100
Say Hello
Have a question?
Need a quote or estimation?
Let’s talk!
Thank you!
We will contact you soon!
Name error
E-mail error
© 2019 Antares Code Studio.
\
© 2019 Antares Code Studio
Legal Antares Code Studio is registered in England & Wales. Company No. 10973232.
Blog
How much does it cost to design and develop a real estate website?
Home Page/ Blog/ How much does it cost to design and develop a real estate website?
Published on 08 Apr 2018 · 11 min read
Requesting a proposal for a new real estate website can be a daunting task because there is a multitude of options available today. Prices for real estate web development can range from very expensive to very cheap, and everything in between, making it difficult for you to understand what is an appropriate budget and what makes sense for your own business.
Today we are going to give you a straightforward breakdown of how to properly plan the investment for a new real estate website. A quality website will generate leads and bring additional profits. Whether you need a new property website or a redesign, there are several key factors that dictate the overall costs that you should be aware of.
Main components of real estate web development
Pricing a new website depends on a few key cost factors related to the creation of the website as outlined below. Besides purchasing a domain name, the overall investment you will need to make for a new real estate website depends on the total amount of hours needed for each of the phases explained below.
1: Content Creation
Content for your website comes in many different formats and will be needed to populate the pages of your site. This can include branding assets, professional photographs, renderings, written copy and building information (floor plans, site plans, stacking charts, etc.). If you don't have the time or capacity to provide all of this yourself, you could consider outsourcing to professionals to help get your initial content ready for your new website.
Also, if you have a section that will need ongoing updates (like a blog, news section, research, etc.), you may want to think about an ongoing agreement to help support your content creation needs.
2: Project Management
Typically, a website project is coordinated by a Project Manager who organizes the entire lifecycle of the project from start to finish. They are responsible for finalizing all client requirements, gathering all creative assets (logos, photos, fonts, etc.), establishing timelines, managing production schedules, helping define the website structure, coordinating with designers and developers, ensuring the quality of deliverables, and interfacing with clients to make sure any needs or questions are met.
3: Web Design
The design phase is a substantial part of the website creation process. It includes several critical components that have an impact on the overall aesthetic of your website, as well as user experience across all devices (desktop, mobile, tablet). Typically, this includes:
- Overall visual design
- Content layout for all pages
- Selecting colour schemes
- Selecting typography
- Graphical elements (icons, buttons, etc.)
The number of total pages, visual components and complexity of custom graphics will dictate the amount of design time (and related costs) that needs to be allocated for this phase.
4: Web Development
During the development phase, the designs are converted into a clickable website prototype. The website will be fully interactive and should be functional across all different devices and browsers.
The total required development hours for a project depend on the several factors including the size of the site, interactive components and advanced functionalities. These could include:
- Property search filters
- Property details pages
- Interactive maps
- Interactive site plans
- Interactive stacking charts
- Client/investor portals
- Blogs
- Integration of 3rd party tools
5: CMS Integration
A content management system (CMS), such as WordPress, is an administrative tool that allows you to manage and make edits to the content of your website. This way you have complete autonomy to update your website on the fly without having to rely on a web developer or agency whenever you need to change something.
The costs associated with CMS integration depend on the extent/depth of the integration and whether any custom modules or plugins are required to manage any advanced components of the website.
6: Hosting & Ongoing Maintenance
After a website is launched, there usually ongoing services required to help make sure it continues to run smoothly and ensure you are getting the most out of your site. Ongoing services could include:
- Website hosting
- Security updates and patches
- CMS and plugin updates
- Technical support
- Data back-ups
- Monthly reporting
7: Lead generation
Sales are the key to the development of every business. A professional website can attract potential customers, but first of all, you need to get traffic. There are two types of traffic attraction: paid and free.
Paid are the following:
- Digital Marketing
- PPC (Pay-per-click) with Google AdWords. The average cost of the click will cost $2- $5 (Real Estate industry)
- Facebook ads. The average cost of the click will cost $0.5- $2
- SEO. It takes 3 to 6 months to get the first results. The cost: $300-$2000 per month
So, let's check free options:
- Subscription Forms and Email Marketing campaigns
- Capturing Leads forms
- Property cost calculator. Less than 5% of all companies use calculators, and this already implies your huge advantage over them, so why not try it out?
- Intuitive design. Allows your users to easily find information and consequently swim through all phases of conversion stages.
Defining Your Requirements
Before you start a website project, it’s important to give thought to your requirements because this is what will dictate the number of hours needed for the project and total cost.
You should try to answer the following questions:
- What is the overall objective of the website?
- Do you have a general idea for the main sections of the website?
- What features do you require?
- Who will provide the content for the website?
- Does the website need to work with any 3rd party tools/platforms?
- How important is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for you?
- What existing websites do you like?
Also, it’s worthwhile to look at the performance and key metrics of your existing website so you have a good benchmark to gauge success when you launch your new website.
Agency vs. Freelance vs. DIY Tools
Another consideration that has a significant impact on your website cost will depend on who is going to build your website. There are many options available and just like anything else in life, you pay for what you get.
Generally, there are three realistic options to choose from:
Professional agency
Working with a professional agency is the best approach if you’re looking for professionalism and establishing a long-term relationship. Agencies typically will have several people working on your project which results in a more efficient development process and allows for faster updates in the future. Of course, not all agencies are equal so it’s important to review their portfolio and ask about their client list.
Pros: Broad range of experience, professionalism, efficiency, access to resources
Cons: Usually the most expensive option
Freelance
Freelancers can usually offer more competitive costs than agencies, and that by itself is the most important decision factor for some. However, freelancers are typically only specialized in one area of the development process and don’t have proficiency in other areas. Also, a freelancer will have limitations on the number of projects he/she can work with at the same time which can create issues if other clients have emergencies or bigger priorities than you.
Pros: Competitive costs, a specialist in a specific area
Cons: Less efficient, “one man show”, slower time to completion, limited ongoing support
DIY tools
There are plenty of generic “do it yourself” (DIY) website builders that can help you create a basic website very quickly and relatively cheap. The downside is that you will literally have to build it yourself which can waste valuable time because you will have to spend time learning how to use the product and then creating the site. Also, if you ever need to include a custom feature in the future, it’s very likely you will run into issues.
Pros: Fast, cheapest option, good for basic requirements
Cons: Time-consuming to learn, limited capacity for customizations, limited personal support
Real Estate Website Prices
So how much does a real estate website cost? This depends on all the factors stated above including size, complexity and who is going to develop the website.
Average ranges for professional custom websites:
Simple (informational)
Design and Development: $1,400 – $2,800
Maintenance: $13 – $65 per month
For a basic professional website that is relatively small (less than 10 pages) and doesn’t require many custom interactive features.
Mid-size (custom functionality)
Design and Development: $2,800 – $7,700
Maintenance: $20 – $130 per month
For a mid-size website (10-50 pages) that requires interactive features, custom property search filters and property details pages.
Large (custom functionality)
Design and Development: $7,700 – $20,500
Maintenance: $33 – $200 per month
Large corporate website (50+ pages) that requires interactive features, advanced CMS modules, custom property search filters and property details pages.
Large (database-driven)
Design and Development: $19,500 – $49,000
Maintenance: $45 – $390 per month
Large database-driven website that has very complex requirements and needs development of a completely customized back-end and content management system to power the site.
As you can see, there are lots of options regarding the route you take to your next site. If you’re thinking it’s time for a new website, don’t buy the cheapest just because you think it’s a deal, and don’t buy the most expensive assuming that it must be the best solution. The real answer lies in the proposal details, the character of the people, and the organisation commitment level to your business success.
A good Real Estate website example of a medium to large size is Starfish Estates Website. The website contains such features as: Custom property search, CMS Integration, more than 80 Property Details Pages, Mortgage Calculator, Property Valuation tool, and many more.
Building a new website? Redeveloping your old website? We’re here to help!
Antares Code Studio designs and develops amazing websites and apps for leading real estate companies and individual agents.
To get a free quote from our experienced team, you simply need to complete the form at the bottom of this page and give us some details about your website idea. Completing this form is free, quick and easy, and it could save your business time, money and resource.
Share this page:
Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Email Print
Disqus Comments
We were unable to load Disqus. If you are a moderator please see our troubleshooting guide.
What do you think?
1 Response
Upvote
Funny
Love
Surprised
Angry
Sad
G
Start the discussion…
Comment
Log in with
or sign up with Disqus or pick a name
Disqus is a discussion network
- Don't be a jerk or do anything illegal. Everything is easier that way.
Read full terms and conditions
This comment platform is hosted by Disqus, Inc. I authorize Disqus and its affiliates to:
- Use, sell, and share my information to enable me to use its comment services and for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, including supplementing that information with other data about me, such as my browsing and location data.
- Contact me or enable others to contact me by email with offers for goods or services
- Process any sensitive personal information that I submit in a comment. See our Privacy Policy for more information
Acknowledge I am 18 or older
I'd rather post as a guest
Discussion Favorited!
Favoriting means this is a discussion worth sharing. It gets shared to your followers' Disqus feeds, and gives the creator kudos!
Tweet this discussion
- Share this discussion on Facebook
- Share this discussion via email
- Copy link to discussion
Be the first to comment.
live.rezync.com
live.rezync.com is blocked
This page has been blocked by an extension
- Try disabling your extensions.
ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT
Reload
This page has been blocked by an extension
pippio.com
pippio.com is blocked
This page has been blocked by an extension
- Try disabling your extensions.
ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT
Reload
This page has been blocked by an extension
Contact
Contact us for a free no obligation quote or estimation. We'd love to help and to work with you!
Phone:
[+44 7888 896 869](tel:+44 7888 896 869)
E-mail:
© 2019 Antares Code Studio
Legal Antares Code Studio is registered in England & Wales. Company No. 10973232.
Copy link
✓
Thanks for sharing!
Find any service
[More…](/content/blog/How-much-does-it-cost-to-design-and-develop-a-real-estate-agency-website.html#addtoany "Show all"/index.html)
A2A