20 Sep 2024
How To Develop A High-Impact Real-Estate App Like Zillow
Shaun Bell
How would you feel if you no longer needed to walk for hours to find your dream house hidden in the suburbs filled with wildlife and beautiful, blossoming flowers? Imagine a world where the house hunt has become effortless, allowing you to find your dream house in moments with a few taps, thanks to the handheld friend we get to carry around in our pockets.
The real estate market has several challenges, including economic instability, legal issues, and increasing land prices, that prevent individuals from discovering their dream house, making it appear a far-fetched dream for millions.
Looking for the home of your dreams can be daunting, but with countless resources like Zillow, the process has never been more effortless and, more importantly, more fun! Zillow is a gold mine for everyone, regardless if they are looking for a house for the first time or looking to downsize their home.
Picture being able to browse beautiful home photos in the neighbourhood you want, sorting those houses by price, number of bedrooms or even the ideal backyard for your pet. Apps like Zillow allow you to take a virtual 3-D tour of the homes you want to purchase with your loved ones to help you make an informed decision.
Revolutionizing Real Estate: Zillow at Your Fingertips
The industry giant Zillow has transformed the world of real estate by allowing people to buy their dream place from their homes within a few taps as it provides people with detailed listing information, from school ratings to square footage.
You know Zillow’s brilliant user interface isn’t just about browsing through your chosen places before deciding on the final house of your dreams by connecting you with the best local real estate agents interested in helping you navigate the houses available for purchase in the market within your price range.
With Zillow’s extensive expertise and database, you can get insights into the latest market trends, schools, neighbourhood dynamics, and price ranges that play a part in making the right decision.
Additionally, you can compute mortgage payments, save your favourite properties, and get alerts when new listings get added with Zillow’s tools. It’s convenient to have everything you need in one location, thus freeing you up to concentrate on what counts: locating a place that feels like home.
No matter what your dream house looks whether it is a cosy cottage or a modern loft, let Zillow be your guide. Wait no more deep dive into the real estate world today, and take the first step toward making your dream home a reality. Your perfect house is just a click away!
What Is Zillow App?
Isn’t it a dream come true for millions that they no longer need to walk miles in scorching heat to find their dream house to live their lives with their family and fur babies? Whether you are a broker or an agent looking for your dream home, having an app to facilitate your house search journey is an essential turning point that helps you stay ahead of your competitors or the person eyeing the same house as yours.
The real estate market is filled to the brim with competition, with each real-estate app claiming to be the best in the market, but none comes close to Zillow and its ability to turn dreams into reality. Over time, the brilliant real estate searching app has had over 10 million downloads on the app store, making it the clear leader in real estate mobile apps. To overcome the fierce competition and capture a portion of the US real estate industry, you must create a real estate app similar to Zillow.
Rich Barton, Lloyd Frink, and Spencer Rascoff were the pioneers of Zillow, an online real estate marketplace that launched in 2006. Most users can search for homes, view property values, and investigate real estate development. One of the best app features of Zillow is Zestimate, which helps to figure out the estimated house value through an aggregation of public records and user inputs.
The funders intended to make real estate information accessible to an everyday consumer. Since its launch, Zillow has developed into one of the best players in the market by providing support for millions of consumers and tools for agents and brokers. The app has revolutionized the market with its brilliantly unique features. Zillow provides users with a transparent, nearly flawless end-to-end shopping, renting, and financing experience on demand.
Growth Of Zillow In Australia–
The biggest online real estate marketplace, Zillow, has grown well in Australia ever since the latter made its debut here. Founded in the United States in 2006, Zillow went international with a mission to deliver unified property listings, robust market data, and hands-on tools for buyers and sellers.
Zillow acquired the growing appetite for online real estate services in Australia. The real estate sector is booming in the United Kingdom as property prices soar, prompting even more online participation. Australians can now access detailed information on Zillow’s user-friendly platform, including property facts, historical pricing data, and neighbourhood analytics.
Zillow said that by 2023, user engagement has skyrocketed, and they are getting millions of visits each month. Some company-specific features, such as Zestimate (a home value estimation service for homes), have attracted a base of buyers and real estate agents, which probably increases openness in the market.
Zillow’s multi-region integration also deepens its roots in the area through partnerships with local real estate agencies, helping it integrate an influx of listings and cultivate a sense of community support.
With the number of Australians turning to digital solutions to find properties increasing, Zillow may be well-placed for further growth as an integral new player in a competitive local market. In the upcoming years, its expansion will be supported by continuous technological investments and local market adaptability.
Benefits Of Developing An App Like Zillow–
App developers and mobile app development companies understand the numerous benefits of creating an app like the brilliant real-estate app, Zillow. Even though Zillow has made a place for itself in users’ hearts, entrepreneurs and app developers are still sceptical about investing in developing similar apps. The phenomenally successful real estate app, Zillow, has inspired entrepreneurs and app development companies to enter the growing market and produce a comparable product to make millions of dollars and aid people searching for their dream houses.
It is anticipated that the language-learning app development business will grow to a valuation of more than $5.8 billion by 2026. The people interested in purchasing a new house have paid the brilliant real estate software around $126.8 million in income over the years.
1. Enhanced User Experience–
Are you looking to invest in your favourite property but are unaware of which one to choose among the millions available at your disposal? An app like the real estate giant Zillow provides its users with a visually appealing, user-friendly interface that simplifies the property search process for them.
The user-friendly interface intrigues users by offering them features like filtering listings by price, location, property type, etc., thus making the path to finding their dream house effortless. Unique features like interactive maps further enhance the user experience by allowing buyers to search for their homes from the comfort of their houses.
2. Access To Comprehensive Data–
Creating real estate applications enables users to retrieve large amounts of data such as property history, market, and neighbourhood statistics. These facts can be useful and enlighten the users searching for their dream house. Integrating analytics tools will enable buyers and sellers to develop a comprehensive understanding of the price trends occurring in the market.
3. Increased Engagement for Real Estate Agents
The best part about developing an app like Zillow is how beneficial it is for real estate professionals interested in making a place for themselves among people looking for their dream houses.
This real estate app helps real estate agents create a profile, showcase the current market listings, and connect with potential clients interested in hiring them to facilitate their home-searching process. The app has brilliant communication features, like chat and direct messaging between the buyers and agents, thus making it effortless for them to make quick sales and increase client satisfaction.
4. Monetization Opportunities
An application of this sort has much monetization potential. For example, real estate agents could pay for premium placements, advertisements, or featured services. Money can also be made from affiliate marketing by offering partnership opportunities with mortgage companies, home inspection services, and moving companies, which can be included in the application.
5. Community Development
The real estate giant has paved the path for brilliant community building among people looking for similar things while searching for their dream homes. Apps like Zillow promote local listings and real estate development opportunities, thus contributing to brilliant community building.
This increases the visibility of beautiful local properties, attracting new residents and businesses in less populated areas with beautiful homes, and stimulating economic growth. This, in turn, helps improve public services and infrastructure as communities expand.
6. Innovative Technology Integration
Nothing works without technological involvement in today’s world; be it booking a cab or shopping for their dream products, everything involves cutting-edge technologies. Developing an app like Zillow allows app developers and app development companies to integrate the latest technologies, like augmented reality and AI, in the app to facilitate buyers’ search process.
7. Data-Driven Decision Making
Wouldn’t you love it if you didn’t have to walk for hours with a real estate agent searching for your dream house? An app like Zillow enables users to access real-time data and analytics, so users and real estate professionals can make more informed, data-driven decisions.
This leads to more driven and accurate decision-making, as you can get property valuations, investment choices, and optimized market strategies in the blink of an eye. Apps like Zillow provide users with features to tour a house virtually before buying it, thus helping them make informed decisions.
How To Build Zillow’s Clone?
While still developing an application, various individuals use different procedures. All products and consumers need certain basic elements to enter the market successfully and to expand the possibilities of their usage.
While everybody’s requirements are specific, there are primary standard strategies that every developer is supposed to implement if an application is to succeed in the market, especially when the intention is to mimic an already existing application program.
In the abstract, it’s been found that it is time-consuming and costly to develop a real estate app similar to Zillow while involving a professional group of engineers, designers, content planners, and marketing experts. The amount of work to be done, the number of developers to be employed on the project, those features, recommendations, offline availability, and many others will determine the anticipated cost and time.
The platforms or the solutions that are already being offered show that the use of such experts from the industry will make the task much easier and will reduce the time wasted resulting from complications.
As with Zillow, there are several significant service development stages, including strategic planning and market analysis, application development, content acquisition, legal issues, testing, launch, and after-launch company maintenance. Here’s a summary of the same: Here’s a summary of the same:
1. Market Planning and Research
If you plan on beginning your journey to creating an app like Zillow, you need to know what makes your target market tick and what does not bode well for your competitors. The first step to consider is who your target users are, their age, gender, and more importantly, details about them, and their housing needs so that once you have developed the app, it will be able to meet the user’s needs among them.
Additionally, numerous other aspects must come into play to ensure the success of an application, so having a great idea alone does not guarantee it will be successful. Once you have a final app concept in mind, start looking into industry trends and the newest technologies that you can employ to make the app compelling for people to switch from other apps to yours.
If you want your application to be part of emerging technologies or to change the users, it is essential to evaluate trends. Besides, it would help to ensure that when the user is presented with the application, they would be satisfied with what the application has to offer in an attempt to current value from a competitor’s point of view.
2. Define Feature Set–
The next thing you need to do while planning your dream app is to scheme a feature set you want to offer your users. Placing the buyer at the centre of the design, a Zillow-like real estate app should aim to streamline the buying or selling experience for customers.
Just developing a new app out of many that already exist won’t be enough; you have to be better. Concentrate on the modern features and functions relevant to improving the user experience, including choice filters, virtual tours, and artificial intelligence services. Staying relevant is the way to develop an app that generates downloads and is subsequently used by the users.
3. Select Technology Stack–
Choosing the tech stack is similar to selecting the basic components of an application’s architecture. This necessarily impacts the operational style, data-handling capacity, and general app usability. In general real estate applications, where market fluctuation is common, deciding on the appropriate ‘stack’ becomes pivotal to keep up with the competition.
There is another factor—scalability—that is very efficient when the load increases and decreases with the user’s reaction. Careful technology selection enables real estate app development to fit increasing traffic and growing data sets without a negative impact. This ensures that consumers will perform well and makes it possible to integrate new features, which will lead to corporate success in a cutthroat market.
4. UI/UX Design
Developing an app similar to Zillow requires a strategized approach to address the multiple requirements expected of hi-tech client bases. Real estate buying and selling apps should be effortless so users can use search filters and mortgage calculations effortlessly. Adding photos and product descriptions has to be as smooth and effortless as possible for the sellers. Furthermore, custom real estate mobile app development entails designing the real estate mobile app to balance between design and its features.
That is why the app must have a carefully selected colour range, clear layouts, appealing illustrations, and interactive animations that meet the user’s needs, thus making the visible app parts as pivotal as the necessary functions to increase customers’ satisfaction.
5. App Development–
Real estate app developers ought to start over with the budget as soon as they have the final design. Their chief duties include crafting the screen and coding how the screens are integrated to support the intended application functionality.
Additionally, developers use different programming logic and architecture to facilitate the application connection between the user-facing portion, known as the front end and the back end, which deals with data. Such a connection is pivotal when designing a smart reply and an adaptive user interface since it allows smooth data transfer between the server and the treating display.
6. Integration Of API
An API can also be described as a pivotal connector between distinct software applications since it provides the necessary mechanisms for information exchange. Real estate sector: firms can access a wealth of data about properties, markets, demographics, and other topics by developing and implementing APIs. To improve customer satisfaction, organizations can use these APIs to add pertinent data about real estate pricing and enhance their websites or applications.
7. Testing And Deployment–
During the testing and quality assurance phase, all app problems and technological gaps are discovered and corrected. Of course, I do believe that this step is important because if it is omitted then a failure may occur during the launch and it may chase away the initial users if some of the modules do not function correctly on certain devices.
When it comes to style, design and usability testing for a real estate mobile app or website like Zillow, there is more to testing than one may think. The application is posted to numerous app shops per their guidelines after all essential adjustments have been made. This rigorous process improves functionality and increases users’ trust and satisfaction with the product.
8. Feedback And Iteration–
A crucial input that must be obtained in the app development process is customer feedback regarding apps similar to Zillow. If you provide your estate application with a rating or comments, the user is concerned about your ability to solicit their opinion, report an issue, or suggest changes.
One advantage of this is that it tends to keep an open line of communication through which developers are in a position to gain vital and real insights from the target demographic.
Engaging with user feedback ensures that changes or modifications made in the house rental app enhancement are relevant to their needs. This practice of frequently updating the app as per the feedback, it receives improves usage and keeps the customer engaged and satisfied, thus leading the app to success in a challenging environment.
Key Features To Offer In Your Real Estate App –
The most crucial thing while developing an app similar to Zillow is to ensure you provide your users with something unique to entice them and encourage them to stick around because, in the end, everyone will switch to the next best thing available.
1. Database
Software programs like Zillow depend on a robust database since it has a direct impact on user engagement and retention. While integrating such a database into your real estate app development process, ensure it is updated constantly and supplemented by as much depth concerning property information, neighbourhoods, market trends, and user preferences.
This wealth of information makes your app more functional and helps the user make an informed decision. A robust and expansive database will attract new users to your app and retain existing users due to the development of loyalty, thus promoting a loyal user base to realize the app’s growth in a competitive market. Hire an Android app development company or an iPhone app development company to turn your dream vision into a reality.
2. User Profile–
The users must create or register their accounts with an e-mail address and specific social media accounts or other identity. These identifiers enable efficient preference storing and further guarantee user personalization whenever they access an application or service.
The registration process allows the storage of user settings, favourite content, and recommendations based on interests and behaviour.
In return, there will be unique features, services and exclusive content or special offers. This will help you maximize user satisfaction by providing a far more interactive and personalized means of using the platform. A trustworthy app development company is your one-stop haven to help you integrate the latest features in the app. User profiles would enable users to obtain their settings and house history, search for their dream house, share it with friends, and update locations all through the app.
3. Search Functionality–
A powerful search function adds to this experience, making it possible to locate a specific house, mortgage, or group in seconds. That illustrates efficacy—the ease with which people can find what they want. Furthermore, recommendations enable it to be helpfully tailored to each user’s preferences and tastes based on previous encounters.
Curated available house lists and mortgage prices to suit individual interests are used to further refine the means of discovery through handcrafted mixes and genre searching. When these functionalities are combined, users may dynamically explore and enjoy house searching according to their interests. A reputable app development company can help you study market trends and technologies to integrate in your app.
4. Interactive Maps–
An intuitive map is an indispensable feature on any mobile property search platform because it functions as an interactive tool that helps to streamline the map for users in a way that makes it effortless to use and aids decision-making. It not only helps guide users to the correct places but also gives them more insight about areas.
The map, in turn, enables users to evaluate the area for liveability, by highlighting fundamental details like schools, banks, hospitals, household average incomes and crime levels. This detailed view will help to make smarter decisions, for people looking to buy or rent properties in the area by providing access to local amenities and safety near their potential new homes, making property search better than ever!
5. Push Notification–
By alerting users when new house listings are available in the market, push notifications help users stay engaged with their budget and house choices by keeping them updated on available houses. Additionally, notifications of changes to user-personalized house listings are provided, informing users of fresh information relevant to their preferences. The user can stay informed about significant events or developments by subscribing to general news notifications.
Real-time information keeps users engaged and passionate about their interests, whether it’s discovering new houses or properties to buy. This improves user experience and makes interactions more pleasurable.
6. Apartment Details-
Every real estate listing has a wealth of information, including a description, images, videos, cost information, local locations, landmarks, owner data, and more. You could only call your platform genuinely productive if it included comprehensive details about every property featured on the app.
With apps like Zillow, everything should be clear, including the neighbourhood, the square footage, and the contact details.
This helps users make an informed choice.
7. Virtual Tours–
Technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) enhance the experience of virtual tours, allowing prospective buyers to tour properties in high immersion before purchasing. Virtual tours will not only exhibit the property’s features but also enable emotional connection by allowing them to imagine themselves living there.
Also, integrating an AI-based chatbot with a development services provider will help reduce user interactions by providing instant answers, personalized help, and navigation through the buying process. The combination of AR/VR and AI experience increases user engagement and encourages serious prospective buyers from app users. A reputable mobile app development company can help you create the app of your dreams.
How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like Zillow?
Developing an app like Zillow involves several costs, which vary in features, technology, and design. Initially, there would be expenses ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 for market research and project preparation.
The next stage of development might have a significant financial impact because it would cost between $100,000 and $500,000. This includes mobile application integration, database connections, front-end and back-end programming, and more. Hiring a team or agency for professional development might raise fees from $50 to $150 per hour. A React Native mobile app development company can help you integrate your desired features within your budget.
Design is also a major aspect of the application and often costs between $10,000 and $50,000 depending on the level of user interaction and interface design. Furthermore, backend provisions would be needed for features like the search filter, user accounts, and listed properties, adding another $20,000 to $100,000 to the overall cost.
The annual expenses for hosting, upkeep, updates, and advertising can range from $20,000 to $100,000. Finally, the cost incurred for legal matters, such as compliance with laws, particularly those about user data, ranged from $5,000 to $15,000. In conclusion, the cost to develop a Zillow-like application will begin at $200,000 and could reach $1 million, contingent upon the project’s complexity and breadth.
Conclusion–
There are yet some pivotal aspects, which must be combined into the application if one wants to create an app like Zillow: innovative design approach, required functionality and the right understanding of the client needs.
7 Pillars, a mobile app development company can help you analyse the market and build an app like Zillow so that you start capturing and retaining users with special features.
Keep in mind, that user feedback is precious. Beta tests can illuminate some of those insights to trim and shape your features, yet make them more superior for your users. Since real estate markets are constantly under change, you would want to stay up-to-date with changing trends and integrate fresh technologies like AI that would give personalized recommendations.
7 Pillars, a leading app development company helps you beta test your app and its features to ensure the app is bug-free before launching it among users so there is no chance for it failing.
The world is becoming more computerized and 7 Pillars, a mobile app development company can help you be a part of the changing world.
Any Australian company can profit from having a well-designed mobile application. Mobile technology makes it clear that businesses may positively engage their clients, which can increase productivity.
In a nutshell, while the path toward making an App like Zillow is difficult, the pay is worth it in the gross majority. Keep at the needs of your target user, incorporate technology at heart, and maintain the commitment toward constant improvement you can begin building a platform that does well in the market but stands out amidst all other noise. With tenacity and strategic approaches, your real-estate app might be the go-to resource for the buyers and the sellers.
So, if you are an entrepreneur looking to develop an app like Zillow, look no further and connect with our technocrats today to start your journey towards a better future for your brand.
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