Real Estate Website Design Practices

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Introduction

Based on our experience in real estate website design, we share our thoughts about it. The conclusions are based on recordings & analysis of users. Although the website design is user-focused, we keep in mind that the website experience is just a step in the more extensive sales process. That is why, in this article, you can find some tips, including sales panel & marketing stuff, which will guide you in your approach.

Site structure & navigation

Keep navigation structure simple

Keep site structure flat or pyramid. A simpler, less in-depth structure is more intuitive for the user.

Tip – Stick with one max. 2 level navigation; it is easier for the user to move back and forth and not get lost.

Use popup instead of subpages

In many cases, popups give better website control than the additional subpages. The popup can be quickly closed without losing orientation on the website.

Tip – please remember that the pop-ups should involve less content so it fits the screen.

Simplify the 3D tour

Make the 3D navigation through space easy to use. Don’t overwhelm the user with multiple navigations; stay with a single navigation within each step. Not everyone is familiar with first-person view navigation. The top-down view with 360 images for each room lets the user check every room instantly without long transitions from the entrance to another room.

Tip – full house customization might look great on paper; in fact, extended customization often results in leaving unfinished projects and not getting back to them.

Keep in mind the steps

Remember that the website is a tiny step in a more extensive process. The process might look different regarding the client’s sales funnel; your CTA might provide a meeting with a real estate agent/virtual presentation in the showroom/booking the estate, etc. Indicating the next step for the user improves the sales conversion.

Give different experience to mobile and desktop users

Don’t devaluate the mobile experience. Even though most conversions happen on a desktop, remember that many users often get first impressions on a mobile device.

Tip – leads that come from recommendations from other people are valuable ones. People usually want to share offers spontaneously and receive them in different circumstances, so mobile accessibility is as important as the desktop experience.

Sections order

Share only relevant information

Tip – stick with the most common information hierarchy. What is evident for you might not be so apparent to your users. Try to avoid overwhelming users with additional information.

Stick with the most common information architecture

We are all inside a knowledge trap. What is evident for people who spend a lot of time analyzing the real estate offer might not be as apparent for their users. Overthinking some side features easily overwhelms the principal value, which is the real estate offer. Standard practices around information order are pretty settled and well-known. Keeping around this scheme results in more intuitive navigation and better data assimilation.

Tip – additional information about community, hobbies, and philanthropy might be valuable but should not influence the importance of the real estate offer’s principal value.

Content creation tips

Title & home

You can make the first impression just once.

• full-screen cover photo – show the best representative image of your real estate
• name of the investment
• type of the investment
• basic localization

Offer

Real estate listings – based on the type and number of properties under your management, having a well-defined real estate catalog is crucial. Based on the amount of properties you offer, you should consider either sorting or filtering and sorting.

• prosperities names
• prosperity types (residential units like houses and condos or business-oriented properties like commercial and industrial buildings)
• prosperities sizes
• prosperities prices

Separate advanced search tool to avoid overwhelming users with many sorting/filtering options.

Additional information section

Limit yourself to primary information relevant to your customers and make you stand out.

• financing conditions
• luxury features
• any other key points that make your investment stand out among the competition

If you know that more details are needed, you can put them in the blog section or list them so they will not overwhelm the key features.

Localization/map section

Localization is one of the most essential features. Based on your customer’s demographic type, please choose the most relevant information for them.

This can include:

• Property location – this is the most crucial point. The exact location of the property should be highlighted on the map, including street names and possibly landmarks nearby for easy understanding.
• Neighborhood details – highlight the nearby residential and commercial areas. This can give potential buyers a brief idea about the neighborhood.
• Amenities and facilities – include icons or markers for nearby schools, hospitals, shopping centers, parks, and other community facilities. This can show potential buyers what amenities are within easy reach.
• Transportation network – show nearby major roads, highways, airports, bus stations, and train stations. This can help potential buyers understand how well-connected the property is.
• Future developments – if there are any planned future developments in the area, like a new shopping mall or a metro station, including these on the map can be beneficial.
• Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) – provide a map-based CMA showing recently sold properties in the area to give potential buyers a sense of the local real estate market.

Contact section

Based on how you deliver your services, you can approach this part differently, but it’s always essential to clarify the next step of your sales process.

• Introduce the agent – it is much easier to arrange a meeting if you have basic knowledge about the person you’ll get in touch with.
• Arrange a meeting through the calendar – this can save you time in arranging the meeting and move both the user and agent straight to the house tour step.
• Make the contact form outcome clear – let the user know what they can expect by writing to you, how long they would wait for an answer, whether it will be by phone or email, etc.
  
  Live chat – to make the conversion even better, use the chat on the website. It hooks the potential customer with minimal afford on his site. The downside of this solution is that you need a great written chatbot or someone who will take care of your questions immediately.

Real estate details section

Based on your real estate type and user needs, you can repeat some of the sections from the previous site. The main thing is to increase knowledge about the product and convince users to contact, but in most cases, users need to compare the offer with several other offers, so keep in mind to give both options.

• Real estate details – number, real estate size, plot size number, construction date
• List of rooms with sizes, number of floors, development finishing standard, media & amenities
• Prospect in the PDF file – many users and agents need a simplified offer for the investment
• House gallery – outside views of the building, interior views, placement of the investment on plot or relation to other estates, floor plans
• Add to favorite/compare option

Advanced search

• Property type – House, condo, apartment, villa, commercial, etc.
• The number of bedrooms and bathrooms – give potential clients the option to choose a minimum number of desirable bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Garden or outside space – allow potential clients to filter properties with outdoor spaces.
• Budget will always be a significant factor in clients’ decisions, so help them narrow choices to what they can afford.
• Area or neighborhood – a prospective buyer will often want to live in a particular area (or close to it), so allow them to search by area, too.
• House/lot area – space can often be another critical interior and exterior factor, so adding this can be a big help.
• Luxury features can include things like a swimming pool, BBQ area, or particular amenities in a condo building.
  
  Most agencies will have many properties on their books at any one time. While simple demarcation between rent/buy, house/condo, etc., may suffice for a simple search, most potential buyers or renters want specific features in their ideal property. An advanced search option lets them whittle down longer lists into a more manageable shortlist of properties they may be interested in.

Management system/sales panel

A separate sales panel for a real estate agent enhances efficiency by centralizing all necessary tools and information, from property listings to client management, in one accessible place. The sales panel can streamline communication with potential and existing clients, fostering stronger relationships and quicker response times. The integration capabilities of a sales panel ensure seamless connectivity with other platforms like MLS and CRM, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow.

• Property listings – the sales panel should have a database to list all available properties with detailed information such as location, price, property type, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. It should also include high-quality photographs and videos of the properties.
• Client management – a vital feature of the sales panel is the ability to manage clients’ information. This includes contact information, property preferences, budget, etc.
• Alerts and notifications – the panel should have a feature that sends alerts and notifications about new property listings, price changes, or other updates to clients based on their preferences.
• Lead generation and management – the system should support lead generation through various channels and manage these leads effectively, including tracking communication, follow-ups, and conversions.
• Analytics and reporting – the panel should include a robust reporting system that provides insights into sales trends, client preferences, successful marketing strategies, etc.
• Scheduling and calendar – this feature would enable the agent to schedule viewings, meetings, follow-ups, and other tasks and have them all in one place.
• Document management – the ability to upload, store, and manage important documents such as contracts, agreements, disclosure forms, etc.
• Task management – a feature allowing the agent to track all their tasks and progress. This includes tracking potential deals, client interactions, and other day-to-day tasks.
• Communication tools – the panel should include built-in tools like email, messaging, or chat to facilitate accessible client communication.
• Mobile accessibility – the panel should be accessible on mobile devices so agents can work on the go.
• Integration capabilities – the panel should be capable of integrating with other software or platforms such as MLS, CRM, email marketing, social media, etc.
• Customization – the ability to customize the panel based on the agent’s specific needs and preferences.
• Secure and compliant – the panel should meet all the security standards and regulatory compliance requirements to protect the agents’ and clients’ information.

Performance & accessibility

Slow loading time

Putting large files on real estate landing pages, not correctly compressed images and videos might result in slow website loading; remember that most users will only find something significant within the first 3 sec. There is a high possibility that after these 3 seconds, they will leave the website.

Tip: the 4K videos might look fantastic, but entering them from mobile might be difficult. Keep the compression of the videos and images on the right level.

Invest in local PPC campaigns

Investing in SEO is very time-consuming, and the effects are visible after a long period. It’s faster to gain clients by investing in PPC campaigns (AdWords).

Tip – the main advantage of a PPC campaign is that you can set it up for limited regions and types of users.

Conclusions

We’ve considered the most critical factors when creating real estate web apps. There needs to be more than just being stuck with general rules of graphic design to prepare a good working page. All the tips we described here lead to preparing significant customer real estate experiences.

Click here for more information about us. If you’re interested in real estate web app solutions for your business, don’t hesitate to contact us.