The market for apps is filled with real estate website, with different features and complexity. However, there is a set of essential features that should be added to an online real estate platform while making web design and development decisions to please the customers. Let’s look at each one of them.
1. Listing Databases
The list of listings is the mainstay for any property site. The bigger it gets the more well-known the site grows. It’s good to know that you can create databases yourself by with the help of brokers’ databases.
The databases you incorporate into your platforms is contingent on the specific region that the platform will serve.
2. Personalisation and Authentication
The user experience for real estate website is generally tailored for three roles of users that include homebuyers, agents as well as home buyers. Profiles for various roles of users should also include other features and let you switch roles within the website.
Real estate website like Zillow and Trulia offer registration through Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail. Social networks can speed up the registration process and also integrates other personal information, like gender, pictures age, location, and more.
Since the platform collects personal information to provide a personal experience, you must to protect your data. Therefore, ensure that your website is in compliance with OWASP standards as well as GDCP regulations.
3. Search Filters
A search engine that is user-friendly and capable of performing sophisticated search queries is an essential part of an online property platform. The most basic version of search could only contain traditional filters like size, location, price or size. But the most modern platforms for real estate make use of the potential of big data and integrations to offer more specific information about properties:
- The opinions of local residents regarding the neighborhood and its infrastructure maintenance, schools, etc.
- Information on the crime rate in the area;
- LGBT protection rate which reflects how the locals as well as the local legislation treat LGBT people;
- Probability of natural disasters
- Family status, and education of residents of the area.
4. Map Features
A real estate site can’t be achieved without maps, since a location of a property is among the most important factors for potential buyers. A majority of real estate websites utilize Google Maps due to the fact that the majority of users are familiar with the service. However, you could also utilize a map-based service called Open Street Maps as an alternative.
In addition to providing the location based on the IP address of the user and GPS real estate platforms work with a variety of websites to provide valuable information on maps such as nearby restaurants, schools as well as streetlights.
Features That Make Your Real Estate Platform Stand Out
Making sure you have the proper functionality built into your application is just half the challenge to create an online real estate site that is up to the task. Here’s a brief list of other features that have been used in different real estate websites:
1. Favorite Section
This is a custom feature that allows users to add options from the results of a search to their favorite list, similar to when you would put items in the cart on an ordinary eCommerce site.
The section ‘favorites’ allows users to consider their options before purchasing or renting a property. The information gathered from the favorite list may also be used to analyze data and to generate new property ideas.
2. In-App Messaging Solution
After users have made a choice to make a decision, they’ll likely need to speak with an agent or a buyer to go over the specifics. Chat in-app is the most efficient way to connect with users.
In reality, creating an entirely new messaging application can take a lot of effort and money. Instead, you could integrate the available real-time messaging services like Twilio, Layer, and PubNub.
3. Calendar To Book An Appointment
After they have chosen an apartment/house, they’ll be looking to tour of the area. To do this it is necessary to call a realtor to schedule the time to visit. A better option is to look through the calendar in the app to see if there are slots available.
