Real Estate Development Guide – Features, Process, & Cost 2025

The development of mobile apps for real estate is becoming more and more popular as consumers of today are looking for better methods to search for their dream home, not the traditional yard signs that are visible or newspaper advertisements. Selling or buying a home is something that almost all people end at some point or another.

Mobile apps offer the greatest convenience and flexibility to real estate professionals and their clients. Whether a property manager wants to respond quickly to a tenant’s inquiry or a homeowner wants to look at the available listings, mobile apps enable users to accomplish this task quickly and effortlessly, at any time and wherever.

However, locating an off-the-shelf application that meets your requirements cannot be easy. Many gaps in the market are waiting to be filled with the perfect product.
A custom mobile app could be the solution to this.

Through our experience with real estate app development, we’ve witnessed how custom-built mobile apps can meet internal requirements, provide desired solutions to the industry, and generate additional income for product owners.

This guide will show you how to navigate the technological advances and develop your real property application.

What are Real Estate Mobile Applications?

With the growth of tablets and smartphones, people are increasingly turning to mobile real estate applications to look for homes, interact with agents, and speed up the buying or selling process. This shift in consumer behavior has resulted in a rise in the development of real estate applications in the quest for businesses to keep up with their customers’ changing demands.

A mobile app for real estate is software specifically developed for mobile devices like tablets and smartphones to facilitate many areas of the real estate business. These apps can serve multiple functions for customers and various services in the real estate industry.

It is common to see these kinds of apps for real estate:

Property Valuation Apps

The apps determine the estimated value of an apartment or home. They rely on information obtained from the homeowner or other online sources. The data could include details about the area and infrastructure surrounding it or the prices of similar properties. These services could connect users to a real estate agent who will research the market, particularly for the buyer, and state the cost of their home.

Rental Listings Apps

When people think of a “real estate app,” they are likely to think of the same type of. These apps provide an inventory of homes available to rent or buy. Users can search for an apartment and make an appointment with the landlord through the app; no additional apps are required. These apps function as intermediaries between users and real estate professionals or landlords.

Property Management Apps

Agents and brokers require tools to assist them in selling and leasing properties. Property management apps can help. They allow users to do a number of things, like, for instance, look up the properties that belong to their portfolio, which are currently rented out, and which are available for inspection by potential homebuyers. In some apps, users can predict the cost of their home by analyzing the information the app collects on the internet or that the realtor has put on their own.

Real Estate Investment Apps

Since more and more people are searching for safer investment opportunities, it’s no surprise that more are deciding to invest in real property. Of course, there are the traditional choices, like buying a house or becoming a landlord. However, crowdfunding applications have also gained traction since not many people can afford to purchase a house, and therefore, the user base of these apps is growing constantly.

Market Scenario of Real Estate Mobile Applications

Despite the pandemic and other factors, the real estate market is growing. Its value was the staggering $326 mark in 2021, up from 5 trillion in 2020, as per The Private Property Reporter. Another source states that the world market is projected to reach $3741.06 billion by 2022 with a CAGR of 10.5 percent. A high interest in real estate, as well as rising prices, are the major characteristics of today’s market.

Gen Z and Millennials are growing up as homeowners and investors. Gen Z and Millennials have high expectations regarding technology as they grow up in a digital world. They are looking for streamlined, technology-driven solutions for all areas of their lives, such as real estate, which will hold the market with a part of $4,923.3 billion at the end of 2031.

Why Real Estate Mobile Applications are in Demand?

97% of homeowners use a mobile real estate app to locate and purchase homes on the Internet. Real estate is a highly lucrative industry, but in the age of digital, the need for an online presence is vital. It will allow you to establish a presence in the market and help you attract prospective customers.

However, creating a website is only the first step. If you are looking to increase your visibility, it is also possible to create an application. If you are online and design an application with many features, your company will gain many benefits. Let’s discover!

Convenience for Customers

A mobile real estate application provides greater convenience for users by giving them the ability to view, search, and engage with properties at any time and from any location. Renters and buyers can browse the listings whenever they want without the requirement of physically visiting the property or coordinating with agents to fulfill their needs. This is especially beneficial for buyers from abroad, those who are moving to new locations, and investors seeking properties across different locations.

Edge Among the Competitors

With a powerful real estate mobile application, you can make your company stand apart from the competition. By offering advanced functions such as precise analysis, virtual tours, and messaging in-app, companies can deliver more engaging and superior customers with a better experience. These features draw users in and can increase the chances of turning browsers into customers or tenants.

Online Presence

In this age of digital disruption and with so many companies competing in the market, it is crucial to establish a strong presence. With a feature-rich, dynamic mobile application, you can create a strong brand and enhance your presence among prospective customers.

More than 1 billion people use Google Play Store and App Store daily. Google Play Store and App Store. You can benefit from the impact of these numbers and the advantages of mobile apps to your real estate business.

Virtual Tours

Mobile real estate apps offer users interactive virtual tours within the app. This unique feature lets prospective buyers and renters virtually explore homes online. This technology can give a realistic impression of the space, layout, and amenities of a house and can help buyers make educated decisions without having to go in person.

Enhanced Visualization

HD video and photo galleries, interactive maps, and virtual tours give customers an appealing visual experience. The users get a clear and precise image of the property’s appearance, which can help build trust and excitement, influence buying decisions, and improve the chances of a purchase.

Popular Real Estate Mobile Applications Dominating the Market

Are you looking for the answer to how to create an app for real estate?
Now, you’re on the verge of learning about it by reading the development of a real estate app guide. Before figuring out the method for creating an app, read about the features of the most popular apps. This will allow you to understand the fundamental approach to facing a realistic challenge.

It will allow you to identify the gaps in the market and create a unique, diversifying app. Check out the following list of top real estate apps.

Realtor

The A-ROM is by far the most effective app for renting. They update their app daily listing, which is free. This helps users of the app to find the properties they want to find.
It’s an application that makes money from advertisements. The app has filters that will assist you in improving your search for properties, like adding several floors, a fireplace, and a pool for the community pool.

Another benefit of this app is that it connects the user’s account to their spouse’s or roommate’s account to assist them in choosing the best property for them.

Xome Home

Xome makes finding your property simple and attainable. With over ten years of experience in real estate, they offer their customers top-quality guidance and knowledge.

The app makes auctions for property on the internet transparent. This helps buyers and sellers be confident in the app and keep up with their property listings without any pressure or force.

The business’s goal is clear and simple: to ensure that the goal of home ownership is kept alive. Additionally, the company’s inherent values can keep customers interested in its products and services. Users can access information regarding the property simply by using their phone’s camera.

Rocket Homes

Rocket Homes allows users to look for homes for sale as they prepare the mortgage application and purchasing processes.

One of the application’s most important functions is assisting users in preparing for the financing process. The app comes with a free credit-tracking function that will not affect credit scores.

Zillow

Zillow is among the most popular real estate apps. It helps users buy their homes with features like lead sorting, task management, and lead allocation.

The app can be useful to real estate agents who want to create free profiles, get past clients’ feedback, and promote their properties. They can choose to have a premium agent with additional options.

Visit the costs involved in creating an app similar to Zillow to determine the total costs involved in creating an app like this.

Trulia

Trulia is the best choice for providing users with more details about the values of their homes. It gives users the same experience as a desktop but on mobile.

One of the most appealing aspects of the application is that it provides outcomes for the neighborhood and society. For instance, 89% of people prefer dogs to be part of the environment in which they wish to live, and 70% of those living in the community prefer to be alone and not interfere with others’ lives.

The app delivers an exceptional experience to users by highlighting the local legal protections and helping users become aware of the laws that apply to the region to safeguard them from discrimination on the basis of gender or other crimes.

Redfin

Redfin attempts to simplify users’ property search experience using its out-of-the-box business model, which includes its agents and experts.

The app’s most appealing characteristic is the tour option, where one can take an online tour or in person with a business representative. With this app, customers can access information based on climate risk data provided by The First Street Foundation and climate analysis to understand the risk to property.

The app can also detect the possibility of major natural disasters in the area the user would like to read about. It gives the user all the details regarding the scale of the property.

Key Challenges Real Estate Mobile Applications Can Solve

We have shifted to the digital realm. Mobile apps allow us to do anything from entertaining to buying and finding new homes. The development of real estate apps will help you meet customers’ expectations and improve the business process.

1. Leverage Data

Real estate applications could be an information source regarding listed properties.
The number of buyers who can find homes online is growing every year. According to Statista, around 80 percent of Millennials, 78 percent of Generation X, and 68 percent of Baby Boomers are using mobile devices to search for properties in the USA.

The development of mobile apps for real estate makes it possible to present prospective clients with personalized deals and display properties that are more appropriate to their requirements, aid them in every stage of their customer journey, and develop more effective marketing strategies.

2. Increased Market Share

In the current market, as more customers search for properties on smartphones, Real estate mobile application development has evolved into a method to boost market visibility. Mobile apps bring services to potential buyers’ doorsteps.

A real estate firm with an app will be able to better meet customers’ needs and cater to them through the platform they prefer.

3. Repetitive Tasks

The primary purpose of mobile real estate application development has been automating repetitive tasks. Agents, for instance, do not have to keep track of their calendars, search for vacant spots, and then reserve them for their clients.

Users can access the app, search for the property they are interested in, and then book a viewing in minutes by choosing a suitable date and time from an accountable property agent’s calendar.

Therefore, there are many reasons the development of real estate apps has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years. Here are some reasons to build an application for real estate:

  • Better customer experience
  • All the information your company generates
  • Insight into customer behavior for better data-driven decisions
  • The capacity to grow sales and market shares, as well as reach out to new audiences
  • Automatization of routine tasks

If you are talking about the development of mobile applications for real estate, There are several choices to consider. One possibility is to develop an app with an app builder. It may seem cost-effective at first, but it could lead to some issues later on. App builders permit the development of easy-to-use applications that offer a limited amount of personalization.

4. Client Experience

The purchase of a home is an important decision and is influenced by various aspects.
The biggest challenge for buyers is the lack of time for home visits and inspections. In addition, they must remember every detail about each property they’ve visited to compare them and choose a property that fits their desires and budget.

Then, the agencies receive tools that simplify clients’ decision-making process, help schedule viewings of properties, give access to information from anywhere, and allow clients to create virtual tours.

5. Team Organisation

Apart from a client-facing application, you can also choose real estate website development solutions specifically for realtors. The apps can combine a variety of options, including scheduling property viewings, sharing messages with customers and other realtors, scheduling deadlines for team members as reminders, analyzing analytics, and more.

Mobile apps for Realtors clarify processes of all kinds and enable businesses to manage their realtor teams. They also help realtors refocus their efforts on marketing leads and converting them into customers.

6. Lead Generation and Retention

Real estate app development can provide numerous tools to entice, convert, and keep leads.

Chat in-app, as well as notifications, emails, and other tools to keep in touch with your clients and notify them of available updates and new properties, customized special offers, and more.

Steps to Develop a Real Estate Mobile Application

Once these issues are in place, the only thing you need to do is find the best property app developer who can understand your requirements well and begin the process of building an app in line with them. Make sure that your needs are clarified and accepted by the design team, real estate app developers, and other technical experts.
Discuss’ development methods and turnaround time for your real estate app. Creating a rent-and-sell property app will require continuous input to allow developers to create an app that aligns with your business’s vision.

Here’s how programmers build an app for mobile real estate.

Step #1. Market Research and Analysis

Understanding your business’s needs is just half the job. Knowing your intended audience, the challenges they face, and the solutions they offer is also important. We also study competitor apps to discover their weaknesses. At Fullestop, we make sure we are up-to-date with the most recent developments in real estate apps and integrate them into your software.

Step #2. Define Objectives and Features

The clearer your application picture is in your head, the easier it is for you to communicate with your property app developers. This will put everyone in the same place, which will save you time and the developers of your real estate software time.

Step #3. Design the User Interface (UI)

The visual elements of your app must be engaging and represent your brand’s values and business goals, such as colors, typography, icons, and photos. Our design team for UI/UX provides intuitive, clean, and user-friendly features.

We adhere to the most effective mobile design techniques to create an app that is responsive to real estate needs and available on various devices and platforms.

Step #4. Hire Mobile App Developers

To create a real-estate application, you must find a real estate app development company with a clear vision and are prepared to create solutions that align with your business goals and allow you to grow within the field. They know this platform’s technical requirements and limits and, consequently, will deliver the most flexible and innovative solution.

Step #5. Testing and Quality Assurance

Real estate app developers will let the software testing and quality assurance team fully test the app’s features and functions to ensure that the application functions properly. The app’s creators then address the problems and ensure the app is bug-free.

Step #6. Launch and Deployment

Upload your application to app stores (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and let the users download and have their real estate-related problems solved.

The procedure of developing a real estate application may involve a series of iterations and changes. Developing a custom mobile app for real estate requires the collaboration of developers, designers, and clients.

Top Tech Trends for Real Estate Mobile App Development

With the rapid pace of change, online real estate services are gaining much recognition. The real estate industry is constantly adapting to new technologies and market trends to grow and provide a better user experience. A new technology stack is also affecting the costs of creating an application.

Let’s discuss some of the latest technological trends that our app developers for real estate believe will transform what’s to come in the property business.

Immersive Technologies

We’ve all heard that AR/VR technology is changing the healthcare, gaming, and real estate sectors. It is predicted to reach around $80 billion before 2025, and a significant portion will be in the real estate market.

Buyers can experience an immersive experience of the property prior to purchasing it from the comfort of their homes. Users can see the appearance of the house and what’s within the surrounding area by using immersive technology.

Big Data Analytics

The data analytics market is definitely the trend of the day for businesses that want to keep ahead of their rivals and be noticed by their clients. With the help of data analysis and prescriptive analytics, you can better comprehend what users want and save them time and money while searching for the best property.

Artificial Intelligence

Demand-based real estate apps and software are on the rise, and Artificial Intelligence isn’t different. To keep up with this ever-changing trend, AI-based smart real estate applications are a major trend today.

AI-powered advanced algorithms help automate the majority of customer service functions, improve pricing, pinpoint customer needs through an analysis of their behavior, and improve the overall consumer experience.

Internet Of Things

Another major technology that has revolutionized the industry of real estate is IoT. Real estate app developers consider the Internet of Things as one of the technologies that is revolutionizing the market to benefit everyone. It enhances efficiency and the living conditions of the customer. As IoT develops, the demand for specialist IoT app development services also grows, allowing an encapsulated integration of IoT technology into real estate-related solutions.

Blockchain

Intelligent contracts, distributed ledgers, simple transactions, and so on. Blockchain technology is bringing the market many innovative elements and features that boost an application’s credibility, allowing users to perform at the highest level.

Tips to Monetize Your Real Estate Mobile Application

If you are partnering with a software firm, sharing your business concept with them is essential. This should include a clear model for monetization to assist them in their home rental application development process. The expense of building a mobile application for real estate is also determined based on the revenue models you have created.

A few of the most common models of monetization are:

White Label Model

It’s the newest method of earning money. Real estate app developers offer a license to all interested developers to permit modifications within the application’s programming and customize it to their liking. To do this, your app should integrate features for mobile apps that deal with real estate and functions to attract the attention of interested parties.

Commission-based Model

This is a method to make substantial money by utilizing commissions negotiated between buyer and seller. With real estate on-demand mobile apps growing in popularity and monetization models becoming more popular, this method has gained much traction.

Advertising Model

Several well-known commercial real estate app models are based on Zillow or Trulia. In this model, real estate agents can advertise their services to generate more sales quickly. However, remember the importance of ads from a third party that must not entice buyers.

These apps for real estate agents enable agents and customers to connect without charge for the services.

Subscription Model

In this subscription model, realtors display relevant ads in the app and include short videos. Premium subscribers can avoid free ads or turn off ads. The subscriptions are available monthly, annually, or year-round and are a fantastic business opportunity.

Cost of Developing a Real Estate Mobile Application

The final part of this blog will be the important section to help you understand the cost of building an app for real estate. The cost is contingent on the complexity and the country of your mobile real estate app developer.

The cost estimate ranges between $20,000 and $50,000. If your application is intricate, it could exceed $65,000.

When we consider the factors that influence the price of real estate app development services:

Complexity of Features

The basic real estate app includes features such as listings, property search, and contact forms. These are priced at $35,000 – $120,000. Additionally, adding a more advanced feature to your real estate app will increase the cost of your budget. The more advanced features include virtual tours of your property, augmented reality, and integrated payments, which will cost about $140,000 or higher.

Platforms

Platforms can be used to develop your app on different platforms, like iOS or Android, but this is more expensive than creating an app that runs across platforms with software development frameworks such as Flutter and React Native.

Backend Infrastructure

A secure and robust backend can cost between $10,000 and $35,000. The price could be influenced by the structure of strong backend software, which includes the integration of geolocation, push notifications, and secure payment processing.

The Key Takeaway

App development for real estate isn’t just about observing the latest trends; it is becoming essential in the current technologically driven world. The real estate sector is expanding rapidly, and apps are becoming much more user-friendly and feature-rich, increasing your company’s visibility, accessibility, efficiency, and even user engagement.

As we wrap up, let’s review the subjects we covered. We’ve covered the rationale to invest in the development of mobile apps to help real estate businesses and revenue models pick from, different types of apps that you can develop using technology, the best practices for promoting your properties, how to build your app, the tech stack, and why you should choose real estate apps development services, and much more. We hope you will find this article useful to begin your app development easily and gain knowledge of every important parameter.

Additionally, an app for real estate development firms can provide you with the most effective mobile real estate apps, a certified team of experts, and comprehensive assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Real estate companies should consider creating a mobile application to keep up with the competition in the digital age. Apps allow them to facilitate property browsing, personalized searches, and seamless communication, improving user experience while attracting more prospective purchasers and buyers.

When creating an app that allows users to search for properties, it is important to consider the legal implications and rules and regulations. These could include compliance with data protection laws, privacy guidelines, fair housing laws, and rights to intellectual property. A consultation with a legal professional can help you ensure your app complies with all specifications.

Future trends in mobile real estate application development include incorporating VR (VR) and AR (AR) technology to offer an immersive tour of properties, using artificial intelligence (AI) to provide specific property recommendations, and advanced data analytics that provide insight into the user's preferences and market trends.

Although it's not required to hire a professional mobile app development firm for real estate application development, it is strongly suggested. They can design a high-end, user-friendly application that is in line with your business goals. They can manage development, design, testing, and maintenance, making it easier for you to focus on ensuring that your app launches are successful.

Many factors impact the cost of a mobile application for real estate development. They include the level of complexity of the app's capabilities and the platform(s) it is developed to run on (iOS, Android, or both), design specifications, integration with third-party systems, and the development team's hourly rates.