What do you do when you're looking to buy, sell, or rent a property? You most likely visit a real estate website to get a sense of the pricing and if the deal looks right, you complete your business on the website itself.

Like many other industries, real estate has also been transformed by digital assets like websites and apps.

Setting up a new real estate website is very easy these days. Platforms like WordPress come with tons of themes and plugins that allow businesses to set up a real estate website in no time.

Real estate website development is thus not a big challenge. All you need is a moderate knowledge of WordPress to get started.

What about a mobile app? Major real estate aggregator platforms offer services via websites and apps. For an interested party that is bound to regularly check listings and prices, accessing a website can be a pain point.

Think about it. Websites are accessible via browsers, thus adding an extra layer between a user and the information they need.

Apps make accessibility simple. They're available at the click of a button, work faster than mobile websites, and can be built to leverage features like location, push notifications, and more. Additionally, it is possible to make free apps thanks to DIY tools like AppMySite.

How exactly can an app help your real estate business? The following sections highlight some of the positive benefits of developing an app for your real estate website.

#1: Geo-tracking for accurate recommendations

Geo-tracking is difficult to implement on a mobile website. Websites, in general, are built to perform in a web browser. It is difficult to create a website that can leverage the hardware capabilities of a mobile device.

For a real estate website, geo-tracking can be a powerful tool to improve user experience. Typical residents tend to look for homes to either buy or rent close to where they live.

Geo-tracking can thus allow users to automatically see houses for rent and sale in their vicinity.

Apps can be built to track user location (with consent) and thus make the overall experience smooth and reliable.

Geo-tracking is tedious to achieve with a mobile website. Websites cannot access the native features of a device completely as they work within web browsers.

Via location tracking, you can also simplify in-app discovery and simplify user journey immensely. Real estate is a segment where local relevance means a lot. A digital asset that offers geo-tracking can naturally be an advantage for a real-estate business.

#2: Better user experience and engagement

Most popular platforms achieve exponential growth through word of mouth. Even in offline marketing, your business only grows when customers recommend it to users.

Customers will similarly recommend your real estate business to others if your website and app provide a sound user experience.

Websites are shackled to some extend, especially on mobile devices. The best way to offer a fast and reliable experience on mobile is through native apps.

Why are apps better for user experience and engagement?

• Better use of device hardware: Apps are built for mobile. They are designed to work seamlessly on mobile devices. An app can access the device camera, location, storage, and more, opening up the possibility of feature integration. Hardware access also means your app can leverage the power of your device's CPU effectively. This makes your app load as fast as it possibly can.

• Instant accessibility: Apps are always accessible to mobile users at the tap of a button. This makes them much more convenient when compared to mobile websites.

• Push notifications for alerts: You can send direct push notifications to your app users. This can be useful when you're sending updates regarding any new developments.

• Fast performance: Native apps are better in terms of screen loading times compared to mobile websites and other variants like PWAs. For user experience and engagement, launching an app is a no-brainer and can really boost your real estate business.

#3: Faster user journey

In real estate, customer journeys can be longer than usual. This is because of the various considerations potential buyers have to consider.

It is one of the most obvious challenges of running a real estate business.

Mobile apps can speed up the traditional customer journey for a typical real estate deal. This can be done by automating processes like discovery, advance payments, and more.

In fact, you can create an app that minimizes the need for your agents to guide customers through various prospects. This reduces the need on your end to engage with buyers, sellers, and other prospects directly.

The whole process can be automated via a mobile app. You can list properties in your app, and design each screen to make sure the user journey in your app is simple and fast.

With every key step just a click away, it is easy to expedite typical real estate customer journeys.

#4: Easy one-on-one communication

In the real estate business world, communication is everything. A potential party would only trust you if you're honest and forthright while communicating with them.

With mobile websites, communication can be difficult as integrating direct messaging featuring is difficult in a browser environment. In-app messaging is a much better option as it enables your customers and you to communicate freely over text.

Furthermore, a study shows that 63% of customers prefer text messaging over calls for communicating with businesses.

For establishing initial contact with a new customer and building trust, apps are perfect. Instead of sharing your phone number with customers for text messaging, you can build an app that allows seamless text messaging.

#5: Better branding for your business

Customers tend to trust brands that have a live mobile app in the market. Since apps are far rarer than websites, businesses that have one on the app stores tend to have an edge over the ones that don't.

For branding, an app can be very advantageous. Think about your customers for a minute to understand the importance of branding. Assume a potential customer is looking to sell a property and is considering a number of digital platforms for listing.

One platform just has a website, while another has both a website and an app. Featuring a property on both a website and app naturally sounds better than just appearing on one.

In conclusion

Apps are everywhere. Now that free app-making has been made possible with DIY tools, it is easier for real estate businesses to launch an app without coding.

While development has been simplified, there are other considerations as well. Having an app has its advantages, but you should also learn how to market and manage it after it goes live.

Your marketing efforts may vary depending on the audience and niche you're in. For app management, it is recommended that you build an app with AppMySite.

AppMySite is an automatic app-building platform that enables you to create apps without coding. It also releases regular updates to ensure your app is powered by new features and isn't lacking when it comes to performance and experience.