The real estate industry has cut-throat competition. To get ahead of this competition, every business should try different and unique strategies. Businesses may improve their service, add new offers and attract real estate agents to their site. Another thing they may try is creating a custom mobile application and creating value to your potential customers that their competitors can only dream of.
Nowadays, agencies and entrepreneurs rapidly jump into real estate mobile app development, and some mobile apps are becoming the Facebooks and Ubers of the real estate market. At present, more than 90% of real estate firms have their own sites with property listings. Real estate industry is getting digitized day-after-day, but creating a site is only the first step.
Having a full-fledged site is great for the real estate business, but this has become a new normal for this business. In this blog post, we will tell our readers about how mobile-specific features or custom mobile app development can bring value to both your business and your customers. Also, later in this article, we will look at various features that are necessary for a successful real estate mobile app and answer the query of how much it costs to create a real estate mobile application.
Table of Contents
Why build a real estate mobile app?
As per the study of the National Association of Realtors, in the year 2016, about 44% of all home buyers selected real estate properties online first. Now, in the year 2019, we can say that the preponderance of people go online to choose a house that they need to buy or to place a real estate property up for sale.
But people– nowadays– do not just go online. They use their smartphones. In fact, a large number of people currently use their smartphones for almost everything, from ordering grocery products to searching for their sweet homes. According to recent statistics, now more and more people are using the internet via smartphones.
Also, most of the time spent by people on smartphone devices is dedicated to the mobile applications.
So, why do people consume so much of their time in mobile apps rather than on mobile websites? First, mobile apps are better and faster adapted for smartphone devices.
The second reason is mobile apps have access to a mobile phone’s hardware that allows lots of mobile-specific functionalities. For instance, you can use mobile devices’ hardware like cameras, send users targeted push notifications, and even use augmented reality and virtual reality for added benefits that are now possible only in applications.
As per recent research by the National Association of Realtors, 46% of Generation X homebuyers and 58% of Millennials have found their home on a mobile phone device, as compared to 33% of Baby Boomers.
Let’s have a look at how to create a real estate mobile app.
The following are the most important features that should be available in real estate application trends:
Login & Logout
It is necessary to allow the user to open a personal account. Logging is executed in three ways: by using a social media account like Facebook & Twitter and allowing you to log in with a mail account Google. In addition, the authorization and verification can be done using phone number. It is an excellent idea to combine the three shapes. In real estate applications, it is vital to have all the necessary details for a user, such as a name, contact number, email address, etc. Helps companies keep in touch with users and provide improved service. You have a different login system for sellers. If the app is not specific to the real estate company, developers should create a separate login system for real estate buyers. This includes more information and legal documents. A copy of the documented property documents. A good mobile app development company can provide you with advanced features for login and logout.
Listing of real estate properties:
Each real estate application must have a standing job. This list should include a list of properties provided with all details. The list should consist of the required information on top. When the user clicks on the menus, other information is displayed.
Pictorial representation
It is an excellent practice to take ownership photos and upload them online in the app. 80% of users decide whether or not to buy the property from the pictures shown. If the property pictures are attractive, the user is also considering other details. Many real estate applications also offer videos of the venue. It also gives an augmented reality effect.
Map for the place:
This is a must feature, and real estate developers shouldn’t skip it. The maps are associated with the help of third-party integration. This feature helps customers to reach a specific destination easily. New people in the city find this feature very useful as the map travels along the entire path. The app can also suggest properties close to the user’s current location using the map function.
Favourite List:
Each real estate app must have a bookmarks feature. Users can keep favourites in one place. Users find it easy to discover the properties they love quickly. A good software development company can add this feature that helps your user to create a favourite list easily.
Search and filters:
The search function requires certain types of keywords, such as property name, location, etc. By merely placing the correct keywords, the user can obtain the needed details. The filtering function of any real estate application takes time to create as many filters are offered. These include filters based on location, price, size, type of property (office, one floor, apartment, etc.), balcony, rent or purchase, number of rooms, age of the property, car park, to name a few. According to these filters, the user can search and also find the best property in a short time.
Real-time messaging:
Any real estate mobile application must offer real-time messaging. The user can communicate directly with the owners and merchants without obtaining personal contact numbers. In addition, make sure the messaging function is hassle-free and fast. Also, remember that bad experience can cost customer loss.
Detailed information about the property:
The details should include all the crucial information such as the property’s location, name, number of rooms available, size of the area, number of bathrooms, and other facilities such as gym, club, parking, etc. Also, show reviews from other customers.
Monetization of real estate applications.
After reading all the above-mentioned points, you should have a clear view that creating a real estate mobile app is taking a long time, and you need to invest a lot of money on it. The question here is what benefit does the application developer get?
This is how real estate app developers can make a lot of money:
Fee rates:
Real estate mobile applications can be earned by charging sellers. Owners who disclose their property details must pay a set amount to the mobile app development company. Prices can be monthly. The type of property determines prices. Residential real estate must pay different rates. Commercial real estate must pay different rates. Once the property is sold, the app removes the details of that property.
Premium user rates:
The app may charge fees for Premium Members for a certain amount. Many real estate application companies offer free experience for users with limited access. In addition to this, if the user wants more access to more details about the property, fees apply.
Advertisement:
Ads are the most popular and best way to make money from any mobile app. In a real estate mobile app, ads must be relevant. Mortgage ads, furniture ads, bank loan ads, interior decoration service ads, property insurance ads, to name a few.
The required Team Structure
In order to have an interactive and robust Real Estate Mobile Application, you need to hire mobile app developer or a company. Besides, it is needed to have a team of professionals who can bring your real estate ideas or imagination to reality. The team structure that you may need for your real estate mobile app is as follows:
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
- iOS & Android Application Developers
- Backend Developers
- Front-End Developers
- QA Professionals
- Graphic Designers
The total cost to develop a Real Estate Application?
The cost of creating a real estate application mainly depends on the size and complexity of the mobile application. In addition, the location of the developers and the total number of active hours invested in the mobile app development plays a crucial role in deciding the final cost.
- US-based mobile app developers: – $100 to $250 per hour.
- Eastern-Europe based mobile app developers: – $80 to $180 per hour.
- India-based mobile app developers: – $25 to $50 per hour.
A feature-packed real estate application can cost you around $20,000 to $35,000 for any single platform.
Let’s Wrap Up:
Real estate industry is quite competitive but a mobile application can bring many benefits to the business and add value to their customers. A good app development company in India can create your real estate mobile app with extended features and within your budget. So, if you are planning to have your own real estate app, you should choose the development firm with great care.
