.
• According to the MCSI report, the global market of real estate will continue to grow. From $10.5Trillion in 2020, which is 1.6 times more than it was in 2010.
• The USA, China, the UK, and many others are leading countries participating highly in the sales marketplace.
• As per the source of the US census bureau. In 2014-2018, the percentage share in the owner-occupied housing units is found at 63.8%. While the new home for sale goes to 4.5% within a year only.
• The property assets focus more on the zero-emission of carbon as per the reports. It will be reduced to 80% by 2030.
• The Government of India is very concerned with real estate. It has raised the townships and settlements for developing niche projects with 100% rationale.

The cost to make a real estate mobile app isn’t much, all you need is an innovative thinking approach and a technologically strong solution.

Recommended Read: How to Develop a Property-house Valuation Estimator App like Zillow

Top Market and Technological Trends

With the changing times, on-demand real estate applications have gained much popularity. The real estate market is adopting new technology and market trends to grow and offer enhanced user experience constantly. A new tech stack is also impacting over all cost to build an app.

Let’s talk about some of the top tech trends that our real estate app developers believe will change the future of the real estate industry. 

Artificial Intelligence

The on-demand real estate apps and software is booming, and to keep up with the growing trends, artificial intelligence is no different. AI-based smart real estate solutions are leading the market these days.

AI-based advanced algorithms help automate many customer service jobs, optimize pricing, identify consumer needs with behavioral analysis, and enhance the overall experience of the end user. 

Immersive Technologies

We all know how AR/VR technologies are changing the gaming industry, healthcare industry, and now the real estate industry. The market for AR/VR is expected to grow to $80 billion by 2025, with a significant part being the real estate market. 

Users can have an immersive experience of the property before buying it from the comforts of their homes. They can visualize what the property looks like, and what is in the surroundings with the help of immersive technologies. 

Internet Of Things

Another dominant technology that is revolutionizing the real estate industry is IoT. The real estate app developers see Internet of Things as one of the technologies that is transforming the industry for all good. It adds to the efficiency and quality of living standards of the end user. As IoT continues to advance, the demand for specialized IoT app development services is also increasing, ensuring seamless integration of smart technologies into real estate solutions.

Big Data Analytics

Data analytics is the need of the hour if you want to stay ahead of your competitors and impress your users. With data analytics and predictive analytics, you can simply understand better what the user demands and help them save time and money in finding the right property.

Blockchain

Smart contracts, distributed ledger, easy transactions, and whatnot. Blockchain technology is bringing to the market a lot of new elements and things that build credibility of the application letting users be at the top of their game.

Real Estate Mobile App – Leading Industry Players

In 2024, the real estate market had many players for selling, renting, or buying properties. In the below list, some players are earning a large user base and profit. Zillow is one of the most popular among them. You can also build your own real estate app.

The list of real estate apps that are gaining popularity are:

Trulia

The real estate application that is making home values convenient to check and judge is Trulia. The Trulia application is well-reviewed on major app stores and is quite popular among users. The user can check the nearby markets, restaurants, etc., before they decide to visit the property and shop.

Do ask your app developer to consider the features and user-engagement the app offers.

Links: Website, Android, iOS

RedFin

RedFin is a real brokerage firm that took its business from bricks and mortar store to a digital platform. This real estate agent app helps users connect with right brokers for perfect deals. The application is strongly suggested for buying houses as they have real-time agents associated with them. You can request a digital home tour on the application and check the property before you finalize. Create your own real estate app as well.

Links: Website, Android, iOS

LoopNet

If you are an entrepreneur looking for a commercial property, LoopNet is the best commercial real estate app that can make things easier for you. The application notifies you when the deal has the best price with an expansive inventory making it easier for you to find a good property within your budget.

Many app developer firms often use LoopNet as an example to integrate the right features and navigation in their solutions.

Links: Website, Android, iOS

Realtor

The application is quite popular among renters as it shares all the details of the listed property. Realtor has been one of the oldest players in the domain and has been offering reliable services. One can check for all the needs and details of the property. It enjoys a reputable position among its competition. The application has set the bar high for real estate software solution provider firms to deliver similar solutions.

Links: Website, Android, iOS

Types of Real Estate Applications: Market Categories

Before you learn how to build, you have to study the types of applications available in the market and which would support your business objectives. Broadly, real estate is divided into four categories:

Residential Properties

Residential is the best option for serving the family and homage to people. It includes many options like houses, townhouses, duplexes, vacation homes, and condominiums. The platform consists of a range of newly constructed homes or resale ones.

To create a real estate app that discusses residential properties, you need an interactive and engaging interface.

Commercial Properties

This kind of property is exclusive to business partners. The real estate mobile app design for commercial properties is quite different. Owners who have other properties than homes, which they plan to open for small businesses or shops, gain decent income.

Under this category, one can list offices, shopping centers, hotels, hospitals, and colleges.

Recommended Read: Real Estate Software Development Companies

Industrial Properties

This includes the buildings for any manufacturing or production center, companies, warehouses, and storage facilities for essentials.

A commercial property sell-and-buy application that lists only industrial properties would gain popularity easily!

Land and Ranches

This kind of space is underdeveloped or vacant. Which is turning into a building after rehabilitation. Farmers commonly have such places for their farming and ranches.

Partner with a reliable real estate app solution provider to build a solution that is easy to use and lists all the required aspects.

The scope of custom real estate app is so vast, that you need to understand the ethics and intervention behind it. In order to offer people admiration to buy property, create real estate apps that are user-centric. Perhaps the construction and other businesses are developing independently with workers. For every different category, there is a different list of rules and monetary benefits.

How to Monetize Real Estate Mobile App?

As you partner with a software company, sharing your business idea with them is important. This must include a well-defined monetization model to help them decide their home rental application building process. The cost of creating a real estate mobile app would also be determined with your revenue model.

Some of the common monetization models are:

Advertising Model

Many popular commercial real estate app models are built similar to Zillow, or Trulia. Under such a model, real estate agents can promote their services to make more traffic in a shorter time. However, keep in mind the relevancy of the ads from the third party, that should not distract the buyers.

These real estate agent apps help users and agents to connect easily without charging for the services.

White Label Model

It’s the new way to earn money. Real estate app creators make the license available to the other interested real estate app developers so that they can make changes to the code and customize it. For it, your platform must integrate real estate mobile app features and functions to grab the attention of potential parties.

Subscription Model

In this subscription model, realtors place the relevant ads under in-app utilization, with short-type videos. Subscribers with premium services avoid free ads or turn them off. The packages are monthly, yearly or annual sense, a good opportunity for the business.

Commission-based Model

This is the method to earn a large amount of cost using the commissions with a deal between the seller and buyer. With on demand real estate mobile apps gaining popularity, this monetization model has seen great relevance.

Once you have decided on the monetization model, the next in line for the real estate app is the key features.

Also read: Software Development Outsourcing – A Comprehensive Guide

Advanced Features to Consider While Build A Real Estate App

It is important to have a real estate mobile application that is efficient and offers information related to all aspects of the property. Your solution partner needs to focus on a few features. We share here a few features that would be prominent in your real estate mobile application.

Real Estate App User Panel: Learn what the user wants.

3D Property View

Offering a 3D view of the entire property is a great feature. As it not just instantly appeals to the buyers, also saves their time and effort. This increases their interest as it gives complete feel of the property. Let your on-demand real estate mobile app grow better and have an edge over others in the market.

Favorites Properties

This real estate mobile app features allow users to add their most-preferred properties to the favorite list. The experts who create a real estate apps understand such features in your product. What would make it more popular among your customers. If they’ll enjoy the experience, then you get some marketing too.

Calendar

It is important to keep things in check in you real estate mobile app like which property was viewed on which date. A synced calendar would make it easier for the customers to schedule and remember property visits. This would also help them manage their schedules thus saving time.

In-App Map

You surely need to integrate maps in your real estate mobile application to ensure that your customers get the right location and routes to the property they are about to visit. Ask your property app developer if this would be the basic feature for your application.

Get Brokers Details

It is easy and convenient to contact the broker of your desired property, with all the contact details provided along with the property. The database of your on-demand real estate mobile app must be built strongly. It must have the details of the brokers and owners along with the property.

Contact Seller through Email or Sent Inquiry Message

Buyers looking for a property can also contact the seller via email or send an inquiry message. The responses are often prompt. Chat and contact features are important to ensure that no probable sale is interrupted. Ask your app-building team to integrate all required communication channels in your app.

Related Blog: HOA Management Software Cost & Features

Sorting

App users can sort the properties as High to low or Low to High, as well as can filter their search as per the area, prices, and other factors. Real estate mobile app features need to be quite interesting that would let the user sort the properties according to their needs.

Discussion Forums

Users get all the information they require by discussing it with the liable associates. Frequent discussions make it easier for customers to have reviews and feedback on the property they like.

To build your own real estate app, you must consider these features that attract users and help them engage with your application.

These are a few basic features that your custom real estate app developers would use in your mobile application to create engaging solutions. If you want to add more features, you can surely reach out to us in no time.

Real Estate App – Brokers Mobile App Features

When we talk about building a real estate app, it becomes quite important for us to understand that the end-users and realtors will impact the application market. Here are some significant features that realtors can benefit from.

Register/Login

It is important that brokers register for the real estate mobile app using their email ID, or they can even use social networking credentials. If it is easier to register with your on-demand real estate mobile app, then surely, you will have a lot of people who will install and use your app.

Profile Verification by Admin

The admin needs to verify the profile next. This step is crucial to maintaining the app’s authenticity. Once the broker profile is verified, they can connect with customers who are searching for properties. Most real estate apps use two-factor authentication to verify users.

Search Property

Once the profile is verified, users can now start searching for the desired property. This would make it easier for the broker to locate the available property and take customers to visit the place. The real estate mobile app design is done in a way that brokers and customers are always on the same page.

Read Also: Innovative Real Estate App Ideas to Consider for Startup

Filter & Sort Property based on Various Parameters

Users can filter as well as sort their search options on the basis of their requirements and parameters. When you reach real estate software developers, they must add features that would only make things easier for the brokers and admin, too.

List View & Map View for Property Listings

Users can choose between list view and map view as they feel comfortable while going through property listings. As the broker can check the current status of any property online, they can let the customer know the properties available and continue with great working styles. Ask your real estate app developer to integrate this feature for easy app execution.

Get Details of Selected Property

If the users come across a property that matches their interest, they can seek the details accordingly. Real estate app features are designed only to ensure that the broker, customer, or any other aspect of the app finds it easiest to use.

View/ Edit User Profile

Users can view their profile and can edit it according to their liking. Users can easily edit or remove any information about them. Top real estate software developer firms can help you create a real estate app that solves users’ problems and enables you to generate great profits.

Add Your Property for Selling or Rent

Users can even add the property that they are keen to sell or to put on rent. Any real estate app partner understands that business is all about selling and renting properties; thus, it becomes the most significant feature to include.

Purchase Subscription for Listing Properties

Any payment mode can be used to purchase subscriptions and list products. Subscriptions for listing properties can easily be purchased with in-app payment modes. This is the best way to monetize your business. So, if you want to earn better profits, just ensure you get the best results quickly.

The features you integrate with your solution determine the cost to build a real estate app, so make the right choice.

What Needs to Be Controlled: The Admin Panel

When we talk about the admin panel of your commercial real estate app, there is an important aspect that you need to consider. It would be controlled by realtors and end-users. The real estate software solutions providers maintain the data security and confidentiality of the users while making an app.

 Real Time Analytics

As the application admin, you manage the reports and requests concerning adding a property, purchase requests, selling requests, etc. You can also check user engagement, impressions, and earnings in real-time.

User Management

The admin can manage users from here. The users may vary from sellers, buyers, brokers, etc. The real estate app features in admin panel are defined so that it gets an authority to avoid scams and frauds.

Property Management

Admin can manage property listing from here. They can add new additions or list removals. The app developers must make sure that the admin panel is different from the broker panel and they can work in various ways on the property.

Currency Converter

If you build your own on demand real estate mobile app, do include currency convertor. The feature allows you to go global. Since we deliver global solutions we make it a point that the user can switch the currency to its local currency.

Customer Support Manager

Admin is responsible to provide the users with trustworthy and reliable support, answering all their queries, and making them feel at ease while using your real estate mobile app.

Add/Edit/Remove Subscription Packages

From here, the admin can add, edit as well as remove subscription packages. For commercial real estate apps it is important that the user can always revise their subscription packages.

Earning Management

Earnings acquired via property deals and subscriptions are managed by the Admin from here. After all revenue good revenue was the reason you chose to create your own on demand real estate mobile app.

Common Real Estate Mobile App Features You Can’t Miss

Real estate mobile app features for the three user groups definitely covered most of the points. Some other significant features would set your on demand real estate mobile app apart from your competition. After an in-depth study of the market, the real estate app developers have come up with a feature list that can make your app a great success.

Geo-Location Tagging

This feature is integral for interactive, on-demand real estate apps, as it allows app users to find nearby properties. The geolocation feature within the app leverages the smartphone’s GeoTag or GPS location, making location-based house hunting possible for users. It lets them see the properties or homes for sale near their current location in real time on a map.

In-App Calculator

Ensure your real estate app developer team includes a basic and easy-to-use calculator within the app to let users estimate their monthly EMI payment or mortgage value. The mortgage loan calculator, which is simple and accurate, allows users to calculate new house purchases, refinances, and much more.

Using the in-built Interest Rate calculator for home loans, users can estimate their interest payment, including taxes and insurance. They need to enter the price of the home, down payment, and other required details and the interest rate will be shown to them accordingly.

Heat Map

Well, Heat Maps are an easy and fun way to find your dream house. They’re a brand new and innovative style of property searching, with different colors and icons depicting different aspects. These maps are designed to offer you comprehensive real estate information in half the time, hence offering more scope for actual site visits and discussions.

Its many features include searching according to budget, possession date, property type, nearby locations, etc. Besides being fun and interactive, these websites considerably reduce the time students spend searching for the right property.

Lead Management

The lead management software in real estate mobile apps has an imperative role in converting more leads into deals faster. It will dramatically improve lead conversions and allow you to start reaping the benefits sooner. This highly effective feature can help things run more smoothly and allow you to analyze client activities to gauge customer loyalty as well.

Push Notifications

Push technology is great for engaging users. It not only keeps them attentive to special offers/ events/ news/properties but also assures that your app will remain on their mobile for a pretty long time.

Recommended Read: What will be the Cost to Develop a Virtual Reality App?

Connect with a reputed agency to develop your real estate app, which can meet your basic and extensive real estate feature needs.

Custom Mail Reminder System

Buyers who are looking to buy property will like to receive reminders for new property listings and offers. Let your on-demand real estate mobile app send these reminders, which are certainly beneficial for busy buyers.

Use of AR & VR

With rising AR and VR Technology, the Real Estate Business can greatly benefit. E.g., You can demonstrate the homes in 3D, which can give your customers a true picture of how a property looks.

CRM Solution

The app programmer team integrates CRM development solution that helps in gaining better conversion rates and will boost your real estate sales. With CRM you will see how a little bit of data can majorly turn things in your favor. The system is useful in sending messages and alerts to customers regarding various offers, activities, news, etc. as well as it has a great role to play in marketing and promotions schemes. All in all, with the right CRM you can manage client data in a way that helps you be better at what you do.

ERP (Enterprise Resources Process) Solution

Real Estate is a huge industry that certainly needs a massive solution to manage the miscellaneous sections and workshop proceedings. With ERP software development solutions, you can manage large-scale operations easily as it looks after the many modules such as HRM, Employee Management, Lead management, business workflow management, payment modules, sales team management, etc. By integrating this software into your real-estate app, you can make things easy and convenient.

Process to Build a Real Estate Mobile App

Once all these things are taken care of, all you have to look for is the right property app developer who understands your needs well and initiates the app-building process accordingly. Ensure that your requirements are properly communicated and understood by the team of designers, real estate app developers, and other technicians.

Discuss with your real estate app developers their development method and turnaround time. Creating a custom rent-and-sell property app requires your constant input to let developers build a real estate app that matches your business vision. 

Here’s how the programmers create a real estate mobile app. 

Market Research and Analysis

Understanding your business needs is half the work. We need to understand your target audience and the problems they are facing with available solutions. We do study competitors’ apps to identify pitfalls in their apps. At Octal We ensure to are well-acquainted with the latest real estate app trends and include them in your solution. 

Define Objectives and Features

The clearer your app picture is in your mind, the better you can communicate with your property app developers. This would bring all of you on the same page, saving your time and your real estate software developers’ time. 

Design the User Interface (UI)

Your app’s visual elements must be interesting and reflect your brand values and business objectives, including color schemes, typography, icons, and images. Our UI/UX design team provides a clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface.

We stick to the best mobile design practices to deliver a responsive real estate application accessible across multiple platforms and devices.

Recommended Read: Mobile App UI/UX Design Trends to Look For 

Collaboration with Real Estate Software Developers

To create a real estate app, you need to hire dedicated development team that understands your vision and is willing to build a solution that is not just in line with your business objective but also helps you grow in the industry. They understand the technical requirements and the limitations of the platform and, hence, can deliver a scalable and futuristic solution.  

Testing and Quality Assurance

To ensure your application works well, the real estate app makers let the quality assurance and software testing team thoroughly check the app’s features and functionality. The app developers then rectify the issues and ensure the final product is bug-free.

Launch and Deployment

Submit your app to the app stores (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and let users install and get their real estate-related issues solved.

**Make sure initially you spend a little more on marketing to mark your presence, and once you have built ground, reduce the budget and spend on upscaling yourself**

Understanding the process of creating a real estate app may involve multiple iterations and modifications. Building a custom real estate mobile app requires close collaboration between designers, developers, and clients.

Required TechStack to Build Real Estate Mobile App

The technology stack for the property app also determines the cost of creating a real estate app. We share here the basic tech stack that our experts use to create real estate apps:

• Build real estate real-time mapping: MapBoxGoogle maps APIs, MapKit
• Registration or signup process: Google sign-in, Facebook SDK
• GPS mapping: track the user’s location, and get information on the local/nearby stores, restros, clubs, etc.
• For notifications: Firebase or Apple Push Notifications
• Core location: get the information about the retailer’s location
• Coredata: save the houses or other properties.
• Zillow API: listing of nearby place information
• Spark API: data flow from MLSS
• Market automation: Dotloop
• Automated voice mail: Agent Legend
• Automatic inspection: Spectora
• Digital asset management
• Accounting and financing automating: Xero
• CRM: Zoho CRM Analytics
• ERP: Netsuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP ERP
• Front end languages: HTML, css, php, js
• Syndication platforms (pool where multiple investors buy a property together): list hub, point2, 365 connect, realtors

Required Team Structure to Develop Real Estate Mobile App

To develop a real estate mobile app that aligns with your business goals and objectives, ensure you have a strong team in all aspects of real estate app. Team size and experience also impact the cost of building a real estate app. To make sure everything goes well, check for the team structure. At Octal IT Solution, we have a well-defined procedure for delivering your project to ensure that they meet your business requirements.

1. Project Manager 
2. Developers 
3. Designers 
4. Quality Analysts
5. Business Analysts (Pre-sales/Post-sales)

You can choose other members you want to join your team of professionals according to your business goals.

How Much Does It Cost to Make a Real Estate Application?

How to build a real estate app? The cost of building real estate mobile app depends on its size & complexity. If you want to create a real estate app with basic features, The cost to create a real estate app would be around $20k. Making a custom real estate app may cost $95k if you discuss the advanced, feature-laden app. Other than real estate app features, the location of the developers and the number of hours consumed in the app development play a vital role in deciding the cost of building real estate app.

Based on different zones, here we have outlined the cost of building a custom real estate app:

• US-based developers: $100 to $250 per hour
• Eastern Europe-based developers: $75 to $180 per hour
• India-based developers: $20 to $50 per hour

Now, according to the segments to be developed, the actual cost to build real estate app in India is graphed below:

• Technical documentation: (40 hours – $1000 to $2000)
• UI/UX design: (60 Hours – $1500 to $3000)
• Front-end and Back-end Coding: (400 Hours – $10,000 to $ 20,000)
• Testing: (80 Hours- $2000 to $4000)

After calculating the above overhead charges, the average cost to make a real estate app can be outlined. A reasonable app with limited features may cost up to $10,000 to $25,000 for a single platform, and the charges can extend up to $35,000 if the app is feature-rich and driven by high-quality standards. One must connect to an experienced app developer to get the exact cost of developing a real estate app.

What are the benefits of Creating a real estate app for your business?

Being in the property dealing business, you can immensely benefit from building a custom property buy-and-sell app, which gives striking returns rapidly. Your business can offer vast proper listings in a very visually appealing manner. You have an easy reach to the customers all throughout the day, locally and internationally, able to maintain great control over the site content and receive instant messages and notifications for quick follow-up.

Given these points, Making a real estate mobile app is profitable. Hence, if you want to establish your business and brand without going the traditional way or for expensive methods (flyers, advertisements, cold calling), you can majorly benefit from a real estate mobile app. With professional and high-performing real estate applications, you can accomplish many tasks like controlling your listings, monitoring transactions, showing houses, and finalizing a deal while sitting on your home or office couch.

 If you are a realtor OR builder looking forward to taking their business over the digital frame, then you would like to consider these advantages before considering a real estate app.

Read Also: Top Real Estate Apps to Find the Best Home or Office

Advantages of Building Custom Real Estate App

• High Customer Engagement and Conversion
• Better Coordination between Developer and Broker
• Power your Customers with Geolocation
• Stay Connected with Customers 24/7
• Better Property Viewing Experience
• Clean Property Insights

These are a few benefits of using a real estate app to provide a perfect solution. If you want to help your customers deal with their property-related issues, just let your real estate app developers create an impressive and highly rewarding, well-developed app.

The Final Words!

When discussing creating a real estate mobile app, it becomes quite important to ensure the app is not just feature-laden but aesthetically interactive and easily navigable. The UI/UX development team at Octal IT Solution makes it a point to take care of the look and impact of your real estate app. With after-delivery support, we promise to help you transform and win the digital journey.

Our Android and iOS app developers are technically sound and deliver solutions ready to survive the test of time. So, finally, if you want to make a real estate app and hire a real estate software developer, you are at the right place!

Frequently Asked Questions