How to Make a Real Estate App like Zillow?

Real estate app development is booming now. The reason? Modern people are more mobile than ever. By saying that I mean that you probably won’t be surprised if you find out that someone you know moved to another city or even country. And I’m not talking about moving to another apartment — this happens to almost everyone.

Of course, this change in our lifestyle has also been reflected in mobile technologies as well. With apps similar to Trulia or Zillow it became easier than ever to rent or even buy a house. But what’s so special about them - and more important, what do you need to build a similar App-business?

Let’s find out together!

📘 The Story Behind Zillow And Trulia

If you were ever interested in the American real estate market, you’ve definitely heard of Zillow. I bet that app’s stats will speak for themselves:

• Zillow has over 160 million monthly active users. This is equal to the half of the U.S. Population (or of Germany, France and the Netherlands combined).
• 80% of US homes have been viewed on Zillow.
• 186 homes are viewed per second via mobile (as of 2014; now this number is even bigger!).

So what are the main lessons for us?

• The best app is the one that solves your users’ headache — faster and cheaper than your offline-competitor. Often, it’s your headache, too. Without this, it’s impossible to achieve success.
• If you are aiming at the American market: take your niche. To make a revolution, you need to think different and offer something unique. You can’t create new Zillow but you can find your target audience by providing specific services or content.
• Also, if you want to create an app for a real estate company outside of the USA(for example, in Europe), an app like Zillow may be a good choice for you. Actually, this is the popular strategy for many startups: to take a well-known app and scale it for their country (or city, region etc.).

Yet, the success of Zillow and Trulia was predetermined not only by the fact that they were pioneers on the market. Targeted functionality and a great UX played a role, too. Let’s review the best features of both applications that you can reuse during your real estate mobile app development!

⚙️ Top 6 Features For Your Real Estate App

# 0: Databases 🖥️

Without any doubt, this is the essential part of your app. Despite it’s an “invisible” feature, your app won’t have much sense without it at all. I’m talking about databases of property located in your city/country/region.

Zillow and Trulia used every source of data they’ve managed to find. Since they were aimed at the US market, companies mainly accessed the data of:

• National Association of Realtors (NAR);
• Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

👨‍💻 Tech Stack For Real Estate Mobile App Development

Our Stormotion developers made up a list of useful tech tools. We are sure they will come in handy during your real estate app development. Check it out:

• CoreData or Realm frameworks — to manage the list of saved properties.
• Google Places API — to provide users with information about cafeterias, stores, groceries, spas and other similar places near viewed houses.
• Firebase SDK or Apple Push Notifications Service — to integrate push notifications into your app.
• SimplyRets, iHomeFinder, Spark APIs — to normalize data flows from MLSs.
• Facebook SDK — for having a Facebook sign-in option.
• Zillow API — for Zillow’s neighborhood information and listings.
• MapBox,Google Maps APIs — to build real estate apps with custom maps.
• The Onboard Informatics Community, Spatial Neighborhood APIs — to provide demographic and other data about districts.

Let’s move on to the financial aspect of the development!

💰 How Much Does It Cost to Create an App For a Real Estate Company?

As always, Stormotion developers prepared an estimate for you. Don’t forget, that this is just a rough calculation, so if you want an estimation of your specific project - just get in touch with us using the button under the article.

Well, enough talking about spending money. Let’s better find out how you can earn them!

💸 Best Monetization Models For a Real Estate App like Zillow

At the end of the day, your app has to be profitable. Otherwise, you won’t be able to find investors to support your idea and develop the project further.

Yet, choosing a monetization model is always a challenging task. It should allow you to earn enough but still be acceptable to users. So here are some ideas that may work out!

# 1: Professional Advertising

This monetization model is used by both Zillow and Trulia. This system allows brokers and estate agents promote their services for a fee directly to qualified leads — prospective renters.

However, don’t limit the free version too much. It may scare users off and make them leave your application at the very beginning. Remember a simple rule: try to make money by selling something to the third party and not users.

💡 Conclusion

After all, real estate app development isn’t that difficult as some say. We hope this article was useful for you. Let’s briefly remember all the key ideas.

Must-have features for your application are:

• Comprehensive database of properties (the more, the better).
• Fast, easy & protected sign up process.
• Improved searching & filtering features.
• Nice-looking map with different layers (neighborhood info) that matches the general real estate app design.
• Apartment details, including the full description, monthly mortgage calculator and “call/email” button.
• Push notifications.

The costs to create an app for a real estate company start from $25,920.

Finally, the most effective monetization models are:

• Professional advertising.
• Simple advertising.
• Freemium model.

Need help with your real estate mobile app development? Contact us and Stormotion developers will make your dreams come true!