How to build a real estate web platform: Add-ons and main features
Mobile apps rule nowadays but it is still crucial for any real estate business to build a reliable web platform.
The National Association of Realtors claims that around 90% of real estate companies have their websites. The realm of buying and selling property is quite serious and it is not enough to just browse a mobile app when you are going to do that.
Building a reliable web platform that would make people trust you and want to use your service is not an easy task. Thanks to real estate software development services and companies like JatApp, so you will be able to establish stronger connections with your customers and stand out from your competitors. This is a very responsible task, so you’d better learn how to do it best. Below, you will find relative and very helpful information on how to build a great web platform for your real estate business so that it would bring you the necessary results.
How can your platform get data from property listings?
There are three main ways how your web platform can get data from property listings:
- Getting data from MLSs;
- Encourage owners and brokers to post properties;
- Make landlords post properties.
The first method can only apply to the US market and you will not be able to use such real estate development solutions if you are oriented toward other markets. Brokers who participate in MLS share their listings with other members. Unfortunately, this technology is not developed in other countries. Some European countries use the system but their regulations in terms of real estate transactions still must be improved.
To get access to that platform, you need to get a license in every state, join each MLS, and integrate data that does not follow a regular standard across the 900+ MLSs.
If your market is outside of the US, you need to attract brokers and agents to your website. It is possible to do this only by giving them a convenient tool that will allow them to post all their listings quickly. such real estate software solutions will also give them a chance to advertise their services, so they need to be highly ranked. Such tools as AWS Lambda will help you optimize your services.
Owners and landlords still might not need the assistance of real estate agents to post their listings. For example, if their listings do not match your benchmarks, they cannot be posted. However, it is crucial to avoid duplications when you create your platform. Good real estate accounting software must help you solve the problem. The trick is customers do not like to see the same listings on one web platform, so you should avoid this by all means.
To avoid it, you need to create an automatic check of all listings on your platform thanks to real estate web and mobile app development technologies, you can learn more here. However, an automatic check isn’t always appropriate, so leave the possibility to check it manually, too, in case you suspect a duplication.
As an extra event, you can ask your owners to claim their ownership if they see brokers offer the same property on your platform.
Crucial features every real estate platform must have
Your real estate platform is not just a website where different listings are posted. It is a set of property management software solutions that will attract more users to it. The core features every platform should include are as follows:
- Registration;
- Search engine with filters;
- Payments;
- Favorite add;
- Maps;
- Calendar;
- Messaging.
Naturally, your platform doesn’t necessarily have to include them all, however, these are the features all successful real estate websites include. Therefore, to stand out from them or at least to compete decently, you will need to offer something not worse than that. Keep in mind that your platform will be created not for one category of users but for sellers, buyers, and real estate agents or brokers.
There will be three categories of people and all of them should find your platform helpful and effective. Otherwise, they will hardly use it and will prefer your competitors instead. To select the most useful features in the process of real estate app development, you need to focus on what exactly each of the groups needs and would appreciate.
For example, when speaking about registration, consider different types of it:
- email address;
- social media login (Facebook, Google, etc.);
- both.
Consider also giving your users a chance to switch their roles on your platform. For example, a seller might become a buyer tomorrow and vice versa. It will not be very convenient to use different platforms for both purposes. People should use the same profile on your platform and just switch roles within minutes.
Real estate agents can use a separate registration procedure since they need the features of both buyers and sellers, so it is necessary to think well about how they will do it all.
Think well about filters people will use to search for property on your platform. Tell your real estate software developers about it beforehand. Users should be able to choose their listings by price, number of bedrooms, facilities, location, year of construction, etc.
Using Google maps to find the required property is a very convenient feature. Think about building it in. There is also the Street View Feature in Google Maps that will facilitate the task for buyers and allow them to see the neighborhood, including the property they are interested in.
Think about the safest payment options, as well as about messaging features between different categories of users (buyers and sellers). Keep in mind that the speed of your real estate platform has to be high. Otherwise, people will hardly trust it if they need to wait for pages to upload for longer than 3 seconds.
The bottom line
The stage of real estate software development is crucial. Although a real estate app is quite helpful and convenient, the real estate business cannot be successful without a proper web platform. Consider the above-mentioned features when developing your website.