How to Build a Real Estate Website: Step-by-Step Complete Guide

By 2025, there is no question that digitalization or online presence is a must for any business. 96% of home buyers search for their dream place of living online, which leaves brick-and-mortar real estate firms little to no choice. 

Going digital this time is the only way to leverage competition, that’s what Zillow, the largest real estate website in the US did. Now Zillow has over 44.8 million monthly visitors.

Building a website also leads to the upscaling of a business. So, in this article, we will focus on why and how to build a new real estate website, the real estate domain, and digitalization. Brace up for our guide!

State of Online Real Estate Market

The United States real estate market is projected to attain a monumental value of US$136.60 trillion by the year 2025.

Still, the industry is going through a bit of a hardship, as for 37% of new adults finding a home has been a staining endeavor. However, websites and digitalization might make this process a little lighter by adding filters and categories, simplifying the search for a home. 

There are a set of essential elements for a new real estate website. So, let’s take a closer look at them.

8 Must-Have Features of a Real Estate Website

Any type of real estate website has its main functionality which is essential for maintaining both suppliers and customers.

We have studied the 8 most well-known players in online real estate. Here are the features they all have in common.

Registration

If you want to build a new real estate website, start with the registration feature. Registration is the most underrated feature on real estate websites. The entrepreneurs don’t realize that it’s a source of valuable information and data.

The improved registration feature is already one of the best ideas for optimizing your site. 

When customers register, their email addresses are instantly saved in a website’s database. By having that kind of information in your CRM, you’ll be able to create a targeted ad and email campaign. Plus, you’ll have a better understanding of who your target audience is.

It will improve your marketing process and help your customers be better informed about sales and exciting proposals.

While you’re creating a new real estate site, make your registration easy and quick. It’s vital to give your users the ability to register/sign in with Facebook/Google or a phone number. These functions aren’t difficult to add, but they significantly increase the user experience. We advise you not to make users type everything manually.

Search

Every search on a real estate website starts with entering an address where the customer would like to buy or rent a property. Then the system asks what type of listings a user would like to see: for sale or rent.

The relevant listings according to the search parameters appear. Here, users can filter and sort these listings. The main thing you need to check is the design of the search bar. It should be UX-friendly so that customers don’t need to spend a long time looking for it.

Common filters like:

• Price
• Bedrooms and bathrooms
• Home type
• Square feet
• Lot size
• Year built
• Basement
• Keyword

Common sorting like:

• Verified source
• Price
• Newest
• Bedrooms
• Bathrooms
• Square feet
• Lot size
• Most photos
• Mortgage

Note: It is also a good idea to enable users to save search settings and add listings to their favorites. 

SEO

Once you decide to build an MVP of a new real estate website, it’s vital to think through the site architecture since it’ll influence the back-end and front-end and the SEO side of your RE website. To get the best search engine rankings for your business, SEO must be high.

Many business owners falsely believe that free website builders can justify their requests. But this is not at all the case. It’s essential to make sure that your future website is SEO-friendly by default.

Listing System

Besides searching, filtering and sorting, viewing listings also plays an essential role in the user experience.

However, there aren’t a lot of choices on how exactly customers can view properties. Usually, such a view combines two things. Firstly, a map on one side of a page. Secondly, a list of properties on the other. But sometimes users have the ability to view a list of properties in a table or photo format. In some cases, viewing can also be done while the search process is on.

So, beautiful grids of properties can actually encourage users to take further actions on your new real estate website. 

Property Listing Page

A listing page should contain as much information as needed. 

Generally, a listing’s page has to have:

• High-quality images
• Map with a pinned address
• Facts and other information
• Seller information
• The ability to contact the owner

Besides the above-mentioned ones, it’s advisable to have additional capabilities on a property listing page in order to be competitive in the online real estate domain.

Additional features for the listings page like:

• Floorplans
• Building overview
• Local info: schools, crime, commute, shops
• Ratings and reviews about the district
• Affordability
• Price trends
• New listings near the house 

Property Posting

If you want to know how to create a new real estate website with the ability to view multiple properties, then giving your vendors the ability to list real estate is a must-have feature. A search for a property shouldn’t be any more difficult than finding your dream home. Your visitors don’t need to perform complex actions.

The vendor first chooses whether the object is for sale or rent to place the ad. Second, the vendor enters the address, a unit of measurement, city, and zip code. Then they attach it to the map, set the price, add photos, add some facts about the house, a description, and finally – add contact information.

The people who place the ad should be able to freely access the information they add – for example, to edit or later clarify some important details.

Furthermore, you can give the ability to attach a URL of a virtual tour, as Zillow does, add a 3D Home, and a video walkthrough.

Property Visualization

According to a survey in 2018, 87% of home buyers said they found photos on property listing websites very useful when in search of their current home. Over 50% of home buyers found floor plans very useful in the same survey.

The easiest and most inexpensive way to visualize a property is to include its images. But technology has come a long way. Now we can do so much more.

More advanced ways to help users visualize a house or appartment:

• 360° photography

It is used both for interior and street views. It is the simplest way to make a property seem real. 

• VR/AR

It has been recently introduced to the online real estate domain. However, it has already captured the audience’s attention. Zillow was the first company to introduce this feature on their website, and it made a big difference for them. Virtual and augmented reality creates an experience for a customer. They allow a customer to view the property as if a customer were there.

Property Value Estimation

Evaluation of the property price is one of the most critical functionalities for tenants and sellers. As previously mentioned, Zillow was the first site to implement this feature.

Value estimation is calculated using statistical models, machine learning, and big data. The margin of error is 7%, not a lot considering it used to be 14%. So, it makes the process more complex and precise.

There is also a very similar calculator that is designed just for buyers – a mortgage calculator. It helps buyers calculate whether they can afford this particular home or not.

How to Build a Real Estate Website From Scratch

To make a real estate website from scratch, you first need to understand the goal behind your efforts. 

For this, start market research, determine your goals and objectives, and hire a professional team of developers to help you figure out the most essential features and website creation. 

Ideation

This stage helps the development team better understand your business and product. We at Sloboda Studio gather all the necessary information about the goals, requirements, and business needs at this stage. It allows us to figure out the most comfortable configuration of technologies, capabilities, and other necessary resources such as teams, cooperation models, and website architecture. 

What you need at this stage: concept validation. 

When you go into the development, you should first and foremost know what your goal is. If you have a concept, try to research the product market fit and general potential response to this product from the target audience. To do it, you might conduct questionnaires or start a preemptive marketing campaign to see how many people would be interested. Besides, if this shows the need for the pivot, it is easy to do so at the initial stage rather than in the later stages of development. 

Analytics and Market Research 

Now, your research becomes a little more tangible. The main objective for the joint work of the development team and yourself is to gather domain insights on the market conditions and landscape. Your main goal here is to acknowledge the competition and discover what could make your product or service unique. 

What you need at this stage: unique value proposition (UVP). 

You need to know what pain points of customers such as a buyer and an agent your product covers. Then, you need to find what will set the project apart from its competitors. 

Prototyping

When you know what you want and how you want it, it is time to create a prototype. First, the prototype is very different from the minimum viable product (MVP) as it can be non-functional. Still, it greatly helps in terms of tuning in the development process to your needs and objectives. Prototyping will help you ensure you are on the same page with the developers and incorporate your vision into the website perfectly. At the same time, it is important for startups as well since they will be able to show the prototype to the investors to get additional financing.

What you need at this stage: for this stage, you have to know your objectives clearly. Understand your target audience such as an average real estate agent, and their needs, and have a clear vision of your product. Then this stage will be effective at maximum, allowing you to avoid any misunderstandings and nullify the risks. 

UI|UX Design

At this stage, it’s time to start thinking about how to create a visually appealing layout, responsive on most devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) or your respective website for both a buyer and an agent. Showcase properties professionally, and optimize for faster loading. A good reputable software development partner can help you improve the design and create a memorable UI for your customers. 

What you need at this stage: a clear concept of how your website should look. 

Your main objective here should be to work on the brand image and understanding. More than 80% of small businesses acknowledge the importance of design for their branding and marketing, and over 50% of marketers consider visual content very important. 

Development

At this stage, you should pay special attention to several factors such as: 

1. Type of software. Are you making a booking website to connect an agent with a potential client? Different types of software will require different tools. 
2. Level of feasibility. Don’t add innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence or big data algorithms if there is no need for them yet. This will make your software more cumbersome. 
3. Size and scalability. What is your market? If you aim to work with a narrow domain such as one city, then the time, costs, and even functionality will differ from the software aimed at a big domain such as one state or several different countries. 
4. Level of complexity. If you’re making an MVP, then focus only on essential features. This will take an additional level of ideation. 

What you need at this stage: understanding of your needs, future goals, and tech stack. You don’t need to be a technical expert, but you have to know what technologies you’re picking and how they might help your website thrive. Your needs will impact the development as well, as we already stated depending on the above-mentioned factors.

Testing

This part of real estate website development can be equally exciting and daunting. Here, your website will undergo several tests to determine its performance, find out possible risks and bottlenecks, and solve them. Test thoroughly to ensure that functionality works according to the proper idea on different devices and browsers. 

What you need at this stage: first, to have a quality assurance engineer in your team. It would also help if you’d have a focus group to test your prototype, MVP, or even the full-fledged product before hitting the market. To get an additional understanding of your product’s potential success in the domain, consider a soft launch to gather feedback before full promotion.

Deployment

Finally, your product is done and ready to face the market. Usually, at this stage, your reliable technical partner should be ready to support you and provide you with additional help should you need it. 

What you need at this stage: start working on marketing campaigns if you haven’t already. Now, the success of your real estate app depends not only on how good the website is but on how well you promote it. 

Why Create a Real Estate Website

In the age of Internet dominance, a real estate website is simply a must-have. Moreover, creating a real estate website has a lot of benefits for businesses. Here are the main ones:

Convenience

Your customers can access the information about the property, photos, and your guidance at any time they want. Having a RE website creates an online presence for your business.

More Customers

Millennials are the main buying group of buying real estate online. As studies show, Millennials prefer to search for properties online rather than go to agencies. That is a big plus for you since once you make your real estate website you will be able to reach a whole new buying group in 2025.

Saves Time

No need for meeting and wasting time in traffic. RE sites need to have complete information about properties, the perfect photos, and sometimes even a 360-degree view of the object. Besides, the search process for a home or apartment becomes much easier. You can always communicate with the clients via online web forms or emails. It would be best if you stayed in touch with them.

Types of Real Estate Websites

The digitalization of selling and renting out property started with promotional sites. The online real estate industry has merged with more revenue models, and the current online market offers many more opportunities. It gives a considerable boost to various marketing and business strategies. You need to choose the best option for your website.

Promotion Website

When the era of digitalization started booming, many agencies started creating platforms where they would advertise their company, post property offers, and arrange consultations.

This kind of real estate website almost hasn’t changed. The only thing that is changing is the use of UI and UX design. With UI and UX design, promotion sites became easier to use and navigate. For better business results, your website design must be mobile-friendly.

Examples: RE/MAX, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., Coldwell Banker, The Corcoran Group.

Property Listing Website

A property listing website is a platform where customers can find houses for sale or rent. Unlike a real estate marketplace, a listing website usually doesn’t provide the ability to list without an agent. Property listing sites were the first ones where an agent could list a home, not just an agent working with a single company. 

Within the property listing website, buyers or renters can:

• search through listings to find a suitable home,
• view information, request a tour, or contact the owner.

Such listing sites use a multiple listing service (MLS), a system used by customer types such as brokers, agents, or marketing companies to tap into the available estate business deals in the domain. This system can be integrated with the help of IDX, an agreement between a selling and buying agent to showcase multiple listing service properties online and across multiple platforms.

Examples: Zoopla, RightMove, Realtor.

Real Estate Marketplaces

The real estate marketplace is a website and a mediator between sellers/tenants and buyers/renters.

It is a more evolved site where both suppliers and consumers can use a website without limitations. Sellers can:

• list their estate on the site,
• determine their approximate home value by using an online web calculator and find the customers.

Customers, on the other hand, can:

• search to rent or buy
• view photos, building plans, and descriptions, as well as facts and information about the district.

Related: How To Create an Online Marketplace

Examples: Redfin, Trulia, Zillow, Airbnb.

The domain of online marketplaces is booming now. It is expected that the total online marketplace revenue will account for $40.1 billion by 2022.

Speaking of selling and rental marketplaces, Zillow marketplace is the lead in the United States. It received 36 million visits a month in October 2021. Trulia is the second most famous real estate marketplace website, with approximately 23 million monthly visits. Yahoo! Homes is the third one with about 20 million monthly visits.

Zillow’s success started when they decided to launch their famous Zestimate web calculator. Zestimate helped evaluate property value based on publicly available data. It made such a huge noise that, after five days, more than 2 million users visited the site.

Years later, another website called Trulia decided to launch a similar calculator. However, Trulia was sued and later acquired by Zillow. 

There’s another segment of the real estate marketplace industry – temporary, or vacation rentals. The leader in vacation rentals is Airbnb. Similar to Zillow, Airbnb changed the way people rent accommodation. But, like Airbnb and its business alternatives occupy a large segment of the rental market, the rental market still has an area for newcomers.

Related: How to Build a Website Like Airbnb

Property Management Websites

A property management website is a website where owners can:

• manage their property and customers, such as renters or buyers
• make automated clearing house payments
• manage their accounting
• plan tenant screening
• provide logins for both tenants and owners.

Websites for property management can be focused on residential and commercial properties.

This kind of real estate website offers numerous capabilities. If you want to make your website for managing properties, try to include functionalities like:

• accounting,
• reporting,
• lease renewal workflow,
• a system for monitoring rent payments,
• maintenance,
• automatic tracking of insurance policies, and others.  

Examples: Appfolio, Rentec Direct, TennantCloud, Yardi.

Real Estate Investing Websites

You need to know that real estate remains one of the best business investment options. It provides investors with passive income and serves as a relatively reliable long-term investment. This prospect makes the sphere alluring for many.

With these types of websites, business investors can:

• participate in equity investment
• find an object that is in the process of being built
• find properties at a reduced price due to several issues.

If you want to know how to make a real estate investing website, later in the article we give the core features every real estate website should have to boost your business.

Examples: InveStore, Aktivo, Zinsbaustein.

Real Estate Aggregators

A property aggregator is a website that collects data from different websites and displays it on one. Aggregators are one of the most convenient ways to find homes to buy or rent. Just like any other real estate website, these aggregators also have filters.

Examples: Nestoria, Home.co.uk. 

Real estate websites can also be classified by the user’s intention:

Managing Websites

Managing a property can be tricky since an owner can have several properties. Usually, this type of website addresses two sides: landlords and tenants. The functionality and interfaces for each are different. 

Renting Websites

Our research shows many real estate websites focus only on renting, such as Trulia, Lovely, Rentals.com, Rentdigs, and others. These websites include two sides: future tenants and landlords. To connect both sides after the contract has been signed, a renting website can also offer the ability to manage properties, as Walk Score does.

In addition, there are long- and short-term rentals. Usually, a rental website offers both types. However, if you want to go niche, we suggest picking one.

Mixed Models of Real Estate Websites

Although a real estate website with a system for selling and buying is most common, a mixed website can also catch a lot of attention when deciding on how to make a real estate website. As a founder, you can include selling, buying, and renting, or renting and managing. In any case, the features that you choose should make sense and fit well together. 

How to Monetize a Real Estate Website for Your Business

As we mentioned earlier, there are 6 types of RE sites. Each has its monetization model or even several of them. 

For better revenue, you need to choose the most suitable monetization model for your site.

For example, promotion and property management websites commonly use an advertising monetization strategy. Listing websites use both advertising and subscription models.

Real estate marketplaces use freemium and commission fee models, and real estate investing sites monetize through transactions and a freemium model. If you want to create the proper monetization for your business, we suggest learning more about each revenue model. The best rule of how to build a real estate website with maximum profit – choose the right monetization.

Here are the most popular ways of monetizing a real estate website:

Advertising

Advertising has been an important marketing tip for years, and it is the most popular revenue model for RE websites.

The easiest way to start your advertising campaign is with Google Adsense. Additionally, you can give access to other agencies to advertise their services. Your target audience to offer ad space should be real estate agents, mortgage brokers, or banks.

How to charge:

• By zip code
• Cost-per-click
• Cost-per-acquisition

Examples: Zillow, Trulia.

Freemium

Freemium is the second most popular monetization model in the online space. If you want to provide free access to the main functionalities of your website, this model is for you.

If the limited number of features isn’t enough, customers pay a fixed price to get access to more valuable offerings, such as viewing listings that aren’t public on the website or viewing full property information. 

Talking from the point of view of suppliers, your website can:

• highlight or boost a listing
• give a supplier unlimited access to posting listings
• evaluate property value.

Examples: Zillow. 

Subscription

Even though a subscription model is a lot like a freemium model, there is one significant distinction. 

Suppose you want your users to pay for the whole package, not for a separate service. As the future owner of a real estate website, you can customize each package and charge differently. The subscription should be either monthly or yearly.

Commission Fee

Charging a commission fee is probably the least popular way for your business to make money. There are some reasons for this: too many sides to trust, and unclear how and when the transaction will happen. What’s more, it’s confusing how much the commission fee should be.

Nonetheless, if you decide to use a commission fee model, you need to determine what payment provider to integrate on your website.

Our Experience

Sloboda Studio has been digitalizing offline businesses for 14 years.

We helped a number of companies with their transformation starting from building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to creating a fully-featured product. 

PropertyScheduler

PropertySheduler is a service that provides maintenance services and support for residential property managers.  

The website is very customer-centric due to the specifics of the industry. We’ve helped to create a SaaS CRM system for this project that helps to streamline the work processes of property managers, real estate agents, investors, and vendors. The website supports scheduling, notifications, automatic status updates for projects, financial reports, and automatic payments.

Umoozi

Umoozi (ex. Greater Vacation Rentals Inc.) is a rental marketplace made by our team. The website’s focus is booking accommodations for short-term stays, such as vacations.

It allows people to post their room or rent out a room, too. The website supports three languages, English, French, and Spanish. We have created a website for this customer in just three months, allowing hosts to share properties for vacationers.

The website supports accommodation listing, search, filtering, creating user accounts, automatic emailing, and payments via the app. 

Conclusion

To sum up, the real estate market has only been expanding over the years. The revenue of the real estate business in the U.S. will amount to approximately $553,3 billion by 2025. What’s more – a new type of real estate website appears each year.

The reality is that whether you are running a rental or real estate business in 2025, you should go digital. If you want to know how to build a real estate website, you need to:

• determine your ideal monetization model
• come up with the core functionality of your website, such as listing and search
• have a user-friendly design.

After that, try to find and add a unique feature that your competitors have never presented. It will give you an edge over the competition and help you carve your niche in the competitive real estate market.