Real estate software is gaining popularity due to the rising demand for labor mobility. With the development of technologies such as AI and machine learning, many workers (especially in white-collar jobs) are bound to change their career direction multiple times throughout their work lives.
For example, translators must update their skills to learn more about post-editing. Communication specialists must know how to configure all types of AI to optimize communication with customers in a world where demand for various services is growing. As a result, the ever-changing career trajectories force many people to change their residence locations multiple times in a decade.
Some people prefer to rent their living spaces; others may want to buy property in the location where they work. Since renting and purchasing an apartment or house are difficult, the demand for various types of real estate software is likely to encounter significant growth.
In this article, we examine some of the key features that modern real estate experts should consider when developing real estate software solutions in today's rapidly evolving real estate market.
Undoubtedly, AI integration is a core feature necessary for any successful real estate app today. AI can enhance multiple real estate activities once integrated into a real estate app. First and foremost, AI integration may be essential for automating communication in response to predictable and common user requests.
For example, suppose users need to file a request for a specific apartment type or simply want to learn about the general market conditions. In that case, AI can be a perfect time-saving tool because it allows communication experts to reduce their workload for typical questions and focus on more complex requests.
Secondly, AI integration is crucial for enhancing your search capabilities. Artificial intelligence can find apartments or houses for rent or purchase according to a predefined plan, summarize its search outcomes based on a particular logic, and even explain its choices.
Internet surfing before the era of AI was significantly less efficient than it is today; therefore, real estate companies that fail to incorporate this element into their feature list will decrease usability compared to the general market.
Real estate companies have to manage hundreds, if not thousands, of monthly requests. In this light, it is very easy for them to lose track of customer information. One of the best ways to offset this challenge is the integration of so-called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, which enable the recording, storage, and tracking of this data.
Many CRM applications are available on the market today, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM. None of them holds a dominant position, as each offers unique features to target specific niches.
What does this imply for the more practical aspects of software development? Modern real estate software developers must actively plan investments in CRM integration to attract the attention of real estate specialists.
While many companies and independent experts do not expect a one-click configuration, tools for making it relatively fast and straightforward are still necessary. For this reason, your real estate app must (make a note here: not should) have integration tools for various formats used in CRM frameworks. Otherwise, many experts will prefer older and less user-friendly tools simply because they allow them to add complex configurations targeting their business needs.
This feature is also highly vital for the experts managing real estate sales. Multiple Listing Services (MLS) enable real estate agents to share information on various properties and establish contacts with all stakeholders quickly. MLS frameworks are central to the real estate market in the United States and are gaining popularity in emerging markets in South America and Asia.
For this reason, a significant part of everyday work performed by real estate agents in those regions is centered around MLS systems.
This factor will likely lead to a certain degree of conservatism: many real estate brokers have established practices for working with MLS tools. They are unlikely to give them up unless a new app offers them a significant improvement in productivity. Hence, the primary goal for real estate app developers is to consider MLS integration.
More importantly, this integration must offer tools that surpass the current practices in the field in terms of productivity. In many cases, this is an uphill battle, so real estate software developers must carefully consider their capability to offer something innovative instead of reinventing the wheel.
The development of computer software coding standards, motivated by the growing user bases of computing devices, resulted in a major transformation of user experience standards in recent years. Most PC and mobile users expect comfortable and intuitive user interfaces that do not hinder their everyday work.
As a result, one more feature that is essential if you want to achieve a high level of user attention to your product is undoubtedly a high-quality UI/UX. In this regard, we recommend not engaging in a guessing game but consulting real users and recruiting real estate experts who know what they need and what will frustrate them during interactions with particular apps.
To summarize, integrating AI and various legacy systems, such as CRM apps and MLS frameworks, through a user-friendly interface is one of the most critical requirements for most real estate app developers.
The real estate sector has all the necessary software tools to enable the best practices in this field. The problem is that many of these are not interconnected within a single powerful app. Your best bet, therefore, is to consider such an interconnection and think about the best ways of manifesting it within a powerful real estate product.
Where should one start? Consult with custom software development companies experienced in the real estate sector, such as Keenethics, to receive an impartial evaluation of your business idea and comprehensive development assistance.