How to Develop a Real Estate App Like Zillow?

In the early 2000s, potential property buyers had limited options and typically depended on real estate agents and brokers for assistance. Around a decade ago, people turned to Craigslist ads or Google to find property addresses. Moreover, visiting the location to investigate was a must before any decision was made. 

However, the emergence of real estate apps like Zillow has transformed searching, buying, selling, or renting properties by making the whole process more convenient. Today, prospective buyers can browse listings, view property photos, schedule inspections, and even complete transactions online, all from the comfort of their homes.

Additionally, technology integration like AI, AR/VR, and cloud computing makes the application smarter with features like a 3D view of property, map view, and other intelligent features that ensure a highly effective and lucrative real estate platform.

A Brief Overview of Real Estate Apps Like Zillow and the Role of Digital Transformation

Zillow’s journey began in December 2004, when it was founded by former Microsoft executives Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink. Recognizing a gap in the real estate market, they envisioned a platform that could calculate home values and rental rates, making property data easily accessible to consumers.

Zillow uses advanced technology to create a user-friendly platform where buyers, renters, homeowners, and real estate professionals can find property data comprehensively. The Zestimate tool by Zillow provides accurate home value and rental rate estimates, becoming a trusted resource for users.

The success story of Zillow is the perform example of the right use of digital transformation in identifying industry gaps and leveraging technology to provide effective solutions. Hence, turning visionary ideas into a multi-billion dollar enterprise.

Key Benefits of Digital Transformation for Zillow

• Increased Accessibility- Ensuing design and accessibility guidelines and utilizing advanced technologies made real estate data easily accessible to millions of users.

• Enhanced User Experience- Simplified property searches and value estimation through a user-friendly interface.

• Efficient Transactions- Streamlined the buying and selling process with Zillow Offers, reducing transaction time.

• Market Expansion- Entered new markets by leveraging partnerships and technology, exemplified by the Canadian expansion.

• Industry Disruption–Transformed traditional real estate practices by introducing innovative digital solutions.

Business Model of Zillow: Startups, Take Notes!

Barton and Frink identified a need for transparent and accessible real estate information. With that gap in mind, they launched Zillow, which quickly gained traction, attracting a million users within three days by offering real estate data from 300 cities.

Utilizing a horizontal strategy, Zillow primarily offers diverse real estate-related products and services. The platform caters to various users with unique needs and goals.

To ensure a personalized experience for each user, Zillow provides different user roles:

• Home Buyers and Renters: Users seeking homes and apartments. They can save favorite properties and receive alerts about new listings that match their search criteria.
• Homeowners: Users who claim their home on Zillow, update its information, respond to reviews, and track its estimated value over time.
• Real Estate Professionals: Admins/ Managers access tools for managing listings, promoting services, and generating leads.

Key Features of Developing Real Estate Apps Like Zillow

Are you wondering how to build a website like Zillow or how to make an app like Zillow? Let’s explore in detail what features Zillow uses to make the platform unique.

Search Filters

Ensure your real estate app allows users to refine property searches based on criteria such as price, location, property type, number of bedrooms, etc. This is possible through database query optimization and advanced search algorithms. Machine learning algorithms can also provide personalized search suggestions and deliver accurate and fast search results based on user behavior.

Property Management

Zillow provides landlords and property managers tools to list, update, and manage properties. Additionally, it is extremely easy to keep track of property listings at a centralized dashboard and manage everything in the same e

With cloud technology integration, you can ensure real-time updates and synchronization across devices. Moreover, it enables seamless tracking and management of listings.

User Support

This real estate app offers assistance to users through various mediums, such as:

• FAQs
• Customer support
• Automated help systems

Moreover, AI-enabled chatbots and machine learning models provide instant answers to common queries. Customer support platforms can be integrated to provide efficient ticket management and live chat support.

Connect With an Agent

To develop user-friendly real estate apps like Zillow, allow users to find and contact real estate agents for assistance. This way, they can ask questions about buying, selling, or renting properties. 

You can integrate a cloud-based CRM system into the application to manage agent listings and interactions seamlessly. Additionally, ensure your application connects users to agents based on location and expertise, providing timely and relevant assistance.

Easy Access to Loan Services

Loaning is an essential part of buying a property, and thus, your application must provide users with information and access to mortgage and loan services. With the integration of third-party insurance services or FinTech app development for your real estate app, you can offer customers features like real-time loan quotes and application processing. Moreover, it ensures the safety of personal and financial information with secure data protection.

Rental Comparison Tool

Zillow also offers a rental comparison tool that compares rental properties for users based on various factors such as:

• Price
• Amenities
• Location

Data analytics and visualization tools compare multiple listings and present them in an easy-to-understand format. AI algorithms can recommend properties based on user preferences.

Messaging System

Real estate apps like Zillow ensure smooth communication between buyers, sellers, renters, and agents directly through the app. With real-time messaging protocols, you can ensure instant communication, whereas, end-to-end encryption secures the messages, maintaining user privacy.

AI-enabled Chatbots

Users can get instant support and solutions to their queries using AI chatbots. Technologies like NLP understand and respond to user queries, and ML improves the accuracy and responsiveness of the chatbots over time, making the system smarter.

Map View

The Zillow Real Estate app allows users to see and filter the location and nearby facilities through interactive maps. You can integrate the map view into the application through mapping services like Google Maps API, which provides real-time geographic data. This feature also helps users to find properties based on their current location.

Payment Integration

With seamless payment integration, users can make payments for rentals or purchases, and Admins or property owners can manage the payment directly through the app. You can find various payment gateways like Stripe or Paypal to integrate into your real estate application or with your own digital wallet app development, and you can handle transactions transparently and securely.

Reviews and Ratings

Allow users to read and write reviews & ratings for properties, agents, and services. This will help other users find suitable properties that meet their needs. You can manage and display reviews by integrating user-generated content systems. Additionally, sentiment analysis can filter and highlight the most helpful reviews.

Calendars

Providing scheduling tools for property viewings, inspections, and other appointments will ensure seamless scheduling and reminders. This will help save time for home buyers, renters, and agents. With calendar APIs like Google Calendar, you can ensure automated scheduling systems tpo optimize time slots based on availability and preferences.

Tech Stack Required For Developing Real Estate Apps Like Zillow

Process of Real Estate App Development Like Zillow

• Planning and Current State Analysis

The initial step is to define the app’s purpose, target audience, and goals to get the strategic vision aligned as project stakeholders. Also, it is essential to conduct a thorough analysis of current real estate market trends and user needs to ensure the app addresses critical pain points.

• Select the Suitable Platform

Whether you want to know “how to create a website like Zillow” or choose between suitable platforms, iOS, Android, or cross-platform development, you need assistance from an app development company specializing in Real Estate industry software solutions. 

Moreover, they will help you choose robust technologies like React Native, Flutter, Swift, or Kotlin based on the selected platform for building the app.

• Prioritize the Features and Technologies

Now, identify essential features such as property search, listings, filters, user profiles, and notifications. You can also integrate intelligent technologies like AI, AR/VR, and so on for home value estimates, geolocation for property searches, and secure payment gateways.

• Decide the User Journey and Design the Application

The next step is to map out the user journey from property search to transaction. This will help you create intuitive and visually appealing designs with a seamless experience. Therefore, make sure your designers are well-versed in design tools like Adobe XD, Figma, and Sketch.

• Begin the Development Process

Manage the app development process effectively by working with an experienced mobile app development company. You can adopt an agile development approach and iteratively build and improve the app. This methodology breaks down the development into manageable sprints, focusing on front-end, back-end, and integration tasks.

• Testing and Maintenance

You must ensure a smooth user experience through your application by conducting functional, usability, performance, and security testing. With ongoing maintenance, you can provide regular updates, bug fixes, and feature enhancements, which keep the app running.

How Does a Real Estate App Like Zillow Make Money?

Creating successful real estate apps like Zillow involves implementing an effective monetization system. For instance, it offers free services for users to list properties, search for homes, and view estimated property values, which helps this platform retain customers and increase its user base. 

However, Zillow Group, its parent company, generates revenue through various paid subscription plans and advertising services. Here, we explore how Zillow monetizes its platform and the details of its subscription plans. Its revenue is primarily driven by advertising and paid subscription plans.

As the platform grows, this real estate platform introduces new subscription plans and revenue streams to maintain its financial success. The specific tools and features offered by Zillow have made it the preferred platform for home builders, rental professionals, buyers, investors, and agents across the United States.

Revenue Generation Strategies For Real Estate App Development to Thrive 

Premier Services for Real Estate Agents

• Real estate agents can run ads and acquire leads in exchange for a fee, with charges ranging from $20 to $60 based on ad impressions and leads.
• Real estate firms are charged for cost-per-lead, cost-per-click, and cost-per-lease ads displayed within the Zillow Rental Network, which includes popular sites like AOL Real Estate, Trulia, MyNewPlace, Yahoo! Inc., Hotpads, and MSN Real Estate.

Advertisement Sales Model:

• Zillow sells advertising space to lenders, mortgage professionals, and other businesses on a cost-per-lead basis.

Subscription Model for Mortgage Services:

• Users connect with custom quote services and access a lead management platform through subscription plans.

Subscription Plans for Real Estate Professionals:

Zillow Rental Manager

• This subscription-based service lets users list and manage rental properties on Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads. 

Zillow Premier Agent

• This service offers agents branding on Zillow’s website, increased visibility for listings, and a customer relationship management system to track interested Zillow users.

Zillow Pro for Brokers

• This plan increases visibility for listings and provides access to Zillow’s lead-generation tools. Costs vary based on brokerage size.

Zillow Mortgage Marketplace

• Lenders can advertise their services to Zillow’s users and receive leads generated by Zillow’s mortgage calculators. Service costs depend on the number of leads purchased.

How Much Developing Real Estate Apps Like Zillow Costs?

Various factors affect the app development cost. Some of these include: 

• App’s complexity
• App development team location
• Developer’s charges
• Prioritized features 
• Technology integration

Do you want to know how these parameters can affect your budget? In our blog, Real Estate App Development Costs, we have presented a detailed breakdown of all these factors to give you a cost estimation.

Considering all the factors and the basic features, Zillow-like Real Estate app development costs can range between $75,000 and $1,20,000. However, if you integrate advanced technologies into the application, the total estimation will increase to more than $250,000.

Start Your MVP Development For a Real Estate App Like Zillow

Deploying the services from a trusted mobile app development company will ensure you build an application with smooth functionality and user experience. However, as a business owner, you must have some significant concerns regarding the project, such as costing, feasibility, marketing, idea validation, and investing. Therefore, developing an MVP is the right approach for aspiring startups and to ensure the success of a new app idea for an established organization as well. 

Consequently, working with a good service provider in the industry and developers with extensive knowledge of real estate app development will ensure you have the necessary resources and post-development support.

At Successive Digital, you get end-to-end app development services for building your Real Estate platform. You can find our client reviews and the projects we have delivered on review sites like Clutch, GoodFirms, and DesignRush. 

By following a comprehensive development process, we ensure the development of real estate apps like Zillow that effectively provide innovative and valuable solutions to users.